Maple Grove resident Jodi Johnson avoided the 10-mile Women Run the Cities race in favor of the 5k for three years because she never considered herself an avid runner. The 10 mile run only came into view after fellow Minnesota Commercial Real Estate Women (MNCREW), a professional organization for women in commercial real estate, members encouraged—or rather goaded—her into beginning to train for it. One day, she ran just a little farther than normal and realized “it wasn't so bad!”
She ran her first Women Run the Cities 10-mile in 2010 and beat her goal time of 10-minute miles (around 9:24-minute miles). Jodi says this was one of the proudest moments of her life.
This is the sixth anniversary of the local, by-women and for-women race, slated for September 23, at 8 a.m.; 2,700 runners are expected, and Johnson will be one of them. The event includes a women’s 10-mile run, a girl’s 1-mile run, and a women’s 5K walk/run. A portion of the proceeds from Women Run the Cities benefits the Ann Bancroft Foundation’s Dare to Dream mini-grants and the CREW Foundation.
