Featured Runner Essays
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon's 45,000-participant field is made up of runners with a wide and colorful variety of backgrounds and motivations. Each month leading up to race day we will feature the personal story of a runner (or runners) from the 2010 field. We asked each of them a simple question: What is your marathon story? These are their responses.
September Essay: Hugo Alberto Saucedo, 34, San Antonio, TX
September Essay: Kyra Oliver, 43, Richmond, VA
August Essay: Roger Reynolds, 44, Ashland, VA
August Essay: Kathy Ziegert, 31, Madison, WI
July Essay: Luis Concha, 41, Mexico City, MX
July Essay: John Odorzynski, 30, Fitchburg, WI
June Essay: Diane Belyeu, 37, Lorain, OH
June Essay: Derek Brown, 21, Nashua, NH
Hugo Alberto Saucedo, 34, San Antonio, TX
Like many people I have had many battles with my weight and self esteem. By the time I was 30 I was officially morbidly obese. I remember vividly sitting in my doctors office being lectured about how my cholesterol was off the charts and that my blood pressure and blood sugar levels were dangerously high. I also remember not caring at all. I was depressed. Not just depressed by the news I had just received but depressed about everything. I should have been the happiest person alive, after all my son Gabriel had just entered this world and I was a dad. Instead, I just thought about how I was depressed because I ate too much and I ate too much because I was depressed and needed to comfort myself. Even hearing that my cousin, who was just a year older than me, had died suddenly was not enough to truly get me off the couch and into an active lifestyle. I truly felt helpless.
In the fall of 2007 a good friend sat me down and really let me have it. I was killing my family he said. It was a sort of a wake up call so I went home and signed up for the 2008 San Antonio Marathon. The registration sat on my dresser for six months. I really couldn’t find the motivation to get out and run. In the spring of 2008 I stumbled upon a poster at a local running store advertising a movie called The Spirit of the Marathon. Curious, I looked online for this movie and purchased it. I didn’t get past the opening credits before I began to sob endlessly. When I heard Dick Beardsley say that “no matter how fast or how slow once you cross the finish line it will change your life forever,” I was hooked. The movie was truly an inspiration to me.
Seeing what running the marathon did for the subjects of the film was intoxicating. So I began to train in earnest. My first day of training was comical. I couldn’t even walk a mile. My self image in the dumps, I trained for my first marathon exclusively on my treadmill. I would watch the film over and over again and in the process I found that it would help me ignore the pain of training. I also discovered that the training was not only preparing me for the marathon but it was healing my body and spirit in ways I never imagined were possible.
On the morning of November 16, 2008 I found myself at the starting line of the San Antonio Marathon. I was almost 100 pounds lighter than the year before, and a sense of overwhelming joy filled my body. I was somewhere I never would have imagined I would be. At that point, I could have turned around gone home and been happy. Being at that starting line was my happiest moment ever. Seven hours and twenty some odd minutes later my two-year-old son met me ten meters from the finish line, and as I carried him over the finish line, my friends and family felt the joy I had felt earlier that morning. I knew then that it would be the start of a new life for me.
Almost immediately after the marathon I began encouraging people at my church to consider running a marathon. I hosted a pasta party and invited people to come watch The Spirit of the Marathon in the hopes that maybe I could get at least one person to run with me the next year. Out of that meeting, ten people began training for their first race in the spring of 2009. In the fall of 2009 a total of six of us ran the San Antonio Marathon or Half Marathon. The snowball effect continues as more people from my church have been encouraged by the people who have run the past two years. I have loaned out my copy of the movie to almost every family at my church and I continue to hear more and more people say that they are inspired to consider running a marathon in the future.
I continue to run races throughout Texas and I have found a new goal. After watching the film, I am mystified by the Chicago Marathon. I recently signed up for the 2010 Chicago Marathon and I have begun my training. Since I started running in the spring of 2008 I have not only lost over 140 pounds, but I have also lost my fear of trying new things. My self esteem is, as someone once told me, infectious. I find that my happiest moments are when I am talking to others about what running has done for me and what it could do for them. When I speak about how running has impacted me I can’t help but mention The Spirit of the Marathon. I always say I can tell you how I feel but if you want to feel what I feel then you need to watch this film. I see this film as a message of hope for so many like me who were hopelessly stuck on the couch. My hope is that I can be of encouragement to others in their quest for physical and mental health.
