Orlando's Pratt finishes 19th marathon in salute to troops
Florida woman running marathons as salute to soldiers
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star, April 29, 2005
(Pratt finished the Lincoln Marathon on Sunday, May 1 in a time of 3:48:50 and was 339 of 905 finishers. Former Houstonian Gannon White, who now resides in Greeley, Colorado, won it all in a time of 2:30:57.)
Shirley Pratt is on the verge of running her 19th marathon in eight months and, yes, the grind has taken a toll on the Florida woman.
"I can definitely tell that my recovery after races isn't as quick," said the 43-year-old from Orlando.
Nevertheless, Pratt pushes forward gracefully and with a purpose. Indeed, she conjured up the idea of running 21 marathons in nine months as a way of drawing attention to military men and women serving in faraway war zones and raising money for them.
Pratt's "21-run salute" includes the 28th annual Lincoln National Guard Marathon & Half-Marathon, set to begin at 7 a.m. Sunday on the University of Nebraska campus.
As of Thursday, a total of 3,571 runners had entered the races, said co-race director Nancy Sutton, surpassing the record total of 3,352 last year."With three more races to go, I kind of feel like I'm in the homestretch," said Pratt, who will complete her odyssey with marathons May 15 in Olympia, Wash., and May 28 in Traverse City, Mich.
When pain becomes an issue during races, Pratt thinks of military men and women serving their country under difficult circumstances."With each step, I remind myself they are the ones enduring hardships and making sacrifices, not I," she writes at her Web site, 21RunSalute.org.
Pratt said a key to reaching this point in her journey is taking care of herself between races. She cut back on 75 percent of her other training-related activities in recent months, she said.
Another crucial aspect of her regimen is 10- to 15-minute ice baths she takes after each race to reduce swelling immediately.
What's more, Pratt said, she doesn't run these marathons all-out, treating them as long training runs as opposed to competitive events. Even so, on nine occasions during her campaign, she finished with times that qualified her for the Boston Marathon.
She finished the Boston race April 18 in 4 hours, 2 minutes, 58 seconds.
Pratt looks forward to the Lincoln event, which features a city-wide course that starts and finishes near the NU Coliseum on Vine Street.
Although Pratt had never been in Lincoln before arriving Friday, she said, "I've heard great things about the race. People say it's well-organized."
Jacob Kaemmer of Des Moines, Iowa, who won last year's Lincoln Marathon in a solid 2:30:25, hasn't entered this year's race. But the 2004 women's champion, Christy Nielsen-Crotts, a 29-year-old physical therapist from Council Bluffs, Iowa, will defend her crown, according to Sutton.
Nielsen-Crotts could be challenged by Omaha resident Roxi Erickson, 42, who had captured seven straight Lincoln Marathons before dropping out of last year's race around mile 16.
"She's supposedly running very well right now," Sutton said of Erickson.
The Lincoln Marathon again is playing host to the National Guard Marathon Trials. Nearly 200 Army and Air Guard members representing 43 states and two U.S. territories will compete for positions on the National Guard Marathon Team.
Meanwhile, Pratt will bundle her long, dark hair into a ponytail, lace up her shoes and try to further her cause.
To date, her quest has raised $15,600, according to her Web site. The site notes several ways people can support the troops, ranging from cash gifts to her organization to the purchase of products from sponsoring corporations, which donate part of their profits to help the troops.
Pratt's journey began Sept. 12 in Erie, Pa. By the end, she'll have raced in 20 states coast-to-coast.
"There's no way I can fail — I have to get to the finish line and complete these races," she said.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star, April 29, 2005
(Pratt finished the Lincoln Marathon on Sunday, May 1 in a time of 3:48:50 and was 339 of 905 finishers. Former Houstonian Gannon White, who now resides in Greeley, Colorado, won it all in a time of 2:30:57.)
Shirley Pratt is on the verge of running her 19th marathon in eight months and, yes, the grind has taken a toll on the Florida woman.
"I can definitely tell that my recovery after races isn't as quick," said the 43-year-old from Orlando.
Nevertheless, Pratt pushes forward gracefully and with a purpose. Indeed, she conjured up the idea of running 21 marathons in nine months as a way of drawing attention to military men and women serving in faraway war zones and raising money for them.
Pratt's "21-run salute" includes the 28th annual Lincoln National Guard Marathon & Half-Marathon, set to begin at 7 a.m. Sunday on the University of Nebraska campus.
As of Thursday, a total of 3,571 runners had entered the races, said co-race director Nancy Sutton, surpassing the record total of 3,352 last year."With three more races to go, I kind of feel like I'm in the homestretch," said Pratt, who will complete her odyssey with marathons May 15 in Olympia, Wash., and May 28 in Traverse City, Mich.
When pain becomes an issue during races, Pratt thinks of military men and women serving their country under difficult circumstances."With each step, I remind myself they are the ones enduring hardships and making sacrifices, not I," she writes at her Web site, 21RunSalute.org.
Pratt said a key to reaching this point in her journey is taking care of herself between races. She cut back on 75 percent of her other training-related activities in recent months, she said.
Another crucial aspect of her regimen is 10- to 15-minute ice baths she takes after each race to reduce swelling immediately.
What's more, Pratt said, she doesn't run these marathons all-out, treating them as long training runs as opposed to competitive events. Even so, on nine occasions during her campaign, she finished with times that qualified her for the Boston Marathon.
She finished the Boston race April 18 in 4 hours, 2 minutes, 58 seconds.
Pratt looks forward to the Lincoln event, which features a city-wide course that starts and finishes near the NU Coliseum on Vine Street.
Although Pratt had never been in Lincoln before arriving Friday, she said, "I've heard great things about the race. People say it's well-organized."
Jacob Kaemmer of Des Moines, Iowa, who won last year's Lincoln Marathon in a solid 2:30:25, hasn't entered this year's race. But the 2004 women's champion, Christy Nielsen-Crotts, a 29-year-old physical therapist from Council Bluffs, Iowa, will defend her crown, according to Sutton.
Nielsen-Crotts could be challenged by Omaha resident Roxi Erickson, 42, who had captured seven straight Lincoln Marathons before dropping out of last year's race around mile 16.
"She's supposedly running very well right now," Sutton said of Erickson.
The Lincoln Marathon again is playing host to the National Guard Marathon Trials. Nearly 200 Army and Air Guard members representing 43 states and two U.S. territories will compete for positions on the National Guard Marathon Team.
Meanwhile, Pratt will bundle her long, dark hair into a ponytail, lace up her shoes and try to further her cause.
To date, her quest has raised $15,600, according to her Web site. The site notes several ways people can support the troops, ranging from cash gifts to her organization to the purchase of products from sponsoring corporations, which donate part of their profits to help the troops.
Pratt's journey began Sept. 12 in Erie, Pa. By the end, she'll have raced in 20 states coast-to-coast.
"There's no way I can fail — I have to get to the finish line and complete these races," she said.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
posted by WalkSports.com | 8:18 AM
1 Comments:
Wow -- the Pratt story is really inspiring. I like to hear that the ice baths are worth the pain!! Thanks for posting that!
-c
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