Editor’s note: This October 22, when AAHPO members and supporters lace up their shoes to participate in the 5K Run/Walk, we are privileged to have champion racewalker Sherry Brosnahan walk with us! 

It’s interesting to note that Sherry Brosnahan of Bridgewater, NJ considered three other sports before selecting racewalking as her athletic focus. Had she gone another way, this world record-holding racewalker might have been a winning competitor in golf, tennis, or equestrian sports!

“I chose racewalking because of its simplicity,” Sherry said. “All you need is a good pair of walking shoes, and you’re off!”
Of course, to be a champion like Sherry, you need a whole lot more than that, including commitment, focus, love of competition, hard work and years of training, Sherry said she did not start off with all that.

“I was always a walker. My mother would walk everywhere, she didn’t have a car at home. My mother, myself and three siblings – all five of us – would walk to the grocery store and walk back with the groceries. Of course, we walked to school and everywhere we needed to go,” Sherry remembers.
Sherry always had a competitive drive, and for a time as an adult she channeled that into obedience competition with her dog. In 1997, the dog developed cancer, and its competitive career ended.

“A friend of mine said, ‘What are you going to do with your competitiveness?’ and then posed the question: ‘In a perfect world, what sport would you pick?’ Sherry remembered. “I chose racewalking.”