Cancer no match for Marathon-minded Melbourne mom

Melbourne mom of twins Julie Hannah started running for the same reason many people do: to lose weight.

At the time, her girls were still toddlers and her job hosted a “Biggest Loser”-style competition for employees. Hannah won by losing 30 pounds, mainly from running. A lot.

Fast-forward eight years – which included a year-long battle with breast cancer – and Hannah’s running game has been elevated from weight loss to elite racing. In November, she was the first-place overall female finisher at the Space Coast Half Marathon with a time of 1:32:51. She won the race less than a year after completing cancer therapies that included six rounds of chemotherapy and 33 radiation treatments.

“I feel like I’m stronger now, and just racing stronger than I did before I had cancer,” Hannah said.

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Throughout her cancer treatments, Hannah says that running kept her focused on something positive. She ran regularly until her fourth round of chemotherapy finally slowed her down. Three weeks after her bilateral mastectomy, she was running again.

“I felt grateful to be able to run, to be alive, even during my cancer treatments,” Hannah said. “It really inspired me to get out there and take advantage of the health I have.”

A few weeks before her Space Coast win last fall, Hannah ran the New York City Marathon. She decided while she was in town, she’d do the tourist thing and head to Rockefeller Plaza to stand in the “Today” show crowd. Hannah showed off a poster that read, “I kicked cancer’s butt and ran the New York City Marathon.” The message caught the attention of a show producer, who featured her onscreen and then did an interview with her for Sirius radio.

Her Space Coast win even landed her in the pages of Runner’s World – considered the Holy Grail of publications for serious runners.

Right now, she’s training for the Boston Marathon, running about 50 miles per week. She will run the Gasparilla Half-Marathon in Tampa in February as a warm-up and the Gate River 15K Run in Jacksonville after that.

“For the past several years, Julie has been committed to consistent weeks of high miles and her race times have paid off,” said Coach Doug Butler, who heads up the “Set Goals, Not Limits” running camp. “For a lady to run (a) 7-minute pace for 13 miles or 7:30-minute pace for 26 miles is an incredible feat.

“When you consider the physical challenges Julie went through, it’s simply unbelievable. You have to be physically tough and even tougher mentally.”

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Hannah says she feels like she could still get faster, but is happy with her progress since being declared cancer-free.

As for her twin girls, Kayla and Madison, and husband, John, they understand her need for speed.

“My kids know this is just a routine for me now,” Hannah said. “I’m a better mom for running. It makes me better in a lot of areas.”