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FLRC Newsletter - Nov 2003 |
| Danner Clocks a Personal Best 3:04:07 at Chicago | |
When Katie Danner was a little girl, growing up on Water Street in Elmira, she spent a lot of time reading books while her sisters played sports.
"I was not athletic as a kid," said Danner, whose time of 18:59 won the Twin Tiers Race for the Cure 5K women's title in May. "I was shy, and wore glasses. I just didn't know I had it in me."
Just four days shy of turning 30, Danner now knows she has the right stuff. The Race for the Cure victory gave her an airline ticket to any destination in the United States. And, Danner used the ticket last weekend to fly to the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon to chase a dream.
"I had the opportunity to go with my friend, Lorrie Tily," said Danner, who competes for the Finger Lakes Runners Club. "I heard that Chicago was a well-run marathon, and it would be a good place for me to get a good time."
On what is considered one of the four fastest marathon courses in the world, Danner ran a personal best performance of 3 hours, 4 minutes and 7 seconds (3:04:07). Averaging a 7:01 per-mile pace, she finished 1113th overall in a field of roughly 40,000; 117th among women and 37th among women ages 25 to 29.
"I just like running a lot, and that alone has made me faster," said Danner, who averages 70 to 85 miles per week of running on roads and trails. "I broke my toe six weeks ago, and that forced me to run on flat surfaces -- just like Chicago. I also lived in Elmira all summer, and the city has lots of flat roads. And, I ran with Molly Huddle, and she was very encouraging.
"I knew I could come close to 3 hours if I played it smart," Danner said.
Playing it smart meant placing herself at the starting line behind the New Balance three-hour pacing group provided by the Chicago Marathon organizers.
"I was very anxious leading up to the race, but on race day, I was very calm and happy," said Danner, who lives near Mecklenburg with her husband Andy, and four children. "The race was so well organized that even someone like me, who is afraid of anything unknown, had an easy time figuring things out.
"I had to sneak into the competitive start to begin the race with the three-hour pacing group, which helped me get started on the right track," she said. "But after 10 miles, I felt I needed to do my own thing. I just ran happy, and thought to myself, 'This is the easiest marathon I have ever run.' Then at the 23rd mile, the bottom fell out."
Danner had passed through the 20-mile mark in 2:53:07, slightly under the coveted sub 3-hour pace. But low glycogen levels and dehydration turned the final three miles into a death march.
"It was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other," Danner said. "I had to fight nausea from mile 25 on, and it was very difficult to finish. I was pretty sick, but happy!"
While Danner was running, the family was home keeping the faith.
"My children were in church, and my eldest daughter Sarah set her watch so it would go off in 3 hours, 5 minutes," said Danner., who shook the hand of the Chicago Marathon women's winner Svetlana Zakharova after the race. "The alarm rang during church, and Sarah said outloud, 'I think mama is done with her marathon now.' My family greeted me with homemade cookies, flowers and a clean house. I'm blessed with a very supportive husband who enables me to stay home and take care of my children. I don't feel like my running is work; it's fun. I'm doing what I love to do."
Danner also has a coach, John Stiner, who trains a group of female long-distance runners in the Ithaca area.
"John kept me focused on the goal, and I learned I didn't have to kill myself in training," Danner said. "All I do is put my feet on the road."
"Katie is learning about the event, and she's improved nearly 40 minutes in 17 months, since I've taken her on," said Stiner. "Most people aren't trained for the marathon, but she is aerobically-developed for the distance. She's determined to become a marathon runner, and she's learning how to be mentally and physically prepared for competition."
Marathons are always lessons in tough love, and Danner learned something this season she didn't know long ago as that little girl from Elmira.
"When I broke my toe, and the doctor confirmed it, I thought to myself, 'I'm not tough enough to run on a broken toe. But I ran 90 miles one week on that toe," Danner said. "I learned through my training I can usually do a lot more than I think I can!"
[Portions of this article appeared in the Elmira Star-Gazette.]
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