AUTHOR: WIngMAN KAREN NITKIN
Later this month, Hannah Cocchiaro, 28, heads to Atlanta for the U.S. Olympic team marathon trials. The Howard County resident and special education teacher isn’t afraid to set ambitious goals for herself, and then work hard to meet them. But the Olympic qualifier was nervous about joining ASA.
“I had seen the athletes and WingMen at different races and I just thought it looked really cool,” she says. “But it took me a few times of seeing them to get the courage to sign up. It was just scary for me to do something new. It seemed like a tight group, and I’m kind of shy.”
Hannah joined ASA in the fall of 2017 and soon after became a WingMan Captain. She has a vivid memory of her first training run. Stephanie Blades, Howard County Community Coordinator at the time, was there, and she made Hannah feel like she belonged. “She’s the most welcoming person I’ve ever met,” Hannah says of Stephanie. “She made me feel comfortable right away.” Hannah now practices and runs races with ASA as often as she can.
“I love using the legs that I have to help the athletes do something they wouldn’t be able to do on their own. I never get tired of seeing the impact that ASA has on the athletes and their parents. Even on the training runs, we give the parents an hour to themselves. Being able to give back to the running community means so much to me. And of course there’s nothing like those finish line smiles.”
“I had seen the athletes and WingMen at different races and I just thought it looked really cool,” she says. “But it took me a few times of seeing them to get the courage to sign up. It was just scary for me to do something new. It seemed like a tight group, and I’m kind of shy.”
Hannah joined ASA in the fall of 2017 and soon after became a WingMan Captain. She has a vivid memory of her first training run. Stephanie Blades, Howard County Community Coordinator at the time, was there, and she made Hannah feel like she belonged. “She’s the most welcoming person I’ve ever met,” Hannah says of Stephanie. “She made me feel comfortable right away.” Hannah now practices and runs races with ASA as often as she can.
“I love using the legs that I have to help the athletes do something they wouldn’t be able to do on their own. I never get tired of seeing the impact that ASA has on the athletes and their parents. Even on the training runs, we give the parents an hour to themselves. Being able to give back to the running community means so much to me. And of course there’s nothing like those finish line smiles.”
