Three generations of Prior Lake women to run half marathon together

Prior Lake American

More than two decades ago, Prior Lake resident Cheryle Theisen couldn’t run more than a mile.

Now, Theisen has run 17 marathons and “countless half marathons,” and has created a familial tradition in the process — Theisen, her two daughters, and two granddaughters will run the Women Rock Half Marathon in St. Paul on Saturday.

Theisen started running when her daughters, Prior Lake residents Becky Legan and Cori Wasz, were in high school. Legan and Wasz, who ran to train for basketball, would invite their mother on runs.

“I was a walker and I tried to run, but I wasn’t very good at it,” Theisen said. “One time, there was a construction crew that kind of laughed when I went by because I was not good.”

But Theisen persisted until she was able to run a mile without walking. After that milestone, she told one of her coworkers at Minneapolis Public Schools.

“I said ‘one mile today ... someday a marathon,’” Theisen said. “He said, ‘yeah, right, like you’ll ever do it.’ So that was my motivation.”

Theisen began to train, starting out by running longer or to a farther landmark each day. Once she hit three miles, she began to work with a trainer.

“He set me up with a pyramid program and that was tough,” Theisen said. “I could only look at a week at a time because otherwise it was completely overwhelming. I still use some of the things he taught me at that point.”

At one point, Theisen agreed to a 10-mile run with her coworker who had told her she wouldn’t run a marathon. At mile six, he told her he couldn’t go any farther.

At 46 years old, Theisen ran her first marathon, though was unable to finish due to a ruptured neck disc. Of the 17 marathons she’s ran to date, she’s only been unable to finish two — that race and another with high temperatures.

During the beginning marathons, her family would run with her for some of the mileage except the last mile when bystanders are not allowed to participate. Soon, the whole family got into running.

Wasz, who said she has run eight or 10 half marathons, trained for a marathon with Theisen before getting Achilles Tendonitis.

“After that, I said I’ll never train for another marathon,” Wasz said.

During one marathon in 2000, Theisen signed up for the full distance and her daughter, Legan, signed up to run the half marathon. Though Legan wasn’t intending to run her first marathon that day, that’s exactly what she did.

“I jumped in and ran the full marathon even though I was planning on doing the half,” Legan said.

Her daughters, 15-year-old Hope Legan and 14-year-old Gracie Legan, also grew up running. The upcoming half marathon will be the first for Hope and Gracie.

“When they were 5, they ran a 5K, when they were 10, they ran a 10k,” Legan said. “Now we’re here. ... Since they were babies, another one of my goals was to do a three-generation big run. That was on my list since they were little.”

That goal will be reached with the upcoming half marathon. Theisen, Legan, Wasz, Gracie and Hope are signed up for the race and plan to cross the finish line together.

“Our training didn’t start too long ago,” Wasz said. “We were just all up on vacation for the last week and we did a couple runs together up there. We did a 10-miler to see if we could make it. We almost died, but we made it.”

The group even has T-shirts with “mom,” “daughter,” or “granddaughter” emblazoned across the front.

“It’s harder when you’re running together because you’ve got five people with different variables,” Legan said. “One person can have a bad day and that makes a difference for everybody.”

Wasz said the goal is to complete the half marathon in under three hours. The women have a training mantra: “A done run is a good run.”

Legan said people don’t need any special skills to become a runner.

“You just have to start,” Legan said.

Wasz said running can be good therapy.

“It clears your mind,” Wasz said. “It’s just you and your mind out there. It’s good for your mental health.”

Theisen said she often gets asked how she knows she’ll finish the race, to which she responds that you have to sign up and commit.

“That’s everything in life,” Theisen said. “I firmly believe that everybody needs to get out and move. Running, walking, it’s for health purposes. Get out and do something, even if it’s just walking a block, go for it.”

And though Wasz said she wouldn’t train for another marathon, Theisen has a goal of doing a family marathon in two years — after she turns 70 years old.