After graduating from Rice University in 2012, 10,000-meter champ Becky Wade could’ve gone pro. Instead, thanks to a Thomas J. Watson fellowship, she spent a year collecting 22 passport stamps. During her time abroad, Wade, 27, of Houston, made it her mission to explore running cultures. Ultimately, she stayed in 72 homes on four continents—while logging 3,504 miles. After returning to the States, she made her marathon debut at California International, which she won in 2:30:41. Wade, who ran the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials, is now training for the Olympic Track and Field Trials (steeplechase and 10,000). Here, she shares a few highlights from her travels.
ENGLAND
“I stayed in Teddington, a suburb of London, where Olympic athletes were training for the 2012 games. My flatmates were Kenyan runners. I…