Kyra Oliver, 43, Richmond, VA
Since I began running two years ago, I have realized that running has become not just a lifestyle, but a part of me. Through this, I have committed to running two marathons a year.
I am always running for my family and friends and all of their support. However, there was a special person that gave me 4 ½ months of his life. It is a person that means more to me than anything in this world, my son Hayes.
Hayes was born on January 23, 2002 and died on June 11 that same year. I received a phone call on June 11. The words that were uttered from the other end of the line are words I will never forget: “Hayes isn’t breathing.”
Hayes died of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). I have no knowledge of why he died or what really caused it, but the pain has been incredibly intense ever since. Somehow I have found the strength to carry on his legacy through the Hayes Foundation, which was formed just four days after he died.
The foundation has reached out to over 100,000 families across the country. I hope to fill every state and beyond with my onesie “This Side Up While Sleeping,” illustrating the suggested positioning for babies during nap or bedtime which may help prevent SIDS. The onesies have other tips on the back that may also help prevent SIDS.
The onesies have now been created in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. I hope to have them in every language and in every country one day.
After losing my son, a personal challenge that I will endure for the rest of my life, I became pregnant again. At five months in gestation, I discovered that the little girl-to-be inside my belly had a terminal illness. I lost her, too. My marriage could not withstand the heartbreak. I then sold my business which ended up being a loss of identity for me and within my community, something I did not anticipate, though it was a great learning experience. My mother fell ill with cancer, and died less than a year after being diagnosed at the age of 62. Her mother, my grandmother, died a few months later.
In the midst of all of this personal devastation in such a short amount of time, running has become a lifestyle for me—so important that I feel grateful that I can run every day. However, after being told that I had my third stress fracture in one training season, it was obvious that I was not going to Boston this spring. It has taken so much strength to deal with not being able to run. I have had to find alternatives, but nothing is the same as running to me. Nothing.
Last year, I realized my desire to run the five World Marathon Majors: Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London and New York. I had already run Boston and was scheduled to run New York in November. I ran New York finishing in 3:20:01 and was the 286th woman overall out of around 15,000. I have never been to Chicago, so the idea of not only hitting another one of the five majors, but also seeing a new place, was thrilling. What better way to see it than to run it? That is one of my favorite characteristics of running. I get to see the area from the ground—not from a car or a plane, but right there with it. It is the best view.
My ultimate goal is to finish. But I have to be honest, since becoming a runner only two years ago and realizing my potential, I have become quite competitive. I hope to run a PR of 3:15 and be in the top 2-3% of all women.
Roger Reynolds, 44, Ashland, VA
Several years ago, on January 31st - which just happened to be my birthday - I made up my mind that I would run a marathon. That day I ran one mile and thought I would DIE! I didn’t, obviously, and continued to train until that fall when I finished the Marine Corps Marathon up in Washington, DC. Five minutes after I crossed the finish line, I was already planning to run my next 26.2 race. I subsequently ran four Richmond Marathons and an un-official DC Marathon.
During one of the Richmond Marathons, my wife, Rachel, who was my support crew, brought my daughter, Charlotte Jennie (CJ), to help cheer me on. I saw them twice on the course and each time, CJ ran up to me and jumped into my arms yelling, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” The second time she ran nearly a half a block when she saw me. It’s one of the cherished memories of my life.
In January of 2009, I went down to Florida to run my 7th marathon - the Walt Disney Marathon. I took then three-year old Charlotte with me and we used it as an excuse to visit my wife’s parents who live in Daytona Beach. On the trip down, Charlotte had trouble with some headache pain associated with the changing pressure in the plane and in Daytona Beach, she got sick including a low-grade fever. We fought it off with Tylenol, but took her to the pediatrician’s office as soon as we got back.
