Madonna Boclair Hanna had a successful career in the fashion industry at the corporate level. She retired as an award winning fashion marketing educator. Presently, is a motivational speaker, freelance writer, actress, amateur competitive athlete, and she presently writes a monthly article for the Senior Scene publication chronicling her journey to the 2022 National Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Madonna was selected as the January 2020 National Senior Games Association Athlete of the Month.
Follow Madonna’s progress on Facebook @madonnabhanna or Instagram@madonnafitfastandfabulous.
Website: Dropkickthedrama.com
You may contact Madonna for speaking engagements at [email protected]
Article about Madonna and her coach
at Washington State Senior Games July 2021
at Washington State Senior Games July 2021
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Opening Remarks
My guest, Madonna Hanna, is a perfect example of why I created this podcast. She felt a desire to do something at a very young age and even though many years passed she never let go of the dream.
Now some of us who have put things off until later in life off have to make some adjustments. I’m not going to be a ballerina at this point but I could take a dance class. We can get a version of what we always wanted but maybe not the exact thing we imagined when we were small. That’s not the case with Madonna, and she has the medals to prove it.
She didn’t let injury stop her, or the death of her beloved coach. She is serious about sprinting but you can tell from our laughter that she is enjoying her life.
There are some problems early on with her microphone. I apologize, and hope you agree that her spirit and her stories make it not that noticeable.
For all of us who watch the Olympics and imagine being a champion athlete, I hope you enjoy this interview.
Transcript
(times are approximate)
Liz Sumner 0:00
My guest today is speaker, author and actress Madonna Hanna. Among her career achievements. She was a high school fashion marketing educator who received White House acknowledgement three times for her teaching projects. At age 57. Madonna decided on a whim to become a competitive sprinter and has since won numerous medals. Welcome, Madonna.
Madonna Hanna 0:24
Well, good morning to you and all of your listeners. I am Madonna Hannah coming from Washington state in the United States of America.
Liz Sumner 0:35
I’m very glad to have you here. So were you an athlete when you were a child?
Madonna Hanna 0:41
Absolutely not. I’m gonna say the most athletic thing that I did was to watch the Olympics. And I was most attracted to the Summer Olympics track and field, watching the 100 yard dash as it was called at that time. I did fancy myself after watching as as a sprinter going out in my backyard and playing 100 yard dash. That was it. And little did I know that 50 years later, I would you know, that seed the sprinting seed that had been planted at the age of seven. Little did I know that it would grow and tickle me inside and say, run 100 meters.
Liz Sumner 1:43
That’s so cool. Okay, so so you weren’t involved in school sports. But you were an energetic little kid who would like to run around the backyard?
Madonna Hanna 1:54
Exactly. No sports for me in high school. I participated in drama. That was that that was it. For me. I was on the stage. But absolutely no sports whatsoever.
Liz Sumner 2:07
Interesting. Okay, so what prompted your decision to run competitively?
Madonna Hanna 2:14
At the age of 57. And I was still teaching at the time. I, like I said, that little tickle inside of me, said, run 100 meters. And I was wondering, where’s this coming from?
Unknown Speaker 2:34
Here? I’m doing fashion shows teaching kids? Where’s that coming from? The feeling was so overwhelming, Liz, that I couldn’t shake it. I shared it with my husband who actually had track and field experience, high school college, for the high school track coach. And he said, Okay, if that’s what you want to do, as well, as he started training me and I competed i n the 2011 Washington State Senior Games. And I WON the 50 and the 100 meter event. I was so excited and they said, “Why don’t you compete again next year, and you’ll be able to qualify for nationals.” And I’m thinking, “What the heck’s nationals?” I just came out here on a whim, didn’t expect to win. It’s it’s and I’m sure your listeners will agree with me that sometimes you just kind of sit around and think, Well, I’d like to do this. And I’d like to try that. And when you try it, and you find out. I’m actually good at this. So why don’t I just continue to do it. I competed, again, made it to the nationals. My husband and I went to the 2013 National Senior Games in Cleveland, Ohio. I placed ninth in my age range. And this was Yes. My first time out. And I was just out of the money because they take the top eight. But I was excited that I came in 9th doing something I’ve never done before.
