For Immediate Release
Written by: Laurel Alberson, marketing specialist, 260-481-6166
Media contact: Beth Kaskel, associate professor of nursing, 260-481-6275
Runners, Take Your Marks… IPFW Nursing Department Takes on Fort 4 Fitness
(Fort Wayne, September 23, 2009) -- At the starting line, we have a mother of three, a military medic, and a university professor. These three very different individuals have not one, but two passions in common. They are part of the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Department of Nursing and make health a part of their lives outside the classroom. The three runners, varying in experience, will lace up their shoes and take on the Fort 4 Fitness Saturday, Sept. 26.
The IPFW nursing roster includes Linda Wyss, a mother of three, who decided to pursue an IPFW nursing degree when her children started high school; Alex Honigford, an IPFW student and Air Force National Guard medic, who worked in a Baghdad prison providing medical care to prisoners; and Beth Kaskel, an associate professor of nursing at IPFW.
For Wyss, running in the competition had everything to do with her nursing studies. “I was finishing a class taught by Dr. Beth Kaskel. She mentioned she was running and thought it would be a lofty goal for her to run a marathon someday. I told her about the Fort 4 Fitness and that I would be glad to help her train for it. I had no intention of running it myself. For some reason, she did not like this arrangement and wanted me to run it too. On the day of finals in her class, I slipped her a note to let her know that if she ran it, I would too. The rest is history.”
The IPFW nursing department almost had a fourth member of their running team with an equally interesting background. Unfortunately Lisa Ruble, who is in her second semester in the nursing program and formally played professional basketball in Spain, was unable to reserve a spot in the race due to the overwhelming response. “Though I didn’t get into the Fort 4 Fitness event, I’ll be running in a 10K at the end of October,” said Ruble.
As a second-year nursing student, Honigford wants to promote healthy lifestyles through his future career and by supporting healthy initiatives in the community. “I wanted to participate in the Fort 4 Fitness to help Fort Wayne promote active and healthy lifestyles. It is great to see the fantastic local support by Fort Wayne businesses, government, and citizens.”
So, will the IPFW nursing department, which is part of the College of Health and Human Services, keep up the tradition in future Fort 4 Fitnesses? “I’ll encourage students to consider the Fort 4 Fitness and other fitness/athletic competitions,” said Kaskel. “As professional practice nurses we educate our patients on the benefits of nutrition and exercise, so why don't we take care of ourselves in the same way? There is a plethora of research on how exercise decreases stress and improves our immune and other body systems.”
For more information, contact Beth Kaskel, associate professor of nursing, at 260-481-6275 or kaskelb@ipfw.edu.
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