Locals run New York City Marathon
Pictured above are the four runners. From left to right: Leta Shockley, Shelly Wallace, Kayle Leonhardt and Cord Leonhardt.
November 19, 2014
Charlea Mills
For four Washburn area residents, a lot of hard work, training, perseverance and patience paid off when they travelled to New York two weeks ago to run the New York City Marathon. The group, comprised of Shelly Wallace, Kayle Leoonhardt, Cord Leonhardt and Leta Shockley, headed out on Wednesday before the race on Sunday, November 2. All four them returned victors, having finished one of the most exciting marathons a runner can experience.
Shockley said, “The race was amazing. It was my third marathon and by far the best. There were people cheering the whole way along the way.” Shockley finished the race in 4 hours 49 minutes, not her best time, but she said, “I just wanted to enjoy it.”
Kayle detailed the whole experience, noting that, outside of the race, they also went to the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and other iconic sites. She said, “I could go on and on about New York City, but for the marathon, it was running across the bridge looking over the white capping water and seeing the beautiful skyline. It was just beautiful.” Kayle finished the marathon in 5:16:39.
Wallace commented, “This is the one race that I can cross off my bucket list, but I would definitely run again if given the opportunity.” Wallace’s time was 5:16:39.
Each of the runners trained for different lengths of time, ranging from three to five months, and all but one plan to run anther marathon in the future. Shockley said, “This is my last year for a marathon, but I’ll do a triathalon or an Iron Man again in the future.”
According to Cord, the most impressive part of the trip was seeing his wife, Kayle’s, dedication. He said, “I am very proud of my wife, Kayle. She had major ankle surgery last year where they actually cut the tendon in her ankle in order to tighten the ankle up due to multiple ankle sprains from the past. She set her goal of running in the NYC marathon even before her surgery, and she was able to accomplish that goal, even running it nine minutes faster than any of her other marathons. There was a lot of pain during training for her, but with the determination that she had, when it came race day, she was ready.” Cord himself finished the 26.2 mils in 4:37:40.
Even through the intense winds and chilly temperatures, the four and their friend from Bentonville, Ark., Pauline Mohler, finished one of the most exciting marathons one can run in.
Charlea Mills
For four Washburn area residents, a lot of hard work, training, perseverance and patience paid off when they travelled to New York two weeks ago to run the New York City Marathon. The group, comprised of Shelly Wallace, Kayle Leoonhardt, Cord Leonhardt and Leta Shockley, headed out on Wednesday before the race on Sunday, November 2. All four them returned victors, having finished one of the most exciting marathons a runner can experience.
Shockley said, “The race was amazing. It was my third marathon and by far the best. There were people cheering the whole way along the way.” Shockley finished the race in 4 hours 49 minutes, not her best time, but she said, “I just wanted to enjoy it.”
Kayle detailed the whole experience, noting that, outside of the race, they also went to the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and other iconic sites. She said, “I could go on and on about New York City, but for the marathon, it was running across the bridge looking over the white capping water and seeing the beautiful skyline. It was just beautiful.” Kayle finished the marathon in 5:16:39.
Wallace commented, “This is the one race that I can cross off my bucket list, but I would definitely run again if given the opportunity.” Wallace’s time was 5:16:39.
Each of the runners trained for different lengths of time, ranging from three to five months, and all but one plan to run anther marathon in the future. Shockley said, “This is my last year for a marathon, but I’ll do a triathalon or an Iron Man again in the future.”
According to Cord, the most impressive part of the trip was seeing his wife, Kayle’s, dedication. He said, “I am very proud of my wife, Kayle. She had major ankle surgery last year where they actually cut the tendon in her ankle in order to tighten the ankle up due to multiple ankle sprains from the past. She set her goal of running in the NYC marathon even before her surgery, and she was able to accomplish that goal, even running it nine minutes faster than any of her other marathons. There was a lot of pain during training for her, but with the determination that she had, when it came race day, she was ready.” Cord himself finished the 26.2 mils in 4:37:40.
Even through the intense winds and chilly temperatures, the four and their friend from Bentonville, Ark., Pauline Mohler, finished one of the most exciting marathons one can run in.