They prescribed something to settle her stomach and that worked but the headaches continued in a very specific spot in CJ’s head. We went back to the pediatrician’s office on January 20, 2009 where we were seen by a different doctor who saw something he didn’t like in Charlotte’s left eye. He sent us to St. Mary’s Hospital for a CAT scan.
So while CJ and I were wrestling over whether we would watch President Obama’s inauguration or Dora The Explorer in the ER semi-not really-private room, the CAT scan results came back showing the worst. She had a tumor in her brain. The ER doc tried to minimize the situation but when we got to the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), we learned that the tumor was the size of a large orange right in the middle of her head.
That day started the worst experience any parent could ever have but we suddenly came to realize what an amazing network of friends and family we have. Donations of food and money poured in, volunteers for cleaning, baby sitting, cooking, reading to CJ were abundant and even the customers of our small business became involved. Charlotte touched so many people, many without us even knowing about it.
We went through four brain surgeries, chemotherapy, experimental proton beam radiation, PT, OT, countless visits to the hospital/clinic, chiropractic, acupuncture, etc…and in the end, none of it worked.
On January 7, 2010, Charlotte Jennie Reynolds turned into a beautiful butterfly and flew away. We had a memorial service in a packed performing arts center in Ashland, VA which solidified in my mind the impact CJ had had on so many lives even before she got sick.
In 2009, I was about to push the send button on my application to the Chicago Marathon but hesitated, not knowing how things would pan out with Charlotte. I’m glad I never did send it in. We were so involved with her treatment, I never would have been able to train effectively.
During that time, I gained over 20 pounds and was feeling it every day. Once CJ passed, I was determined to train again. It always made me feel better to run and now I had a good reason to fundraise as we established CJ’s Thumbs Up Foundation (CJSTUF) to give financial assistance to families of children with chronic, life-threatening illnesses. We started with a team in the Ukrops’ Monument Ave. 10K in Richmond. TEAM CJ had approximately 50 runners and walkers and there was also a small “spirit group” cheering everyone on along the race course. We raised over $7,000 for CJSTUF. During my training for the 10K, I lost 15lbs and got back under 200lbs.
Now I’m planning my “Double Marathon Challenge” in which I plan to run the Chicago Marathon in October and the Richmond Marathon in November, collecting pledges for the overall number of miles I finish. Everyone, including me, questions my sanity but I have motivation that few people ever find. I’m keeping my amazing daughter’s legacy alive and benefiting others.
Kathy Ziegert, 31, Madison, WI
Finger Pricks = 32,300
Insulin Needle Injections = 6,600
Insulin Pump Infusion set Injections = 1,250
Continuous Glucose Monitor System Needle Injections = 40
I’m running to help spread the word about Team WILD (Women Inspiring Life with Diabetes) and to enhance my future goals as a member of this team. The mission of Team WILD (www.teamwild.org) is just as it suggests, we want to inspire lifestyle choices leading to healthier living.
I have lived with type 1 diabetes for 18 years, and I train with the additional challenge of managing my diabetes. I was diagnosed at 12 years-old, just about two months shy of my 13th birthday in 1992. After six years of insulin injections via a syringe, technology led me to my first “outer pancreas” in the form of an insulin pump in January of 1998. My “pancreas” and I have been nearly inseparable for the past 12 years. And now, I am happy to introduce another addition to my pancreas family…a continuous glucose monitoring system, which can record my blood sugar readings every few minutes to better manage the trends and effects of various foods I eat. Being privileged enough to be a part of such wonderful life-changing technology is not to say my daily management is easy, but it is certainly more manageable.
Athletic activities have been an invaluable function of my diabetes management over the years. Growing up participating in team sports, and later running races, not only helped me keep my blood sugar readings in better control, but perhaps more importantly, helped me keep a sense of self esteem. I thank my parents for instilling in me an attitude that I can do anything, and they never led me to believe that diabetes could stop me from pursuing my athletic goals.