Madonna 4:42
I had an opportunity to be on a 4x 100 relay team. There was a team that needed a fourth and with me coming in ninth I seemed like a good candidate. Somebody who can run fast. I was selected to be on a team and told to show up the next day at noon, and we would be racing at 12:15. We all show up. The other ladies who had far more experience than me are all talking about positioning. And I said, Well, I’ve never done this before. I’ve never been on a 4×100 relay before in my life. I just watched it on television. One of the ladies was really, really upset. And said, We are world class athletes, and we want to win a medal. Thank goodness, there was another woman on the team who was a high school track coach out of Georgia. And she said, Follow me. The clock is ticking. Liz, we’re at 12 minutes here. In 12 minutes, she taught me what to do. You sometimes have to listen to the experts. And keep your mouth shut, do what they say. No time for argument. She decided I was going to go first because I would be handing the baton off only once. Whereas the two other people on the–anybody who knows about 4×100 relay. Two people get the hand the baton off twice. But I was first handed it off once to her. Well, when when it was time to go. I realized that as the first person who has to run 100 meters. I was used to running in a straight line. But the first person has to run in a curve, which was very different for me. And I did it and everything went off well. And my team placed third which was just absolutely wonderful. That’s my first National Medal. And what was really, really absolutely like I was in a dream was during the award ceremony. Of course the bronze medal winners get their medals first. When my medal was presented to me, the first place team, who had broken a world record, huddled up and said “Good Job Madonna.”Yes. And all of a sudden, they started chanting, good job Madonna. Good job Madonna.
Madonna Hanna 7:34
I was absolutely stunned because these women broke a world records. And evidently, the word had gotten around that there’s a woman who’s learning how to be part of the team in like 12 minutes. I you know, I guess, I guess stuff like that gets around. Anyway, while I was looking at them, the stadium the people in the stadium, started chanting, good job, Madonna. Good job, Madonna. Everybody in the stadium was good job. My husband, my husband, he was just looking around, like, What is going on? And then there was a man who jabbed him in the ribs and said, “C’mon, say good job madonna.” And here’s my husband. Of course he needs to join in. Because you know, this, you know, the guy standing next to him doesn’t know that we’re related, you know? Hey, this guy.
Liz Sumner 8:53
Wow,
Madonna Hanna 8:54
isn’t that just wonderful?
Liz Sumner 8:55
that really is.
Madonna Hanna 8:56
In 2014 while racing, I ruptured my Achilles. And it’s Yes, yes, yes. As I was racing, and I was in first place, but I could feel my opponent coming up. So I threw it into another gear. And I heard this pop. And I thought it’s the starter pistol going off again. But we’re already racing. Liz, everything went dark. I didn’t know it. But I had fainted over the finish line second place. Okay. But I but I didn’t know that. Because I can ship everything with them. Next thing I know. I’m laying on a table and I’m looking at the sky and what Am I looking at the sky, and someone a nice volunteer walked over to me and said, Madonna, you won’t be racing anymore today, you have ruptured your Achilles. And you’re going to keep this bag of ice on your leg for 20 minutes. And you are going to need to go to Tacoma general emergency,
Liz Sumner 10:23
How long did it take you to recover from that?
Madonna Hanna 10:26
Overall, I’m gonna say, about two years there? Well, because there was the surgery. And at the end, the surgeon told me that because of my age, I might not be able to continue sprinting because I wouldn’t have that explosive speed. Then there was the physical therapy after that, because you know, you have to wait before you go through physical therapy. This happened in July 2014. And I didn’t go through physical therapy until March 2015. And the reason the physical therapy the rehab is important is because if I had never gone through rehab, I would not have met my new coach, which is the coach that that I have now told me about training.
Liz Sumner 11:27
What do you do to train?
