One time I ran 5.3 miles. That’s the longest distance I’ve ever run without walking or stopping.
Now, once, in high school, I was discovered by the police rolling my physics teacher’s yard. I sprinted from the scene, a toilet paper roll in each hand, and stalked across my small Mississippi hometown toward the security of my home, dodging the Barney Fife cops who exulted in detaining “juvenile delinquents” who toilet papered yards. But even though I covered a lot of serpentine ground that night, I didn’t run or jog the whole distance. I paused every so often — like when crossing streets — and scanned the approaching landscape for cop cars. Plus, I stepped in a hole behind the Spaceway gas station in the initial minutes of fleeing the cops and slightly sprained my ankle so I couldn’t run all the way home. Karma. But I made it home. Scot-free, minus that bum ankle.
So 5.3 miles and no cops chasing me. This was the 2009 Little Rock Marathon, running the fourth and final leg of a relay marathon quartet. And I ran — or jogged — the whole distance, from Rebsamen Park to the River Market, although my stride shortened to a choppy jog on the two Cantrell Road inclines near Dillard’s. Still, the worst of this run was trying to gulp Gatorade while running and pouring the sticky orange drink down my nostrils. I can walk and chew gum; apparently I can’t run and drink Gatorade without nearly drowning myself.
But my history of running piddling distances is minor. Because this Sunday, among the thousands running or walking the 12th annual Little Rock Marathon and its various distances, there will be several hundred first-time, full-marathon runners and walkers. A marathon. That’s 26.2 miles. Roughly 138,336 feet. Or a little more than 461 football fields, goal line to goal line. For fans of history, big ships and Leonardo DiCaprio: Almost 157 Titanics lined up bow to stern.
Stretch out 26.2 miles. Running or walking that distance is roughly like trekking from downtown Little Rock through North Little Rock and up Interstate 40 to the Conway city limits.
God bless each and every one of these first-time marathon runners and walkers.
By now the legend of the origin of the marathon and Pheidippides has become fact so let’s not waste our time printing it again. But the Greek messenger ran from Marathon to Athens to announce a military victory. Not for a big medal and a cold beer.
Why would a perfectly healthy, sane person run or even walk 26.2 miles? For a white oval sticker with 26.2 stamped on it? OK, there’s a little bit of bragging to finishing a marathon. Sure. But there’s more. So much more.
For friends and running partners Christa Jacimore and Margaret Pauly, there’s a friendly argument over who decided it would be a good idea for the pair to run a marathon for the first time. Both are self-described “Air Force brats” and now in their early and mid-50s, with Pauly working as a registered dietitian at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and as the owner of Foodtritionist Inc., a private practice nutrition counseling service. Jacimore is a court reporter for the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas.
“I say [Jacimore is] the one who decided [to run the marathon], and she says it was my idea,” says Pauly, who is also the executive director of the Arkansas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “We both had run several half marathons, and I guess we were just up for the next challenge.”
Jacimore’s side of the story? “I never thought I would want to do this,” she says. “I’ve run four half marathons, so during a run last summer, [Pauly] and I discussed the idea (I say she brought it up first), and then decided to go for it, that the time seemed right to be able to do the training.”
Jacimore and Pauly met during a 15K race in February 2012. Neither had run that far before. They met on the second mile, with both saying they might not be able to talk much to each other while running. “We talked constantly the remaining [way] and have been running together and talking ever since,” Jacimore says. “We’ve pushed each other since then and this challenge is no exception.”
But besides the challenge of running a first marathon, personal challenges have also brought the pair together. Since they’ve met, Pauly’s husband has been diagnosed with cancer and Jacimore’s husband has undergone heart bypass surgery. Running together and training for the Little Rock Marathon — both have followed the marathon training program and sometimes run with training groups — has helped both women with their personal challenges. Now, the challenge of running 26.2 miles? “I feel as prepared as I can feel,” Pauly says. “Not having run a marathon before, I’m not sure how I should feel, really. The 20-miler didn’t kill me so I think I’m OK.”
And neither is worried about personal records. They just want to finish. “Immediately afterwards, I will be looking hard for my husband, who has been so supportive, and probably crying some tears of joy with Margaret,” Jacimore says. “I know it will be very difficult, but I can’t wait to feel the accomplishment of finishing and having that medal.”
Thirty-five-year-old Karen Rudloff won’t be running the Little Rock Marathon with a friend. She won’t even be running in her home state. A resident of Lansdale, Penn., Rudloff is soon moving to Cleveland. What? Why sign up for the Little Rock Marathon for a first-time marathon? That gigantic medal? Well, kind of.
“My aunt lives in Hot Springs, and I haven’t been down to see her in a while,” Rudloff says. “I had also heard amazing things about this race (minus the hills), but that the people are great, it is very well-organized, the support is awesome and the medal is the largest. I just had to experience it firsthand.”
While Rudloff is a regulatory operations manager full time, she is a part-time fitness instructor. She’s been running seriously since 2005, having completed many half marathons, 10-milers and obstacle course races. But she got laid off in October, and instead of sulking, decided unemployment would be a good time to train for a marathon. While she’s trained for the marathon, the past few weeks have been hectic for Rudloff. A new job, selling her house and moving to Cleveland. She’s prepared but heard some “brutal stories” about the hilly course. When she finishes, she expects tears, a cold Little Rock craft beer, food and sleep. “I have family and friends driving or flying to see me do this race,” she says, “and having accomplished this goal with them able to share it all with me, I think they will deserve a beer or two as well.”
