Staying fit has always been a passion of Ilana Zeises, DO. She was a competitive springboard diver on the women’s swimming and diving team at Penn State University, and she began running as cross-training when she was in high school.
Eight years ago, Dr. Zeises, a sports medicine physician with Upper Bucks Orthopedics at Grand View Health, began running again, this time racing alongside her father, Richard, in an 8K race in Philadelphia.
Now, Dr. Zeises is running everywhere. She’s raced competitively in New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Maryland, Delaware, Arizona and Virginia in addition to Pennsylvania, most often running half-marathons. “I’m slowly trying to do one race in every state,” Dr. Zeises says.
In May, Dr. Zeises will join nearly 100 Grand View Health colleagues by completing in the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street Run in Philadelphia. It will be the sixth consecutive time she’s competed in the event, which is billed as the largest, fastest and most popular 10-mile run in the country.
“Running for 10 miles may seem daunting,” Dr. Zeises says. “But at the Broad Street Run, you’re running with thousands of friends, church groups, school groups, bands—they’re all rooting for you and supporting you the entire way.”
This year she’ll try to top her personal best time in the Broad Street Run (1 hour, 20 minutes).
Signing up to compete in more races keeps Dr. Zeises motivated to run. “There are days I may not want to run—especially in the cold—but once I get moving and finish my run, it’s a great feeling,” she says. “Running is my anti-anxiety. I can’t imagine not doing it.”
