Local marathon rookies reach target through discipline

Contributed photo Mission accomplished: Shown together at the finish line of the Leading LadiesÕ Marathon in South Dakota are, from left, Nancy Anthony, Margo Castillo, Emily Forquer and Jan Knock. The 26.2-mile event showcases the Black Hills scenery down the Spearfish Canyon from Lead to Spearfish, S.D.

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For four local women completing their first marathon last month, the rewards went far beyond the 26.2 miles they covered down the Spearfish Canyon from Lead to Spearfish, S.D. “The training has its own rewards,” said Jan Knock of Creston. “I learned the value of training. There’s the overall health aspect. We all got stronger in our lungs and heart.” “I really did it for the training, and the quality of life,” said Emily Forquer of Afton. “Your attitude improves when you are physically active. Of course, it feels good to have completed it. But for me, it was all about becoming physically active again in training.” There are lasting effects from all four — Margo Castillo and Nancy Anthony of Creston, Knock and Forquer — completing the Leading Ladies’ Marathon Aug. 17 in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Not all the benefits are physical. Mental challenge “It made me realize you can do whatever you want. There are no age limits on your dreams,” said Anthony, who vowed at age 49 to run a marathon before turning 50. She recruited a band of friends to join her, a group that settled at four by the end of the 16-week training program for beginning marathoners. “It was more about the mental challenge than our bodies,” Anthony said. “I didn’t want to be 75 or 80 and wonder why I didn’t run a marathon when I was in shape and able to do it. Too many people don’t challenge themselves. They sit in the back seat of life.” Jumping into the front seat with the rest of them was the 37-year-old Castillo, the most experienced runner of the group. She had been a hurdler and cross country runner in high school, and still teaches track and field to youths in a local USA Track and Field (USATF) club. “The most I had done was some 5Ks,” Castillo said. “We just decided to do the big one. At mile 23 I thought I was going to die, to be honest. The last three miles, I’d just tell myself that it was like leaving your house and running to McKinley Lake and back. The beauty of the canyon got me through it. The pine trees, water falls, a beautiful stream.” The Leading Ladies Marathon began three years ago. Designed exclusively for females, several events are scheduled such as motivational speakers, a style show and pasta party the night before the race. Then at 4 a.m. on race day, buses leave from Spearfish to take participants up the canyon to the starting point in Lead. After an initial uphill route over the first four miles, the rest of the course is a gentle downgrade winding through the canyon. Runners dress for the 40-degree temperatures at the start, but shed the extra clothing as they proceed to the balmy 80-degree environment in Spearfish. Husbands not only were cheerleaders for the local contingent, but served as wardrobe assistants by picking up the extra clothing layers left behind on the course as temperatures rose. Finishing times A total of 97 female runners completed the course this year. Castillo finished 52nd in 4 hours, 47 minutes, 25 seconds. That put her at a 10:58 pace per mile. Forquer, 36, ran 80th in 5:29:07 and Anthony was 81st in 5:36:11. Knock, 56, crossed in 6:30:14 in 92nd place. The range of finishers spanned from 26-year-old Jennifer Valentine of Boulder, Colo., in 2:56:19 (6:44 pace) to 49-year-old Susan Daley of Chicago in 7:27:38. For the local runners, finishing was the goal, not a specific time. “We all followed the book, The Non-Runners Marathon Trainer, which was put out by professors at UNI for an actual class there,” Anthony said. The regimen called for four training runs per week, with days off for rest built in. Mileage for the first week was 3, 4, 3 and 5 miles. That grew to 5-9-5-18 by the end. “Margo and I ran a lot together, and for some reason the first eight-miler sticks out,” Anthony said. “I remember saying, ‘We just ran eight miles!’ By the end, that was one of the short days.” Original idea The genesis of the plan was spawned two years ago as several members of the group were joined by others at the 801 Grand Power Climb, an annual fundraising event for the American Lung Association of Iowa. A mutual friend, Carla Hynes, had run a marathon. “We said, who’s planning the next adventure?” Knock said. “Carla Hynes said we should run the Leading Ladies Marathon. She said they provide a lot of support and it’s a unique event.” That year didn’t work out, but it wasn’t long before Anthony was on the phone. “Nancy called last spring and said, ‘this is the year. I’m going to do it.’ She committed, and recruited several people who got started on the training schedule,” Knock said. “The four of us ended up doing it.” Obstacles During training, Forquer suffered a dog bite, and Anthony had broken toenails turning black from shoes that were a shade too tight. Castillo, a nurse, worked 12-hour shifts and sometimes got up at 4 a.m. to get the run in before work. Forquer cares for young children ages 3 and 1. Anthony even worked in training runs while attending to her daughter, Kelli, in Kansas City after Kelli’s baby was born. Knock recalled long runs in the rain, hoping to avoid lightning concerns from thunderstorms. And, it was worth it. Yet, even though they were armed with several mind tricks to use to ward off the demons telling you to stop during the race, there were a few anxious moments. All the obstacles were overcome, partly by the mindset built in the training manual. “In the book, your answer to whatever negative thought you may have to get out of running is — IT DOESN’T MATTER,” Forquer said. “Family is in town, a child kept me up all night, I’m sore — it doesn’t matter. The race itself was incredible. One of the best days of my life.” Anthony befriended a Wyoming runner who ran at the same pace, and through regular hydration, she finished strong. “I had my iPod on, and in the last three-quarters of a mile through the park trail, the Pointer Sisters song, ‘I Must Be Dreaming’ came on,” Anthony said. “That was so awesome. It fit my whole state of mind at that point.” Knock said some portions of the race were not so dreamy. “Miles 18 to 23 were really tough,” said Knock, who’s no stranger to physical training as a taekwondo black belt. “I was giving serious consideration to laying down in the ditch and letting them pick me up. Margo told me she was seeing stars. I had a cramp hurting in my right hip, and our quads hurt from the gentle downhill grade of the run.” On miles 24 and 25, Knock was listening to music and alternating running and walking with each song. With a mile left, a transformation took place. “I had been running 6 hours and 30 minutes, but I was feeling totally exhilarated,” Knock recalled. “It blocked out every ache and pain. They were all waiting for me, and we all cried together at the finish line.” As the adidas theme states, “Impossible is Nothing.” —————— Larry Peterson can be reached at 782-2141, ext. 232 or lpeterson@crestonnews.com