The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Running Boston bound!
Chelsea group to run in Boston Marathon
By Don Richter, Sports Editor
PUBLISHED: April 12, 2007
Their ages range from 22-years-old to 55.
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One is a married mother of three, while another is a computer programmer, and still another, a physics PhD graduate student at the University of Wisconsin.
Some are tall and lanky, while others are short and petite.
They're all different, and yet, they're the same. They all share a common goal, a common desire and the same all-consuming passion - running.
And not your everyday running, either. This group doesn't just jog around the block, or complete a few laps around the local high school track. No, that would be too simple. This group, instead, likes to run for miles, out in the wide open countryside, for hours along lonely roads that stretch toward the horizon.
Chelsea's Aaron Ruhlig, Eric Swager, Judy Gentz, Rebecca Metzler, Joel Gentz, Laura Jarvis, Rob Wilke and Loren Winn enjoy running so much, that Monday the group will participate in the granddaddy of all running events, the Boston Marathon.
The marathon, celebrating its 111th running this year, is officially 26 miles and 385 yards total. Over 22,000 entrants will be competing in this year's race. In terms of media coverage, it's the second largest single day sporting event behind only the Super Bowl. An estimated 500,000 spectators will line the course cheering on the runners.
Locally, Dexter's Greg Meyer, a former U-M standout, is the last American to win the Boston Marathon, breaking the tape first in 1983 with a time of 2:09.00.
Last year, Robert K. Cheruiyot of Kenya won the race in 2:07.14.
"I'm running Boston because it's as good as it gets and one of the items on my checklist of life," said Jarvis, 47, a multimedia designer for the University of Michigan Law School Communications Department. "I also think it's a great motivator for my kids (Chelsea High School students Dominic and Phoebe Conybeare). If mom can do it, then they can, too."
Jarvis said she's always been athletic competing in the President's Physical Fitness programs in the 1970s.
"I never thought I'd do a marathon because I was a sprinter in high school and college," she said. "But as I got older and the legs got slower, I figured the tortoise ended up winning."
Jarvis said her first marathon was July last year in Carrollton.
"I won my age group," she said. "Then on to the Detroit Marathon in October of 2006."
Jarvis said her goal for the Boston Marathon has changed over time.
"My goal for Boston has gone from 'Well, once you qualify you can always just walk the course,' to thinking if I trained really hard I could reach a goal of 3:30.00," she said. "But now it's settled into a more realistic one of matching my qualifying time of 3:51.15, or if everything in the universe is in order, 3:40.00."
Ruhlig, a 25-year-old consultant, said running in the Boston Marathon is an accomplishment in and of itself.
"It's one of the only road races that is open to amateurs, yet requires a certain level of expertise for participation," he said. "It is the world's most prestigious road race and the world's oldest annual marathon. There's so much history attached to every portion of the course and every moment of the event."
Ruhlig, who has run in five marathons, including the Fort Worth Marathon earlier this year, said he'd like to run Boston under three hours.
"But I'll be happy with anything faster than my current PR (personal record) of 3:07."
Swager, 42, a teacher at Chelsea High School, as well as the Bulldogs' boys' cross country coach and boys' track and field coach, said he is running Boston because of Ruhlig.
"One of my former athletes, Aaron Ruhlig, and I ran one (marathon) together last year and we both qualified," he said. "I told him that if he qualified (for Boston), I would run it with him."
Swager, who has run 24 marathons, including six in Boston, said in the past three weeks he has been building up his mileage.
"I hurt my foot recently, so my expectations are modest," he said. "I have run under three hours several times, but would be happy with a time in the 3:15 range this year."
Metzler, 24, a physics PhD graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, said she is running Boston for the pure thrill of it.
"The Boston Marathon is the marathon to run," she said. "It is supposed to have a great crowd and be quite an amazing experience.
"Additionally, I have a fellow graduate student who is running Boston, so we are planning on flying out together and everything like that."
Metzler, who qualified for Boston by running in her only marathon in Duluth last summer, said her goal is to run a 3:10 Monday. Her time in Duluth was 3:17.
"But then I was in a bike/car accident this past Halloween, so I thought I would readjust my goals," she said. "However, I feel training has been going fairly well, so I think my goal is still to run a 3:10."
Wildman, 55, a special education teacher at Chelsea High School, said he's running the Boston Marathon to raise funds.
"I run the marathon to raise money for the Masonic Learning Center for children with dyslexia," he said. "I am a member of the Board of Governors for this school. This is my third year running. Last year, I raised $20,000."
Besides raising funds for a worthy cause, Wildman also runs for his students.
"I have been a teacher of handicapped children for 35 years," he said. "I have taught them in a variety of areas, academics, vocational, scouting, martial arts and golfing. They have been a large portion of my life and I will continue to be quite involved in the future through my scouting and Masonic activities even after I retire from Chelsea Schools this year."
A runner his entire life, Wildman has participated in numerous marathons throughout the years. He has simple goals for Monday's Boston Marathon.
"At my age, speed isn't an issue," he said. "I just want to have fun, finish alive and be able to take my wife dancing afterwards."
Judy Gentz, 48, and a married mother of three who works as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner for Livingston County Community Mental Health, said she's running the Boston Marathon because, well, she can.
"I qualified," she said. "It's one of the most prestigious races in the world and qualifying is a big thing. Running the race is icing on the cake."
Judy Gentz, who qualified for Boston in the 2005 Detroit Marathon, said her motivation for running is to stay active.
"I want to hike the entire Appalachian Trail after (husband) Steve and I retire," she said. "To do that will mean staying in shape. Running is something I can do for free at my convenience. I run in the country often early in the morning and it's incredibly peaceful and balances out my stressful job."
Judy Gentz, whose goal is to finish Boston in 3:45, said she believes anyone can run a marathon.
"I did not start running consistently until I was in my mid to late 20s," she said. "It was two to three miles a day until we moved out to the country and my running circle grew to four miles. From there it became easy to add on to. I set a goal to run a marathon before I turned 50. I guess I can cross that one off my list."
Joel Gentz, 22, is a student at Purdue University who will graduate this year and is commissioning in the Air Force as a combat rescue officer candidate, said he is running Boston because of his mom, Judy.
"I told my mom if she qualified, I would," he said. "She did (qualify), so I did. Running is how I stay sane at school."
Joel Gentz, who has run the Boston Marathon four times, said his goal Monday is to have fun.
"It's the Boston Marathon," he said. "Just running in it is awesome. I wouldn't mind finishing under three hours, though."
Wilke, 50, a computer programmer at the University of Michigan, started running five years ago. After multiple attempts, he finally qualified for Boston in a marathon in upstate New York in 2005.
"For me, all the distance training is about the final five miles (of marathon)," he said. "If the first 20 are too hard, that means you're going too fast and are not in good enough shape. It's after mile 21 where it starts to get tough, energy is depleted and you start wondering why you got yourself into this.
"When I started I couldn't run three miles without walking. Now, it's not a big deal to go out and run 13 (miles)."
Wilke, whose goal is to finish in 3:30 Monday, said he's running Boston because of its rich tradition.
"Also, I lived in Boston briefly in the early '80s and went to see the marathon in 1980," he said. "It never occurred to me that I might run it some day."
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