Like many places, Australia has its own uniqueness that makes it special. Kangaroos are as common to see throughout the land as deer are in the States. If you take a walk in the bush (forest areas), you can spot the Koala bears in the Gum trees. Instead of a peanut butter sandwich often found in a child’s lunchbox in the U.S., in the ‘Land Down Under’, you are more apt to be dining on a ‘vegemite’ sandwich, a black, creamy, salty spread, which is a concentrated yeast extract. Doesn’t sound appealing? Karen guarantees it is! So too are the ‘twisties’, a snack along the lines of cheese doodles and ‘tim tams’, chocolate biscuits that her mum sends to her each birthday and Christmas. And when she is in the mood for a true novelty, she craves ‘fantales’, a chocolate candy with caramel that are wrapped in paper that has information on major movie stars.

Karen last visited Australia this past January in the middle of their summer. Temperatures reached the 90’s and she found conditions perfect for swimming, one of her many favorite pastimes. Outdoor, Olympic-size pools are plentiful. She got in some swimming and even entered a triathlon while she was there, earning an award to boot. She also spent time surfing, an activity she really misses. Although she has done some surfing on Lake Ontario, it is not quite the same. (Well, at least there are no sharks!)

Oswego may be a lot different from her homeland, but it is where Karen now calls her home away from home. She and her husband live on a farm, surrounded by quiet, country roads, where they often go running. Running is just one of the many activities that Karen and Russ have in common. When she first moved here, they began doing area road races so that she could make some acquaintances. She says the social aspect is one of the benefits of running. "Most of the friendships that I have formed here in the States were done so mainly through running." She also values it for the physical and emotional benefits derived, and because it is something she can do with Russ and her dogs, who are quite the ‘runners’ themselves and love it when ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ take them out for a run!

Modest about her athletic talents, Karen is quick to praise her fellow runners, with no mention of her own accomplishments. She regularly is one of the top finishers at area races, most recently, as the first female at the Alzheimer’s 5K held in Oswego this past September, reaching the finish in 20:35. She also placed in the top three at ‘A Mid Summer’s Night Dream Run’ cross-country race this past summer and in the Harborfest 10K, where she faced some tough competition. Running an average of only 15 miles per week, her times and finishes are very impressive!

When it comes to running goals, Karen would like to stay injury-free (she is currently fighting an Iliotibial Band injury) and break twenty minutes in a 5K. Additionally, after doing her first triathlon in Australia after a ten year absence from the sport, she went on to enter a few more in the States and Canada over the summer. She would like to enter more in 2003, trying to improve on her cycling leg, which, she sees as her weakest event. If time allows to devote to proper training, she might even try competing in a triathlon on a national level.

Karen works as a Project Manager/Consultant for Excellus. She holds a Bachelors degree in Physical Education and will have her MBA completed this month. She and Russ also have their own business, Gettingroovy.com - "Groovy Stuff for Groovy People", where they sell jewelry, candles, bags and more, on-line and at a booth each year at the New York State Fair. She enjoys almost any kind of fitness activity, such as biking, mountaineering, snowboarding and more. They both love to travel and regularly take off for places near and far. Hoping to combine the best of both countries, she dreams of one day being able to spend a few months each year with Russ in Australia.

October, 2002