Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
Yolanda Holder
By Yolanda Holder
I walk with experience and I speak from the heart. Losing both my parents to this horrible disease, diabetes, is why I walk EVERY day. Diabetes is a silent killer and 29.1 million Americans have diabetes, 13.2% of African Americans have diagnosed diabetes and the risk is 1.7 times higher compared to non-Hispanic whites. I watched both my parents suffer with type 2 Diabetes and my mom most recent. Three years ago my mom had a massive stroke and passed away.
My name is Yolanda Holder aka “Walking Diva” and I power walked my way into the Guinness Book of World Records not once but twice for the “Most Marathons in a Calendar Year”. I am the first African American to walk or run over 100 marathons in a calendar year and the first woman in the world to ever do it twice but that’s not my biggest accomplishment.
After losing my mom to diabetes complications I wanted to spread the word about Walking & Your Health this is how “Extreme Walk 4 Diabetes” was born. 3rd Annual Extreme Walk 4 Diabetes Gold Coast Challenge will start at beautiful Laguna Beach and end at the famous San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge.
It will take me 15 days and over 525 miles. The past two years I was able to raise awareness and funds for American Diabetes Association and this is my biggest accomplishment! Walking is the world’s oldest exercise and today’s modern medicine it has so many health benefits and its easy and very simple to do. I’m also on a quest to set a GWR I’m walking 26.2 miles (marathon distance) or more daily for 365 days. I started January 1, 2015 and today is day 222 consecutive days.
Extreme Walk 4 Diabetes Laguna 2 San Francisco August 24 – September 7, 2015 to be a sponsor or donate visit my website www.yolandaholder.com. You may follower my journey on Facebook Yolanda Holder or athlete page Walking Diva.