As a cross-country runner in high school, it was my dream to complete a marathon. I reached this dream, running the Madison Marathon in 2001, but it was definitely not a pleasurable experience. I trained poorly and did not have a good handle on my diabetes management while competing in endurance events. I finished the race in less than 6 hours with a blood sugar well into 400 mg/dL. It took me six years to try the marathon distance again. Over those six years, I gained invaluable insight into my diabetes management both from the continuous glucose monitoring system (as mentioned above) and through new relationships with others also participating in athletic events while managing their diabetes. I truly believe my third marathon attempt on 10-10-10 will be the marathon experience I dreamed of during my high school days.
Diabetes management is a constant balancing act. My overall goal is to continue finding the motivation to keep on balancing. So far, I find signing up for races works to motivate me to train and perform as best I am able to. My long-term goal is to complete an Ironman triathlon alongside my team WILD teammates, maybe in 2011?
Luis Concha, 41, Mexico City, MX
In April of 2008 I weighed 236 pounds, smoked 20 + cigarettes a day (for 23 years) and drank a couple of bottles of hard liqueur a week. Eighteen months and 82 pound lighter, I was running the real, - Berlin Marathon (3:54:38) and three weeks later, I was finishing the Bank of America Chicago Marathon (3:56:48).
The significance of the Chicago Marathon and my re-encounter with myself was the accomplishment of not only losing weight, quitting smoking, giving up drinking, and running a marathon, but also finishing two marathons in three weeks in less than 4 hours with no prior sporting background. Finishing the second marathon in Chicago was the end of a difficult and daring goal; it was an accomplishment of guts like the famous distance runner, Steve Prefontaine, once said “Most people run a race to see who is the fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts.” In this case, I needed two races to show my “guts.”
Chicago was incredible: the people in the streets kept cheering, and it seemed like they knew when you needed it the most because every time you started having trouble there was someone shouting your name (you should have your name on your tee-shirt, of course). An amazing experience for me, as a Mexican, was entering the Mexican quarters in Pilsen; it’s the part of the race where you start to hit the “wall,” but the spectators in Pilsen were so friendly and encouraging – it was incredible, and it was the extra fuel that I needed. When I looked at my watch going down the final stretch and I saw that I was under the 4 hour mark (I decided at mile 20 that I was not going to check my watch anymore), I felt a mix of emotions: I wanted to cry, laugh, jump, all at the same time, but I didn’t have the energy to do any of them. When I finished, I could only tell the volunteer who clipped my timing chip, “I love you.”
Running saved my life and my family; it changed the way that I see the present and the future, and it has helped me to find a way to accept my past. Many people ask me why I run and I have been thinking about this seemingly simple question for a long time. It started as a way to lose weight, but then I couldn’t stop. What always comes to mind when I am asked why I run is this thought “I don’t know if I run to catch the person I want to be, or if I keep running away from the person that I was.” It seems like the fat, not so friendly guy that I used to be is always trying to catch up.
I’m planning on running the Chicago Marathon on 10/10/10 to qualify for Boston. I need to run 3:20:59 for my age, and I have been training like crazy. I am confident that the people of Chicago will cheer me on to Boston.
John Odorzynski, 30, Fitchburg, WI
I decided to run the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon to prove to myself that I can achieve anything I put my mind to. Thirteen months ago, I had never run more than a 5k and was 20-30 pounds overweight. After dedicating myself to fitness and running, I got into great shape and inspired others to challenge themselves physically. Before I reach the start line on October 10th, I will have completed five marathons and six half marathons. My ultimate goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon and beat the time of 3:10:59 that I need to qualify. I would like to be in an exclusive group of Clydesdales (200 lbs+) who qualify for Boston.
I became addicted to running in 2009. A few of my college friends encouraged me to train for the Drake Relays Half Marathon in April last year. The longest I had ever run before the half marathon was a 5k that my family does every Thanksgiving morning (the "Berbee Derby" in Fitchburg, WI). I trained hard and was able to complete my first half-marathon in a respectable time of 1:50:22. At that time in my life, my job was in jeopardy and I knew that there was a strong possibility that I may be laid off. As a recruiter for an accounting firm, my workload diminished sharply and I was no longer needed by the organization. I made a promise to myself that if I was laid off and was unemployed for the summer, I would train for and run a marathon in the fall.