Madonna Hanna 11:29
with my new trainer, who is a 26-year-old, millennial male who was on Team USA Track and field 400 meter specialist. I train six days a week. I see him once a week because he’s he has a very hectic schedule. I see him once a week for an hour, and he leaves me plenty of homework to do. I lift weights twice a week, stationary bike once rowing twice a week. I do speed work, short distance, speed work, long distance speed work. It’s a whole variety of things. As I mentioned, my husband was my first coach. He passed away from his third bout of cancer in 2018. He his his training for me was basically doing a lot of walking and jogging. I would wear a backpack filled with about five pounds worth of bricks. And and and I also had ankle weight. With my new coach Marcus no, no, no, no, I’m doing modified drills and trainings of what he has to do. He was a champion in high school, broke all sorts of state records, went to the Junior Olympics, when he was in high school, went on to college, Pac 12 champion NCAA championship. He was a multiple time all American, and now on Team USA track and field. So therefore he’s got a lot of expertise when it comes to drilling and just just the various things. And in order to move me to another level, I needed to become stronger. And, in fact, my husband’s–The last thing that my husband said to me before he passed on, was for me to continue to compete, and to strengthen my thighs. It’s like, keep doing this, strengthen those thighs. Okay, and I have fulfilled his last request, as I am still competing and my my thighs are being strengthened. So good.
Liz Sumner 14:38
Okay, so we were talking about your new coach, and had he coached before you were explaining what a skilled athlete he was, but had he also been a coach before?
Madonna Hanna 14:50
Yes. Our our first meeting was very interesting because we were both sort of thinking the same thing. This woman is older than me. This is the oldest person that I’ve ever coached in my short life. Is she going to listen? I was thinking, this is a millennial. Is he going to take me seriously, or is he going to phone this in. It’s now two years later. Two years later & 4 medals later. So therefore, things worked out. They they continue to work out.
Liz Sumner 15:41
What differences do you see in being coached by by somebody young versus somebody your own age?
Madonna Hanna 15:49
That that’s a good question Liz because people often ask me, what’s the difference between being coached by your husband, and then being coached by a millennial? The only difference is their techniques. I’m a coachable person, even though I’m a very strong Type A personality, who has been in management at the corporate level, and then went into the classroom, I understand the dynamics of teamwork. And being a follower, and the importance of listening, if you want to achieve something, especially a skill that you know nothing about, it’s important to listen to an expert and follow their directions. The difference in age doesn’t make any any difference to me at all. Not none at all. It’s it’s the expertise. That’s important. It was hard for me at first, because I did have to make that transition from what my husband had me doing to the very, very specific drills that Marcus had me doing. In the beginning, I almost quit, because I thought what have I gotten myself into? I’m doing all of these drills. And this is what all my gosh, what am I doing? This kid’s trying to kill me!? And I, I didn’t share it with Marcus at the time, but I had a bad attitude. And I thought, You know what? I said I wanted a coach so that I could complete what my husband and I had started. So I thought about that. And I said, “Well, okay, this is what I asked for.” But here I am. Two years later, I am stronger, faster, more fit. The benefits have been tremendous. I raced a couple of weeks ago actually last, Oh, goodness, time goes so quickly. The end of July, was the Washington State Senior Games. And Marcus was there with me, ironically, on a day when he thought he was going to be in Japan. And he had an athlete that he had to take care of, that he was responsible for. And I competed in the 50 and the 100 meters. Won.
Liz Sumner 15:56
Both?
Madonna Hanna 17:27
Oh, yes.
Liz Sumner 18:24
Wow. Wow. Congratulations.
Madonna Hanna 19:00
Yes. When I watch the video, I could see the difference in my form. And I could see oh my gosh, the strength training. Everybody who looks at the video says Wow, you smoked everyone.
Liz Sumner 19:28
Oh, that’s so cool.
Madonna Hanna 19:30
How I am, how I compete now is much different. It is due to Marcus’s expertise, and my determination to do all this stuff that I’ve never done before. It is second nature to me now. Training and competing has become a part of my life and lifestyle. Now Look, I look forward to me sending you the video so you can see it. Yeah,
Liz Sumner 20:06
Yes and with your permission I’ll put it on the website so listeners can watch it too. Would that be okay?
