Local Runner in Hawaii for Worlds

OCEAN CITY- A popular local runner and trainer headed off to Hawaii this week to compete in a prestigious world championship race but had to overcome a little adversity before she gets there.

Corrine Banks, a single mom who works as personal trainer, fitness instructor and nutritional consultant among other things at WOC Fitness in West Ocean City has certainly left her mark on the local and regional running circuit with wins and top finishes in nearly every single local event in recent memory. Banks also competes in regional and national events ranging from 5K and 10K races to trail races and from half-marathons and full marathons to iron man competitions, but she has a chance this weekend to take it to the next level on the world stage.

Banks recently won a regional trail race competition, which qualified her for the national championships in Oregon. Banks was highly successful at nationals, finishing third in her age group among the hundreds of competitors from all over the country, which qualified for the prestigious Xterra Trail Running World Championship in Hawaii this Sunday. The Xterra World Championship, which will feature top trail runners from all over the world, will be 13.1-mile half marathon over a grueling off-road course.

Before Banks could fly to Hawaii early Thursday morning, she had a couple of obstacles to overcome. Just last week, Banks had a training setback when she was bitten by a dog while running a 13-plus mile trail in Pennsylvania in preparation for Hawaii and thought for a time she might have to endure rabies treatment.

“I spent an entire day trying to locate the house where the dog was from and finally found a very scary looking place,” she said. “It turned out it didn’t have rabies and I didn’t need the treatment, but I am on antibiotics for the dog bite, which has left me feeling ill. I hope when I get to Hawaii and get some training in, I’ll feel much better for the race.”