Women who lift each other up

From left, Robyn Spaeth, Kathy Pagpular Ruszala, and Kimiko McKagan pose before the start of the Saipan Marathon 2019 last March 9. (Contributed Photo)

Long-time friends Kathy Pagapular Ruszala and Robyn Spaeth had their eyes in conquering the half marathon of the 2019 Saipan Marathon last March 9. They both clocked in at the same hour, minute, and second at the finish line and they couldn’t be any happier overcoming a mental, emotional, and physical feat than finishing alongside a best friend.

“Around Mile 10, I felt myself slowing down and walking more, but Robyn came from behind and said, ‘Let’s go, champ, we’re almost there. You can walk at the water stop.’ She could’ve easily passed me as she was feeling good but her encouragement was exactly what I needed,” recalled Ruszala.

“Running a marathon which is an endurance sport is a mental game. Sometimes all you need to get through is the simplest of words from a person who believes in you,” she added.

According to Spaeth, Ruszala was ahead of her for at least 10 miles during the race.

“From my view point, it looked like Kathy was just flying through the course so it really helped keep me motivated to pick up the speed. Finally, during the last 2-3 miles I decided that she was looking a little ‘lonely’ and that I needed to pick it up if I was ever going to catch her,” she said.

“By the time I finally got up to her I didn’t think I could hold the pace with her but she yelled plenty of encouraging visuals to help me keep going… I believe that when trying to encourage others to keep going, it helps keep me motivated and focused,” she added.

Training and preparing for sports events are one of the things that these women enjoy doing together.

“Robyn coaches a fitness group at Saipan International School so I run with them when I have a prep period during their class. We also run around the track on Monday afternoons,” Ruszala said.

“Robyn often finds these training schedule and we attempt to follow it or modify them to fit our needs. At the end of each run, we gather all our little ones and do a lap with them for our cool down and that’s always my favorite part,” she added.

Spaeth said that Ruszala is an ideal partner to train. “Kathy and I are both very similar in our athletics… we are currently training together for the Tagaman and the half marathon in Guam in April.”

“It’s so encouraging to have someone to train with, especially on those days that you are dreading getting out there and putting in the time. Thankfully, Kathy and I both are good at trying to push each other, whether that be to run harder or farther or to sign up for events like the Tagaman,” she said.

Aside from the same interest in fitness, Ruszala and Spaeth are co-teachers at Saipan International School.

“I work primarily with elementary while Robyn teaches middle and high school so we rarely get the chance to collaborate professionally. But when we do, it’s a lot of fun,” Ruszala said.

“Meetings are far more entertaining. Being each other’s sounding board when it comes to school affairs that helps put things in perspective,” Ruszala added.

Spaeth echoes the same sentiments “I love working with Kathy. She has been such a great source of knowledge for me, especially in coming up with creative and motivational techniques to use in the classroom.”

Spaeth pointed out that their friendship actually started by encouraging each other as strangers. “One of my first memories was of us running a trail together and part of the trail required that we had to jump off a cliff into the ocean. Turns out we are both scared of heights,” Spaeth said.

“From the very beginning of our friendship we have always been encouraging each other to push ourselves and face our fears. Needless to say, we both ended up jumping off the cliff after much encouragement from one another,” she said.

There is a saying that strong people don’t put each other down—they lift each other up and Ruszala and Spaeth don’t fall short of this real strength.

“I am a scaredy-cat and Robyn is a go-getter so I feed off her positive energy. She laughs easily, even at her own expense, and she is extremely witty… She’ll deny it, but her determination to train, to complete a workout, is inspiring,” Ruszala said.

“I think women who lift each other up is empowering. We are fortunate to be living in a generation where women succeed and thrive in any area she chooses. As the former first lady, Michelle Obama, so eloquently spoke, ‘there is no limit to what we as women can accomplish,’” she said.

Spaeth said that there are so many great things to say about Ruszala. “One quality that really stands out time and again is how thoughtful she is. She is great at paying attention to the small details of a conversation and pulling back to that in the most unexpected moments. She is always so encouraging and she really does see the best in people.”

“As a woman, we already have enough obstacles in our way that we really should focus on trying to build one another one. Lifting up other women is the greatest gift you can give,” she said.

Robyn Spaeth and Kathy Pagpular Ruszala sprint to the finish line of the Saipan Marathon last March 9. (Contributed Photo)