Madonna Hanna 20:12
Oh, yeah. Oh, yes. Yes. It’s, it’s quite fascinating to watch, because I’m looking at myself like, Oh my gosh, look at how far I have come. And since Marcus has been my coach, my 100 meter race was almost two seconds faster than my 2019 time. Yes. Yes. And my 50 meter time is almost two thirds faster. Now, mind you, this is after me rupturing my Achilles. And the surgeon saying, this is something I don’t think you’re ever going to do again. You won’t have the explosive speed. And you never know, in life. You never know.
Liz Sumner 21:11
Do you have other athletes that you train with? Other other people around you that you do your rowing and you’re bicycling and you’re lifting with?
Madonna Hanna 21:23
No.
Liz Sumner 21:24
So it’s solitary, except when you’re with with Marcus?
Madonna Hanna 21:27
And I’ve been asked that question many times. And Marcus has been asked that question too, especially. Especially after people watch me run at this last event. It was like, who do you train with? And it’s, it’s just, it’s just me. And Marcus says, usually there is another person or a few more people. Usually, that’s how it is. But it’s just been. Me. And, Marcus,
Liz Sumner 22:05
Do you prefer it that way? Or would you be interested in having a few buddies to train with?
Madonna Hanna 22:12
Right now it’s, it’s just easier this way. Because we’re used to working with each other? If that’s something that he feels would help me more, or help this other person? Sure. that that would be
Liz Sumner 22:30
Yeah, I was just imagining you during the time when when you’re not with Marcus, running with others or lifting weights with some friends?
Madonna Hanna 22:39
Well, I don’t have any friends that lift weights. My friends Liz say, What the hell are you doing Madonna? Why are you putting yourself through this? Because sometimes I might tell them what I did in a drill. They’re like, What???
Liz Sumner 23:01
Do you do you just sort of swing your gold medals in front of them and say, “This is why.”
Madonna Hanna 23:08
Now they’re more at the point of, “Yeah, that’s my friend Madonna. Yeah, you know, she can do this.” And now they’re very, “This is what my friend can do.” You know, they’ve, they’ve more or less gotten over like, why are you doing this? You know, you can be a substitute teacher! [LAUGHTER}
Liz Sumner 23:40
Oh, boy. Think of what I’m missing!
Madonna Hanna 23:51
Another big difference between training with Marcus and my husband– With my husband, I only ran one, once a year, once a year. Okay, one event. And at the end, I felt like I was walking on my ankles. It was like, I don’t want to see a track again for another year. But with Marcus, what I realized was that after I raced, I felt like racing again. And I’d never felt like that before. And it’s because of the training. Think about it. These world class athletes have to run during their season, like every week. That’s a lot of wear and tear on the body. That’s a lot of strength, endurance and stamina. Of course, I didn’t know that through my training with Marcus that I was building up my stamina to run more than one or two races.
Liz Sumner 24:59
What events do you run now? And what are your favorites?
Madonna Hanna 25:05
I run the 50. And the 100 meter. I tried the 200 once. I thought I was gonna die, I was going to die, that that extra 100 meters, oh my gosh, it’s like, oh, why did I say I would do this? But I’m sure if I was trained to do I would be able to do a better job at it and have a better attitude.
Liz Sumner 25:34
So what is your next challenge? What do you want to reach for?
Madonna Hanna 25:41
My goal is to receive an individual medal at the National Senior Games. By having Marcus as my coach, he is elevating me so that I can reach that goal. There are a lot of competitors from around the world who compete in the national event. The majority of the people who compete have been Olympians. You know, back in the day, they were Olympians. They were college champions. Liz I want to tell you that there are all kinds of records that are set by people. I mean, they’re just world class athletes. I would just love to– me, someone who from my background was no athletic experience, to to be able to be in a final and to be able to just fight it out and receive a medal. That’s, that’s my goal. That’s, that is definitely Marcus’s goal. Yeah, cuz he’s here– “Yeah, we’re getting ready for the big dance.”
Liz Sumner 27:13
What time do you think you’ll have to have in order to meddle in?
