Though Daken is not a runner , she says “ he definitely encourages me .” Her daughter Davery and son Daven are student-athletes at Greenville Christian .
“ I hope that I am inspiring them to be healthy . They ( the whole family ) are a big part of why I do this , so I can have a long healthy life , for as long as God allows me to be here ,” she said .
Dennisha grew up in Hunt County , attending kindergarten in Caddo Mills , plus school in Wolfe City from the third grade up to the eighth . Then she moved to Greenville , where she attended eighth grade up through graduation from Greenville High School in 1997 . She also went to Paris Junior College and graduated from A & M-Commerce in 2002 .
But she didn ’ t run track in high school . She instead was active in the Future Farmers of America and played tennis and competed in basketball .
“ I so wish I had run in high school and in my 20s ,” said Denney . “ My dad ( Dennis Thacker ) said I should run in high school , but I didn ’ t listen .”
It was after her father ’ s death in 2000 that her life changed one way and then another .
“ I have been fighting my weight for 20 years ,” she said . “ I gained 50 pounds when my Dad died in 2000 .”
She turned to food to deal with her grief and loss .
“ It consumes you , it overwhelms you ,” she said . “ I never could get my weight off .”
She was on a river rafting trip in
2019 when a friend nearly drowned , and Dennisha said she didn ’ t have the strength to help her . So she started working out at Camp Gladiator three times a week with her mother , Linda .
“ The first time we started working out , I could barely get off the mat ,” she said . “ I had to get better . But working out was not enough . I decided on June 9 , 2020 to make a lifestyle change and I changed the way I eat . I took gluten out of my diet . I took dairy out of my diet . I took sodas and alcohol out of my diet . I basically ate protein , fruits , vegetables , nuts , street tacos and peanut M & Ms .” She also drank a lot of water . “ I lost 70 pounds in seven months ,” she said . “ That ’ s also when I started walking in Team Gladiator . After that I
20 Greenville Life WINTER 2023