I always thought I would be a soccer player. I
started at a young age and that was my passion.
However, I never really got any bigger, which
made soccer a lot more difficult and running
much more important. I was always running
away from people trying to hit me.” She came
to realize that her niche in athletics would be
running, and that quickly translated into success in
track and field competition. “You could win races
and medals,” she giggles. “I was immediately
successful because of all of the running I’d
been doing in soccer.”
She and her sister were the first members of
her family to attend college. Desiree went to
Arizona State, where she distinguished herself in
track and cross-country competition, being twice
named an All-American. She graduated with a
BA in religious studies and a BS in psychology.
She particularly liked religious studies. Although
she had been baptized a Methodist, her family
wasn’t involved in organized religion and she
seldom went to church. “The college courses,
however, offered a lot of history, culture and
tradition. I ended up with a Liberal Arts degree
and with little career prospects. I was lucky that I
was running fast.”
When she told her parents she was going to
become a professional runner, they asked, “And
what else are you going to do? You have to
supplement it. You are not going to make a living
as a professional runner.” But, while it hasn’t all
been easy, she has. “While historically runners
haven’t had the financial backing and fan base
enough to sustain a profession, that’s slowly
changing,” she comments.
Corporate sponsorship has become a major
factor. In Desiree’s case, she is supported by
Hanson-Brooks, a leading firm in marketing
running shoes and athletic attire. The company
supports Desiree and 19 other members of its
sponsored team, allowing them to train at a site
in Michigan. “This kind of support allows runners
like me to stay in the sport and do it as a career,”
she shares. “Our Hanson-Brooks Distance Project
is split between men and women, and all of us
are marathon specialists – post collegiate and
professional. Team members are always in the
half marathon or marathon levels. And, we are
selective; we pick the races that work best for
us. As a consequence, we are seeing more
depth in American long distance running now than
ever before.”
2016 Olympic Marathon Trials in Los Angeles. Photos by Carrie Cox.
24 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 24, No. 3, 2018
/www.latinastyle.com