Richmond woman runs marathon to get to know her new community

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Many run a marathon in order to get their best time, or for the sake of fitness. However, one new-to-Richmond woman is making it her goal to use the marathon as a way to get to know her community.

“There is some culture shock, but overall this move has been great for me,” said Wendy Platt, “You have no idea how nice it is to have all this green space.”

Platt recently moved to Richmond three months ago in order to be closer to her family. She said while she did not know anyone prior to moving here, she knew running was always a way to connect to others.

“You never know who you are going to meet on a run, and already I’ve meet at least two people while out,” said Platt.

Now she is hoping to add more to the list. Platt is running the half-marathon, a grueling 13.1 miles across historic Richmond, all to meet more people and get to know the community.

“I also do it because I love fitness and eating what I want, but it’s just different, you see the world differently than you would if you were driving,” Platt said. “I look forward to just getting out there, and making the best of it.

This is the first time Platt is running the Richmond marathon. If everything goes well, Platt said she would not only consider running it again, but doing the full one in a few years.

Copyright 2021 WWBT. All rights reserved.

Send it to 12 here.

Want NBC12’s top stories in your inbox each morning? Subscribe here.