I was laid off in May of 2009. I immediately focused on getting in shape and training for a marathon; I stuck to a strict program and had some successful races leading up to my marathon debut. I completed the Lake Monona 20k in May with a time of 1:31:32 (7:21 pace) and the Madison Mini-Marathon with a time of 1:30:44 (6:55 pace). With the confidence I had gained and the progression that I had made throughout the summer, I successfully completed my first marathon at the Quad Cities Marathon in Moline, IL with a time of 3:37:38 (8:20 pace).
Not content to stop with one marathon, I continued to train throughout the winter and ran my second and third marathons in the Spring of 2010. I ran the National Marathon in Washington, D.C. in March and Green Bay Marathon (my hometown) in May. I posted personal best times of 3:26:53 (7:54 pace) and 3:14:08 (7:25 pace), reducing my time by over 24 minutes from where I initially started. I even won the Clydesdale Division (200 lbs.+) at Green Bay which was very exciting! I plan to run three more marathons this year (Grandma's Marathon, Chicago and New York) and Boston in April 2011.
In terms of running, the biggest obstacle that I have had to overcome is my body makeup - I am 6'5". Needless to say, I do not have the traditional running frame! I want to inspire others by showing them that someone who didn't start running until age 29, is 6 foot 5 inches tall and was never considered an athlete can achieve a far reaching goal that less than 10% of all marathoners achieve in qualifying for the Boston Marathon. I would love to provide guidance to other runners and help them meet their marathon goals whether it be completing a marathon or meeting a time goal.
Overall, focusing on running and on my new running goals helped me during the last year in which I had two gaps in employment. Achieving my running goals and sticking to a running schedule have been great ways to stay confident in my abilities. I know that my commitment to running helped me acquire my current job, which I am extremely happy with.
Diane Belyeu, 37, Lorain, OH
"Chicago, Here I Come"
Three babies in three years. My body had been inflated and deflated more times than a prankster's tootin' cushion. I was "dressing out" over 200 lbs. on my 5 foot 6 inches frame, slept only in 3 hour increments, and wondered how I was going to make it through most days. Then my hubby bounces in one day (with a marathon and 2 halves under his belt) and announces that we are moving 20 hours from home "up North"!!! Now, to a Southern gal, those are "fightin' words" when you've been using the SAME hairdresser since birth who possesses the exact recipe for your perfectly blended highlights...not to mention....there's no family "up North" AND we have THREE kids!!! Southern girls love their mamas, and I could not imagine being that far away from the one whom I relied on most...and Blue Bell ice cream!!
A few months later we boarded a plane and landed in Cleveland, Ohio. My oldest asked if we were at the North Pole. Yes, we were. A few days later I met a "Northerner" at a park. We became instant friends...so friendly, in fact, she mentioned I might want to join her neighborhood's "Biggest Loser" contest. I was superbly offended as I was still in denial of the extra lbs." situation" and still had hopes that nursing all of my infants would magically make the fat melt...even though none were still nursing! I swallowed my pride (and another bag of M&Ms) and attended the weigh-in. As I walked in I immediately felt I did not belong. Big-butted gals sat on bar stools barking with laughter while munching on carrots as if they were covered in milk chocolate. I was definitely TOO SMALL to be there. Then my friend directed us to the scale where the reality hit me like the last EPT stick I tee-teed on. I was one of the heaviest, big-butted gals there! Somehow in all of the stress of the move I had managed to drop a few lbs. and officially weighed in at 192. It was like a bass tournament back home in Texas...everyone waiting for a turn on the scale only no cheering for big numbers...and no rednecks.
It was "GO" time. I had run in the past...if you count the almost 20 minutes it took me to complete every 2 mile event as a "track star" in high school including my first event where I lost control of my bladder at the finish line in front of hundreds of teenage athletes composed of 96.7% fast-twitch muscle fibers! I tucked my IPOD in my 500 lb. winter coat and set out for walks in my snow boots. I joined a gym and walked on treadmills and rode ellipticals at a snail's pace while Oprah talked about acai berries. The first week of the contest I paced back and forth by the refrigerator in our small condo...it was only twenty feet from all points in our temporary home. I was like a cocaine-addict in rehab. I was feigning for sugar, but I held firm. A few weeks later I was out for a walk with our golden retriever, Maggie, and I just started to trot. She cocked her eyes at me and stepped it up a notch. The next walk we trotted again for a few seconds.
