I few weeks ago I ‘met’ Sarah Stanley (@sarahstanley) on Twitter. She was talking about her upcoming 50 mile run. At first I thought it was a typo, but as it turned out she indeed planned to run 50 miles.  With her BlackBerry, and tweeting along the way.

sarah blackout 1 

I don’t think I could run 5 miles, and if I did manage to pull it off I wouldn’t be in any shape to hold my BlackBerry, never mind type. Out of curiosity I followed links to Sarah’s blog and found,

“I run 50 miles to inspire someone to run or walk 1 mile.”

I was out of town the weekend of the race, but I checked in on Sarah from the hotel, and there she was, running, tweeting and uploading occasional photos from the course.

Sarah’s a entrepreneur from Washington, D.C. She’s been running for about fifteen years, and this 50 mile event was her second ultramarathon.  She’s on a mission to help others find health, fitness, and happiness.  “I’m passionate about health and wellness,“ Sarah explained, “and every day I ask myself, ‘How can I be a blessing to someone, somehow, someway, somewhere.’”

If you want to improve your level of fitness, Sarah’s advice is to make a plan and keep it achievable.  She also welcomes questions via her blog or email to sarah@sarahellenstanley.com.

So what’s in her future?  In addition to running, Sarah is working on a country-wide tour to help others find their way to health, fitness and happiness. In the meantime, she’ll be on Twitter providing inspiration to all. 

I’m inspired.

24 Responses to Inspiring Tweets


  1. Global Patriot
    Apr 27, 2009

    I’ve known Sarah through Twitter for some time, and am constantly amazed at her drive and determination, and not just for herself, but as a way to inspire others to achieve their own level of greatness. This is one exceptional woman who will do much in the coming years to improve the lives of others!


  2. Natalie Friton
    Apr 27, 2009

    I also recently connected with @sarahstanely on Twitter and was instantly motivated by her energy. I have my own site with some of the same goals as Sarah’s, to help others become and stay motivated to achieve health and fitness goals, and it is refreshing to see how Sarah accomplishes such awesome running and fitness races all the while still being super excited for everyone in her network. Very cool of you to give her a shout out!


  3. Meg
    Apr 27, 2009

    Wow, what an inspiring woman! She’s a prefect example of having a life that is complimented by technology, rather than the other way around! way to go @SarahStanley!

    @ATasteForTea


  4. pchieng
    Apr 27, 2009

    Such an amazing story, she was one of the first people I followed on twitter. Hope to learn more from her 🙂


  5. Aaron Manley Smith
    Apr 27, 2009

    Sarah’s one awesome girl . . . I’m happy you shared a little about her here.


  6. BlondeBlogger
    Apr 27, 2009

    I love Sarah! She bring so much energy to Twitter…very inspirational!


  7. Jen
    Apr 27, 2009

    Way to go Sarah!! What an inspiration!


  8. Sandy Sommer, RKC
    Apr 27, 2009

    @sarahstanley is worth a follow on Twitter. We need look no further than her to see what the human spirit is capable of, as well as the human body!


  9. Daniel Morris
    Apr 27, 2009

    Cool! I’m starting to train again in hopes of catching you one of these days 🙂

    Dan


  10. cultvines
    Apr 27, 2009

    We met Sarah a few months back on twitter. We were so inspired by her, we asked that she stay with us when her business plans brought her to NYC. Last month, she did just that. She is, in fact the “real deal”. My wife and I had so much fun with her, since her personality is just as it is on twitter. She’s upbeat, fun, personable, inspirational and a joy to be around. Someone really worth following on twitter and someone that has truly blessed our lives. We can’t wait to see her again soon! Keep runnin Sarah! 😉

    Mike & Tina~Cult Vines


  11. lylah ledner
    Apr 27, 2009

    Sarah is one of God’s very best. She is kind, caring, loving and an amazing woman who is on my Top Ten Tweeting Women I Must Meet in Person. When my brother was mercilessly beaten and left for dead, she not only prayed, but encouraged me all along the way and every time she saw i was tweeting..she was instant to ask how he was and how i was. She’s truly amazing.

