Pioneering women’s distance running and race walking as a Sequoia athlete, she was an all-league (boys’) cross-country runner in 1974. In the sixties, she was the first official female participant in Bay to Breakers and Ocean to Bay races. While still in high school, she competed in race walking world championships in Sweden and Norway, and earned a cross-country scholarship to Cal Poly/Pomona in 1979. Subsequently, she won numerous state and national race walking championships and embarked on a successful career as a coach and personal trainer.