Talk to enough first-time Little Rock Marathoners, and a lot of the same themes surface. They have finished a half marathon. The large medal handed out by the Little Rock Marathon excites them. They praise their trainers and the organization of the Little Rock Marathon. And most say finishing a marathon is a personal goal. This personal goal business is a big one. Take 59-year-old Mary Melekian Richardson, a speech communication instructor at Hendrix College and executive director of the Arkansas Communication and Theatre Arts Association. She says she’s a half-year from 60. Now, she’s walked half marathons since 2011, and for the 2014 Little Rock Marathon, she’s signed up to run the marathon. She’s really planning on walking it, but she might run a little.
“In honor of my 60th birthday, I set a goal to ‘walk’ the full marathon,” she says. “I am excited about setting a goal and following through. The Little Rock Marathon makes it possible to do just that. … I believe it is possible for everyone to do this. I like setting an example for those much younger than me, especially my students and my own daughters. I would like to think that if they actually see me doing this kind of thing, they can set goals, too, and follow through. Old as it sounds: If I can do it, anyone can. Really. I do think you have to be a little bit crazy to do this, and I fit that profile, for sure.”
These marathon newbies don’t add finishing times into the personal goal equation. Finishing — that’s the challenge. Beth Webb is a 60-year-old retiree. “Happily,” she states. She’s walking — and maybe running a little — the Little Rock Marathon, and she’s loved walking since she was a little girl and her father would take the family on Allsopp Park hikes. Now, Webb’s love of walking figures into her training regimen. She’s a night person and a late riser, so she gets up most days around noon (oh, the glories of retirement), eats and takes her dog, Shiloh, on the walks outlined by her training coach, and Little Rock Marathon Training Program co-head coach, Hobbit Singleton.
“Shiloh’s my walking partner,” Webb says, “I walk short mileage on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and then do the long run on Saturday. I rest on Friday and Sunday. With the bad weather we had, I had to do some long runs on Sunday or Monday. We mainly walk in Two Rivers Park. If I could, I’d get the city to put sidewalks on all streets. A lot more people would walk instead of drive cars if sidewalks were available.”
And her goal? Finishing. “I’d like to get through the marathon in under eight hours,” Webb says.
Deanna Ray, a 30-year-old attorney for the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, completed her first half marathon at Disney World in February 2013. Training for the half marathon, she couldn’t imagine doubling her distance and going for a full marathon. Then fellow Little Rock running friends started talking about the marathon, and, most importantly, Ray started thinking about the Little Rock Marathon medal.
A runner in junior high and high school, Ray didn’t run much in college or law school, but picked running up again to get into better shape. “When my husband and I got engaged, I felt the need to get in shape before the wedding,” she says. She was running up to 6 miles on some runs and then the idea of the Walt Disney World Half Marathon was pitched to her by a friend.
“Thus, the training began, and the rest is history,” she says. “Prior to running my first half, I never would have imagined I could run a half marathon. Then, I thought I could never run a marathon. Now, here I am getting ready to attempt to accomplish a marathon. It is about pushing your limits, and realizing you are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.
“Since this is my first marathon, my goal is to cross the finish line.”
Now, at the end of tales of why perfectly reasonable people would run or walk 26.2 miles comes the tale of one Tiffany Williams Jackson. Jackson is a 37-year-old retirement coordinator for the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System. She grew up in Clinton, Miss., not far from my small Mississippi town. And why is Jackson running and walking her first full marathon this Sunday? The pageantry of the Little Rock Marathon hooked her.
Last year, Jackson was a spectator at the Little Rock Marathon. Her cousin from Houston was involved in a first marathon here, and Jackson wanted to be at the finish line to support her cousin. The joy and excitement of the finish line was all it took. Jackson wanted in on the action this year.
“After the race, I decided I wanted to become active,” she says. She joined local running group Black Girls Run! weeks later, and in April 2013 she finished a half marathon in Jackson, Miss. That’s right. One month, not a runner. The next month, a half marathon finisher.
“I completed it with no issues,” she says. “I felt so good and was super excited. What seemed impossible was possible all because I dared to believe.”
Following her first half marathon, Jackson continued running. Exercise became her hobby. “Before March 2013, I would go to the gym inconsistently,” she says. “I hated exercising outdoors. Now, my attitude is totally opposite. I love exercising outdoors and dread going to the gym. I feel awkward if I don’t exercise.
“I really have found a hobby. I never had one before other than shopping. Participating in races has allowed me the opportunity to meet so many great people, and it is great meditation time.”
As far as the matter of the Little Rock Marathon and its 26.2 miles? She’s prepared, she says. The last 20-mile training run was no problem. “I don’t put pressure on myself for time,” she says. “My goal is to finish the race strong. I want to walk across the finish line and not feel like I’m about to fall over.” And she says she’s going to enjoy the race. Stop and take pictures. Talk to other runners and walkers. Having fun takes your mind off the miles, she says.
“Once I complete the race, I plan to celebrate with my husband first. He has been my biggest supporter. I hope to inspire him to become active.”
So why run or walk 26.2 miles? Because it can be dreamed about and then accomplished. Finishing a marathon is an attainable goal. “I’m most excited about achieving a dream that I never imagined I could do,” Jackson says. “My favorite quote is, ‘It costs nothing to dream, but everything not to.’ It doesn’t matter how you start in life; it is how you finished.”