Pia Hansson may have a 12-year-old son and a lot of other personal responsibilities, but she still has time to somehow manage her professional career.
The 50-year-old woman, who has participated in more than 400 marathons, sets foot in India for the first time to participate in the ‘The Great India Run’.
Pia, the only woman thatcher from Denmark, began her journey as a professional athlete in 2013 and has since participated in about four hundred marathons, almost running three to four marathons per week.The mother of a twelve year old child is an inspiration to many as she is a self-employed thatcher — is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof.
She loves her job as much as running and allots time for everything.The athlete believes in the fact that running makes her stronger and confesses that it is not easy to manage her professional life with her personal life but by hook or by crook the passionate athlete makes time for running a marathon.
Pia adds that sometimes after the long hours at work she goes for her marathons at night. The athlete has only one rule and that is not to share her time. “It is my time, I cannot share it,” she explained.The Denmark athlete is also prone to injuries due to her thatcher profession. However, she feels that all the injuries fly away as soon as she starts running.
“I also work as a thatcher and I get injuries there, but I don’t let that affect me. Running is the time I am free, and for me, it is scared. For me it feels like the more I use my body, the more energy I get back. It makes me feel stronger,” said the athlete who runs for the sheer love for the sport.
On the diet intake, Pia said that she follows an ordinary diet chart with an extra intake of salts. Since it is the first time she is in India, the 50-year-old is eagerly looking forward to ‘The Great India Run’. However, the hot weather in New Delhi right now may not make it easy for the runners, but Pia is up for it. “We are here for more than a week and if we put the pace down, then its okay,” she added.
Pia is also not here to set records, but to enjoy the company while running.“When I run, I run without a watch. It is the running itself and the company that I enjoy rather than the timing I achieve.”The athlete enjoys the company of the people she meets and prefers meeting someone during a marathon rather at a cafe.“We don’t go to cafe, we go for run with friends” she said.