When VTSU Castleton Criminal Justice Professor Pat Brougham realized she needed a hip replacement in February, she thought she may never run again.

That’s why completing Disneyland’s Halloween Half-Marathon with on Sept. 8 with a 16-minute mile average was no small feat. 

“It was an accomplishment after the surgery. It’s a big difference from the amount of pain I was in and hardly being able to walk and then to have that surgery. It’s like night and day,” Brougham said.

Her experience running began in the military but came to a halt for several years due to knee problems. In 2012, she began recreationally running and has participated in fun runs ever since, naming the Tinkerbelle 10k in 2014 and her first half-marathon in Killington in 2015 as examples. 

“It’s good for your mental well-being, to exercise…Running is also a place that’s a bit meditative, especially a long run. You get into this sort of zone,” she said. 

Arthritis, cartilage damage and impact over-time led to Brougham’s need for surgery, but doctors initially told her she was too young for the operation. 

If she needed another down the road, it would have been traumatic for the body. Then, she was referred to Dartmouth, where their methods and technology meant she could have the operation.

“The technology now is great,” she said. “I was off work for about three weeks…And by three months, I was allowed to run.”

The month leading up to the half-marathon, she trained twice a week – one short run, three to four miles, and one long run, eight to 10 miles. She also uses the interval method, a mixture of walking and running, to keep impact low. 

She ran the Halloween Half-Marathon with fellow runner and best friend, Clarrisa Palmer, where temperatures approached 100 degrees with high humidity. 

“We sat in the medical tent after the run for a while, packed with ice to bring our temperatures down,” she said, adding that the heat likely increased her overall time by about 10 minutes. 

She was shocked to find out about a 33-year-old man who died shortly after crossing the finish line from the event’s Facebook group chat. 

“It just kind of hit us all, because we were all suffering from the heat…but to then think this person, who’s like 35 years old, really fit. He was young and in shape, and he had posted the day before [on TikTok].” 

Despite the incident, Brougham and Palmer plan on continuing the Disney runs, the next one set for Nov. 3 in Disneyworld, located in Florida. They’re excited to receive the “Coast to Coast” medal, which recognizes individuals who run at both locations within one calendar year. 

She said she’s received a lot of support on her Facebook and from the Castleton community, even naming Athletic Training professor Sarah Cook as a frequent running partner. 

“I’m not at all surprised that Professor Brougham was able to do this so soon after her hip replacement—that’s just the kind of dedication and determination I’ve seen from her. It’s been amazing to follow her journey this past year, and to see her take on a marathon after all her hard work,” commented Communications professor and friend Sam Davis-Boyd.