Marathon Mom

Did Grace mention that she received the Female Achievement Award from her running club in December? She is a talented runner with a fierce determination and a passion for life. Grace deserves the chance to run the North Pole Marathon--she will make the most of it. No one that know her would be surprised if she won. She is truly "Amazing Grace."

Grace is the female runner that the rest of us aspire to be! She weighs about 90 pounds, has an incredibly pleasant attitude and is very bright. How do those of us in the club know how bright she is? Maybe because she doesn't party with us as much as we wish or maybe it's because she has a professional career and must be smart enough to pull that off, combined with running high mileage weeks.

If I were chosing applicants, Grace would be on my list. She will show up and give it her best shot. She wears a nice smile and will look good on camera. Her running clothes are of good quality, it won't look like she's a homeless runner or whatever.

Grace is the lady to go the Pole, oh yeah!

The first time I showed up for the group run at our local store, Grace was the first person to approach and welcome me, and while she's always up front with the "fast crowd" (not that kind of fast crowd...) and I'm trotting along in back, she's always got a friendly greeting and "nice job" waiting for all of us who come in a bit (cough cough) after her. She's inspirational, motivational, sensational, and...all sorts of other "ational"s, and I'd like to see her able to be on the receiving end of some running love--because she always gives a lot! Pick Grace!

You could not pick a better person to run the North Pole marathon than Grace. She is an inspiring person who just gets it done. She is running her best ever at an age that has slowed so many of us. Grace truly has the ability with humility.
Picking her will up-grade your event far more than you can anticipate.
Go Grace!

Dear Judges, I want to take advantage of the comments section as the last opportunity for you to get to know me better. I realize that my reason for why you should pick me was pretty lame, so I want to expand on it a little. From looking at the applicants list, there are a lot of qualified candidates who I know will finish the race and do well writing about it. Before I tell you why you should pick me over the others, I want to give you some background about me.

I didn’t start running until my late twenties. I never ran in high school. In fact back in those days there weren’t any track or cross country teams for girls in my high school. I entered a 5K race a few years later in my thirties, and I was hooked. I ran my first marathon when I was 35 before my oldest daughter was born back in 1988. I had my second daughter 18 months later. With two babies, working, and still finishing school, running took a back seat. I took about 10 years off and started “jogging” slowly. Needless to say, I was very discouraged because I knew how I used to run before my layoff. I think I represent a lot of people out there in the exact same situation. For one reason or another people do lay off (maybe not as long as 10 years).

I began racing again, and it was disastrous compared to how fast I used to be in every race distance. Just when I thought I was on a roll getting faster, I hurt my back and had to go to physical therapy in the winter of 2004. That set me back again. Being as competitive as I am, I wanted to get back to my racing times from before my layoff, or even before my injury. It was very discouraging to be so much slower than I used to be. I was using my age as an excuse, especially when I hit the 50-54 age category, and resigned to the fact that I would never be as fast as I used to be 17 years ago. I thought that I was ridiculous to think that I could be as fast in my 50s as when I was 35.

I think a lot of people can relate to this. Some of your candidates are super-human. I am not one of those. I’m very human. I would be lying if I said that I am very nervous about running in the North Pole Marathon. That’s why more people would be able to relate to me more than them. I would write about my feelings of fear. However, I am one that never gives up. I never gave up trying after my injury. I kept a lot of my stretch goals to myself because telling people would make them chuckle and shake their heads. I added speed work to my training, and accomplished/exceeded my goals in 2006. Yes, I did get as fast as I used to be. I PRd in every race distance in 2006…that’s beating all my times from 17 years ago in the 5K, 10K, half, & marathon. Lastly, I have even higher goals for myself in 2007. If I can do it, everyone can. I hope this inspires others to dig deep, not wallow in self-pity, and just go out there and do their best.

I will also not forget about your ultimate goal to help educate everyone about global warming and resulting effect on the Arctic region. As a renewing member and annual supporter of the Environmental Defense Fund, The Wilderness Society, World Wildlife Fund, National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, National Audubon Society, and Greenpeace, I care deeply about our environment. Don’t let the fact that I’m 92 pounds (not 90!), deter you from picking me! I’m strong for my weight. I have been taking weights classes and yoga at the health club for the past few months. In the past 10 months (since April 2006 until last weekend), I have run in 6 marathons and 1 ultra 50K marathon. Thank you for your consideration! It’s been fun!

Although I have known Grace for just a short time, I am impressed with her drive and determination. I joke about her being the Energizer Bunny because this woman doesn't seem to tire. She has the guts to push herself to PR's, and this is done with a smile on her face. She beams as she boasts about her accomplishments and achievements. I have no doubts that if Grace is the "chosen one" she will accomplish the goal with no complaints. She's an inspiration and proof that as we age, we don't have to slow down.