    What’s so cool is about this – is that I never knew she ran and is even cooler that I thought.


  12. Lewis Howes
    Apr 27, 2009

    Awesome stuff! It was great to see your pics live when you were running… super inspirational Sarah!

    @lewishowes


  13. BlairDC
    Apr 28, 2009

    Sarah and I became “friends” on twitter and recently met in person. She’s a delightful kindred spirit who motivates with her positivity and determination. I’m inspired by her interest in helping people learn more about keeping physically fit while also providing a helpful and reassuring demeanor – “sarahshine” anyone? 🙂 Sarah is a gem and I’m glad to call her an in-real-life (IRL) friend and hope to see more of her!

    Hugs Sarah! @blairdc


  14. Kim Wood
    Apr 28, 2009

    I was recently introduced to Sarah through a mutual friend on Twitter…. and I’m thankful. Passion and desire to inspire and help others is evident through Sarah’s tweets. By the way…. it’s the genuine kind 🙂

    I look forward to face-to-face time one of these days.


  15. Tom Murrell
    Apr 28, 2009

    I’ve known Sarah for a long time from Twitter, and even though we’ve never met in person, I certainly consider her to be a great friend. She is the most positive, uplifting, and inspiring person I know.
    Sarah really connects with the people she talks with, and bonds form quickly. She is so full of sunshine (that we call Sarahshine)and she spreads that light to everyone around her. She sets a wonderful example of what human beings are capable of, and should aspire to be. Pretty awesome!!


  16. Sarah Stanley
    Apr 28, 2009

    OMG!!! I just read ALL of the comments on here and I feel so VERY BLESSED and HONORED to see what you wrote. I am truly grateful & thankful for each & every one of you in my life and I look forward to inspiring in the days, months and years to come:)

    xoxo

    @sarahstanley


  17. Eric Dye
    Apr 28, 2009

    Sarah is inspiring indeed. I need to get my butt out of my chair…and make it a habit to take care of my health and stay in shape!!! Will be in DC later this year…!


  18. Eric Dye
    Apr 28, 2009

    Eric Dye @EricDye


  19. Bob Matsuoka
    Apr 28, 2009

    Whoot! We love our #Sarahshine.


  20. OakleyOC
    Apr 28, 2009

    “Sarashine” is such an inspiration. After her hill-by-hill update on her recent 50-mile Ultra, it made me think about running again. Don’t get me wrong I work out regularly, but Sarah’s “I run 50 miles to inspire someone to run or walk 1 mile.” does get to you.

    I’m not one to be able to run 50 miles, but my friends and I are currently about to train for a 5K mud run. It’s nothing like Sarah’s tortuous hills, rocks, archery courses, but it will get a group of four friends who have not run long distance in AGES, or ever, to train over the next couple of months for a our own version of fun/torture over 5K.

    I’m 3,000 miles away from Sarah but her “Sarahshine” stretches across the continent here in Orange County. I get energized just by reading of her full workload AND training.

    Thanks for the inspiration, Sarah, and continue to be a blessing to many!


  21. Matt
    May 05, 2009

    I have had the pleasure of meeting Sarah Stanley on twitter and in person a few times. She is such a pleasure to talk to and to hang out with as well as inspirational and motivating. Keep on running Sarah and I’ll see you on the trail! Mainly because you’ll be passing me! LOL


  22. Leo
    May 31, 2011

    Great achievement Sarah, definitely a case of technology on the go, seriously though, great achievement. My goal is to (one day) run the London Marathon for charity, perhaps I could run it dressed as a BlackBerry phone..now that’s an idea!


  23. Weight Loss Snacking
    Jul 28, 2011

    Running and tweeting…us women, we are so good at multi-tasking eh?

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Merry Go Round #1 | A Merry Life

Leave a Reply