After a few weeks I was "trotting" three miles! I ended up winning the "Biggest Loser-Cleveland Edition" dropping 25 lbs. in three months. My hubby and I entered the Lance Armstrong Chicago 10K and I completed it in just over an hour. I had been bitten. To celebrate my "new me" I entered a local half marathon and was proud of my 2:13 finish and newly defined quads. It was "on" then. I couldn't quit. I ran in snow that softened the blow of my extremities pounding the sidewalks, and I traversed over patches of ice with no fear...and a good pair of cleats. I made trips home to East Texas in July and ran in the extreme conditions that are the 3-H's...heat, humidity, and hills. Maggie eagerly joined me on most of my runs, and her tail hit a 90 mph wag when I would lace up my Nikes. I loved long runs and felt better than ever. In May 2009 I ran my first marathon. My time was 4:45. Should have listened to Oprah and eaten those berries...still didn't beat her time! My next race was another half last October. I finally broke 2 hours...1:59, to be exact. This past May I set a PR (1:58) for a half marathon in Cleveland.
I surely could not have accomplished these goals without the help of my spouse who sat home most weekend mornings (after his 70-hour work week) with three little boys infected with "cabin fever" while I conquered my long runs. When my husband wasn't available I relied heavily on my sassy Swedish friend. She and I bonded instantly with our addiction to run-induced endorphin highs. We took turns getting our "fix" while the other watched over the kiddos.
So here I am now nearly 50 pounds lighter than my pre-running days ready for my next challenge. I am running the Chicago Marathon to simply celebrate a sport that has helped me discover myself. That sounds cliche, but it is so true. I am no longer defined just by my boys, where I live, and my friends. I am a runner and proud that I can set a goal and accomplish it. I still miss my folks back in Texas, but I have learned to soak up my surroundings and find the positive. I found a hairdresser who mysteriously knows the secret highlight concoction, some of the best "Northern" friends a gal could have, and new respect for my body. I won't ever grace the cover of Runner's World or qualify for the Boston Marathon...but I'm a runner now...and Chicago, here I come!
Derek Brown, 21, Nashua, NH
My name is Derek Brown, I’m 21 years old and I am a senior at Sacred Heart University. I graduated in May with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Music, and I hope to go to further in school and pursue a possible career in music!
I am running in the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon in order to raise funds and awareness for the disorder Neurofibromatosis. Why is this disorder important to me? It’s important to me because my younger brother, Austin, currently has it. Austin is an 18 year old freshman at the University of Southern Maine. He was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis (NF) when he was three-and-a-half years old. He has shown minor symptoms of the disorder up to this point, but NF can be incredibly spontaneous.
This will be my 12th marathon, all for NF, and my second Chicago Marathon. Coincidentally, the first marathon I ever ran, back when I was 17 years old, was this marathon. In 2005, my Dad talked me into doing it, unbeknownst to him that it spurred my running career. Since the 2005 Chicago Marathon, I have run 10 other marathons, including the Boston Marathon twice.
I have taken it upon myself to run a marathon in every state in order to raise funds and awareness for NF. So far, I have run 10 marathons in eight states.
Although I have run the Chicago Marathon, already checking Illinois off my list, this marathon has a special meaning to me. My Dad, also being an active advocate for NF, has been doing this longer than I have. He has run 19 marathons and has done countless activities for NF. He is the one who influenced me to take this road. This marathon will hold a special meaning this October because my Dad has decided to make this his last marathon, ending his streak at 20. He is also running his 20th marathon in the same place where he brought me for my first all those years ago. It may even be a place to “pass the torch” to me, where I can then take on a bigger responsibility to advocate for NF and my brother.
In the end, no matter how many marathons I run or states I run in, it’s all for my brother. He means the world to me and if there is anything I can do for him, I’ll do it. I hope that with all my marathon running and fundraising, I can eventually help my brother live the rest of his life without this disorder!