Page 20 - March-April HER

20 MARCH HER
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event in particular — the Spa Running Festival. “That’s my little passion,” she said.
“You know, even though I carried the title ‘race director’ I’m still sort of a behind the scenes person because I have so many great people doing the other things. I’m just one keeping the boat rowing.”
Baswell noted that many of the people par- ticipating in the Spa Running Festival may not even recognize her unless introduced by name despite the fact she has held the position of race director since 2014. She reiterated she prefers keeping a low profile and working behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly.
Under her direction, the running festival took off quickly and maintained an accelerated pace. From applying for grants to improve the festival to inviting Olympic runners, Baswell has poured her heart and soul into the event and the Spa Pacers Association. She noted or- ganizing the Spa Running Festival easily takes an entire year to plan out.
In 2019, the Spa Running Festival drew 1,292 visitors from outside of Garland County and 243 from outside Arkansas. The Spa Pacers Association also grew its membership by 55 people last year. All of this progress due, in part, to her hard work and dedication.
Oddly enough, Baswell did not start running until just before her 50th birthday.
“I said I wanted to do something good for myself,” she said. “When you get older, you look at life a little differently. My sister had started running and I went over to watched her finish
the Little Rock Marathon.
“As I’m watching her, I’m thinking to myself,
‘If she can run 26 miles, surely I can go out and run 3 miles.’ I came back and the Pacers’ clinic for women called ‘Women Run Arkansas’ had
“ I just love showcasing what our city has to offer, and especially
our downtown because I’m downtown so much because of running. And of course, you know, being a native it is exciting to see how the area has developed in the last 10 years or so.
just started in Hot Springs,” she said.
Baswell laced up her sneakers and hit the pavement. She says the clinic gave her a phe- nomenal introduction to running. Instead of “running and running” as hard as she possibly could, she took things gradually. Now, she is a firm believer in the fact that anyone can start
running.
“I’ve always heard people say, ‘Oh, I can’t run. I can’t run. I can’t run.’ You can. If you have the desire and you do not have any medical restrictions, you can train your body to run,” she said.
Her passion for running even led her to participate in the First Ever World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade with the Spa Pacers in 2007. And in 2014, Baswell completed her first full marathon.
“I don’t know, it’s just become a part of my life. If I couldn’t run and couldn’t work out, I would not be a happy person,” she said.
Now retired, Baswell said she plans to take some much-needed time for herself. Although she remains active with the Spa Pacers, the Spa Running Festival, and must bear the weight of her royal title, she now has enough free time to simply enjoy life at her own pace.
“I’m still very busy, but I’ve taken control of my time. Before, I would work literally nine to 10 hours a day.” Retirement “gives me the flex- ibility to work on the race during the day and gives me free time in the evenings.”
“I’ve just taken control of my life back ver- sus work controlling my time,” she said.
Now, with a few extra hours in the day for herself, she has time for her royal duties. Such as mingling with Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders at brunch and being crowned by a Hollywood film star.
“I think I’m just very honored and excited. I’m going to make it fun,” she said. “I feel like sort of a celebrity but I’m not one. I’m just Cindy Baswell.”
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20 March/April 2020 ¯ HER MAGAZINE