Chasing stories and racing deadlines was as close as Carolyn Scott Kortge (Cor’chi) came to athletic effort for most of her life. During a 20-year journalism career that carried her to the Oshkosh (WI) Daily Northwestern, The Wichita Eagle-Beacon in Kansas, and The Register-Guard in Eugene, Oregon, she poured her high-achiever spirit into writing that earned national recognition.

Reporter Uncovers a Hidden Athlete: As a newspaper journalist, Carolyn never imagined that a physical challenge could offer as much motivation as writing. But walking crept under her defenses. Even a non-athletic "klutz" could walk, she reassured herself, after she wrote a feature article about preparations for the 1989 World Veterans Track Meet held in Eugene for Masters’ level athletes from around the world. One step led to another and in her mid-40s, she found herself on a starting line, entering the first track meet of her life as a race-walker.

Steps of Discovery: In five years of competitive race-walking, Carolyn garnered bronze and silver medals from the USA Track and Field Association’s National Masters Championships. But she won more than medals. She earned a new self-image. The Spirited Walker: Fitness Walking for Clarity, Balance, and Spiritual Connection chronicles Carolyn’s mid-life transition from “klutz” to athlete and reveals a path of awareness and discovery born from a merger of mind and muscles.

Journey Through Cancer: Two years after publication of The Spirited Walker, a cancer diagnosis propelled Carolyn onto another life-changing path. Walking supported her through treatment, affirming the validity of taking one step at a time and keeping your feet on the ground.

One year later, Carolyn returned as a volunteer to the cancer center where she had received chemotherapy and radiation. She offered a series of walking classes in the center’s parking lot for patients and supporters. Word of the program spread, propelling Carolyn along a new path of motivational speaking and teaching. Out of her experience at medical centers and wellness events nationally, she developed the Walking Well® program, the core of Healing Walks for Hard Times: Quiet Your Mind, Strengthen Your Body, & Get Your Life Back

Off the Trail and On: Carolyn makes her home in Eugene, OR, with her husband, Dean, her favorite walking companion.