Not long after she arrived in Charleston in 1982, Julie Isphording wanted to see the famed hill section of the Charleston Distance Run course.

On the Friday night before the race, the 17-year-old Cincinnati native hopped in her car and checked out the six-mile stretch of South Hills, knowing that the following day she'd be running up those monstrous inclines, fighting heat and humidity and trying to maintain a pace that might bring victory over nationally prominent runners.

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Julie Isphording

"I drove the hill the night before to see how bad it was,'' Isphording recalled recently. "I can remember to this day thinking that I'm not going to be able to do this.''

Sure enough, as the race was unfolding 12 hours later, she found the hills quite the challenge. But like any good runner, she battled through it, calling on her years of training and the mental toughness essential to anyone who favors racing on foot for 15 miles.

"I got into this little pattern of just breathing and moving my arms and thinking, 'If I can just get to the top of the hills, I'll be fine for the rest of the course,' '' she said.

She reached the top, of course, and won the 1982 Distance Run in one hour, 26 minutes, 17 seconds, which at the time was a women's record in the 10-year-old race. (The current record is 1:24:32 set by Priscilla Welch in 1987.)

Helped by the confidence and experience gained in Charleston, Isphording ran the New York City Marathon later that year and set a record for 17-year-olds (2:32:24) that still stands. Two years later, she earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic marathon team as part of a distinguished running career that has led to her current pursuits - motivational speaking, serving as host for a Cincinnati talk-radio show called "The Healthy Stuff'' and writing three books on the subject, including "On Your Feet - A Personal Guide to Running and Walking.''

Isphording, 46, who competed in five Charleston Distance Runs and won four, will speak at this year's Distance Run clinic in what will be her first appearance here since winning the race in 1991.

At 7 p.m. Aug. 29, she'll offer advice at the SportMart Runners Clinic at the Charleston Civic Center in conjunction with the Verizon Pasta Party. She'll be here for the race, which begins at 7:30 a.m. Aug. 30, but will not compete, even though she still runs six miles a day.

Looking back, she knows that winning her first Distance Run, especially on an intimidating course at age 17, contributed to her long-term success.

"If you can conquer that [Charleston Distance Run] course and come up with a good time, it would give any runner confidence, not just an Olympic runner,'' she said. "It's the hilliest course I've ever run in my entire life. It's one of the most challenging races I've ever run. People talk about marathons, about how tough they are. But I think the Charleston Distance Run is up there with the marathons in terms of level of difficulty, the people on the starting line with you. And it's a well-run race. It's one of those special memories. I've run all over the world, but I kept coming back to Charleston.''

Reach Mike Whiteford at 348-7948 or mikewhitef...@wvgazette.com.

Not long after she arrived in Charleston in 1982, Julie Isphording wanted to see the famed hill section of the Charleston Distance Run course.

On the Friday night before the race, the 17-year-old Cincinnati native hopped in her car and checked out the six-mile stretch of South Hills, knowing that the following day she'd be running up those monstrous inclines, fighting heat and humidity and trying to maintain a pace that might bring victory over nationally prominent runners.

The memory is still fresh.

"I drove the hill the night before to see how bad it was,'' Isphording recalled recently. "I can remember to this day thinking that I'm not going to be able to do this.''

Sure enough, as the race was unfolding 12 hours later, she found the hills quite the challenge. But like any good runner, she battled through it, calling on her years of training and the mental toughness essential to anyone who favors racing on foot for 15 miles.

"I got into this little pattern of just breathing and moving my arms and thinking, 'If I can just get to the top of the hills, I'll be fine for the rest of the course,' '' she said.

She reached the top, of course, and won the 1982 Distance Run in one hour, 26 minutes, 17 seconds, which at the time was a women's record in the 10-year-old race. (The current record is 1:24:32 set by Priscilla Welch in 1987.)

Helped by the confidence and experience gained in Charleston, Isphording ran the New York City Marathon later that year and set a record for 17-year-olds (2:32:24) that still stands. Two years later, she earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic marathon team as part of a distinguished running career that has led to her current pursuits - motivational speaking, serving as host for a Cincinnati talk-radio show called "The Healthy Stuff'' and writing three books on the subject, including "On Your Feet - A Personal Guide to Running and Walking.''

Isphording, 46, who competed in five Charleston Distance Runs and won four, will speak at this year's Distance Run clinic in what will be her first appearance here since winning the race in 1991.

At 7 p.m. Aug. 29, she'll offer advice at the SportMart Runners Clinic at the Charleston Civic Center in conjunction with the Verizon Pasta Party. She'll be here for the race, which begins at 7:30 a.m. Aug. 30, but will not compete, even though she still runs six miles a day.

Looking back, she knows that winning her first Distance Run, especially on an intimidating course at age 17, contributed to her long-term success.

"If you can conquer that [Charleston Distance Run] course and come up with a good time, it would give any runner confidence, not just an Olympic runner,'' she said. "It's the hilliest course I've ever run in my entire life. It's one of the most challenging races I've ever run. People talk about marathons, about how tough they are. But I think the Charleston Distance Run is up there with the marathons in terms of level of difficulty, the people on the starting line with you. And it's a well-run race. It's one of those special memories. I've run all over the world, but I kept coming back to Charleston.''

Reach Mike Whiteford at 348-7948 or mikewhitef...@wvgazette.com.