Madonna Hanna 27:19
Oh, my goodness. Okay. In 2019 my time, at the Nationals for the 50 meters was 9:32. Okay. It was 9:32. The women who went on to the finals, ran in the 7s
Liz Sumner 27:41
Wow.
Madonna Hanna 27:44
They were breaking records in the semi-finals
Liz Sumner 27:47
Wow.
Madonna Hanna 27:47
Yeah. That that that. That nine of mine. Yes. Was in
Liz Sumner 27:53
and they’re in their 50s, they’re seniors?
Madonna Hanna 27:55
No, in their 60s,
Liz Sumner 27:56
Oh, my.
Madonna Hanna 27:57
But like I said before, most of these people were Olympians who continue to run and coach. I mean, like I said, I’m just doing this on a whim.
Liz Sumner 28:14
In 2011 it was a whim. I think after 10 years of training, you’re pretty serious.
Madonna Hanna 28:20
Yes. Yes. Yes. Especially with with the new coach. And my time has been, since I’ve been with Marcus, my time has been dropping, almost two seconds came off.
Liz Sumner 28:34
It’s magnificent. What you’re doing. I really, I’m totally impressed. I’m particularly I’m impressed that you listened to the little voice that said, gee, I think I’d like to run really fast, and that you went for it. And luckily, you just happened to have a coach as a husband. The stars were aligned for you. So tell me what advice do you have for somebody who is listening to this and thinking, hmm, that sounds kind of intriguing. What might I want to do to that along these lines? Tell me what resources and what advice you’d have for her.
Madonna Hanna 29:12
If you’re thinking about gosh, I’ve been listening to Madonna and I used to play basketball in college or high school. I think I might like to do that again, or pickle ball or you know, track or whatever. I didn’t take this route, but go see a doctor to make sure you know, have have a checkup. Because if you’ve been sitting around not doing anything, and all of a sudden you’re gonna get in a swing and you want to do something. Yeah, have a checkup. Make sure you’re fit and sound enough to do you know what what you would like to pursue. Then before you get in the thick of things. Watch a couple of local games go and watch teams play what whatever to see if that’s what you want to do if you want to get into the fray and and to go through the practices, the dedication, the commitment. Next, if you can get somebody to coach you to help you, I’m gonna say somebody who used to play. You may think that you remember what to do, but the game has changed, just like the training that my husband had me doing. And the training that Marcus has me doing. You know, it’s good to have the love and the desire for what you want to do. But there’s some new stuff out there that you may need to learn. And having somebody who’s already in the game coach you would be a good thing. And also remember, don’t be so gung ho, because you’re older, and your body is going to have to adjust to all the new things, you’re going to be asking your muscles, your muscles to do, you’re going to be sore. I mean my arm’s a little sore right now, and I’m in recovery from my race in July. But something is going to be sore. And you have to be able to rest and just take small steps into what you are going to pursue. And don’t overdo it. Because if you do you might injure yourself,
Liz Sumner 31:41
That’s wise. anything you’d like to say in conclusion?
Madonna Hanna 31:47
If there was anyone out there, who as a child, or even a teenager, had that seed of something, maybe want it to be a ballerina, maybe wanted to take a cooking class or something just like, with me, you know, sitting and watching and getting that little sprinting seed. If you feel it growing up inside of you tickling you and say, why don’t you take a class? Why don’t you do it? Go ahead, try and do it. Even if it’s, you know, with me, it was 50 years later. It doesn’t matter if you’re 80 or 90, or if you’re 40.
Madonna Hanna 32:39
Just go for it. Take that ballet class, cooking class, go out there and find out about playing pickleball or do it you know, at least give it a try. Give it a try. Because anything is possible!
Liz Sumner 32:59
That’s beautiful. And that is like my whole reason for doing this podcast is exactly that. So thank you so much.
Madonna Hanna 33:07
You are so welcome.
Liz Sumner 33:08
My thanks to Madonna Hanna. You can find out more about her and watch her video in the show notes. I invite everyone to write and tell me what you’ve always wanted to try. I’m Liz Sumner, reminding you to be bold and thanks for listening.