Two for the Road

One Springfield couple finally accomplishes its goal of running a marathon... together.

The first time Collin and Emily Little tried to run a marathon, in April 2005, they wound up going to a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game instead. They began training months earlier, but as young people do, Friday nights out took priority over Saturday morning training. They lowered their goal to a half-marathon, and even went so far as to travel to St. Louis and pick up their runner’s packets, but then they decided to go to the game. As they left the old Busch Stadium, more then a little tipsy, Emily says it was a “kick in the gut” to see runners making their way through downtown. They vowed, someday, they would actually finish a marathon... or at least start one.

So it should have been all the sweeter when, last month, Collin and Emily crossed the finish line of the 2007 Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco. Add into the equation the fact that, since that first marathon “attempt”, the couple has had a son, Carson, and simply finishing would seem to be reward enough, right?

Wrong.

The competitiveness almost oozes out of Collin, 28, and Emily, 30, as they talk about the experience—and the knee injury that forced them to slow down their ambitious pace of a fast (for first-timers) four-hour finishing time. “The goal was not just to finish,” Emily says. But pain in her knee at mile six (out of 26 plus), made even that goal difficult.

But finish they did, and even if their time (4:47) wasn’t what they’d hoped for, they were pleased nonetheless. Collin says he probably could have run 4:10, if not faster, but running and training for a marathon together—especially the first one—was what the experience was all about. Indeed, the Nike Women’s Marathon featured very few men, almost all of whom were running with a woman. Collin, a pilot for a local charter service, says he took some abuse from the crowd for being in a women’s race. Emily called the 23,000-runner event a “sea of estrogen.” But the jeers were worth it.

“It was a chance to talk and be together,” says Emily, a web developer for a local anesthesiology group. “It’s hard to find time without the baby.” That “quality” time included biweekly weeknight runs, longer Saturday- or Sunday-morning runs and, of course, the final 26.2 miles.

Collin and Emily credit their training program—the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training—with helping them finally finish their marathon quest. TNT is a marathon program where participants are given a training regimen, automatic spots on hard-to-enter marathons and a built-in support group.

In exchange for the free weekend Powerade, travel arrangements and charitable feelings, however, participants are asked to raise a specific sum of money for the LLS—in Collin and Emily’s case, $3,800 each. The not-unsizeable sum, most of which the couple raised and some of which they paid out of pocket, was the Littles’ biggest impetus for finishing the race.

“TNT was great to keep us on schedule, and keep our commitment to the marathon… the money really made us do it,” Collin says.

The Nike Women’s Marathon itself, they say, was a total blast; running though one of America’s most picturesque—and hilly—cities is an experience they say they’ll never forget. And, actually, it wasn’t as hilly as they had feared, with the only severe uphill portion coming early in the race between miles six and eight (coinciding nicely with Emily’s hurt knee). The highlights: Coming over the crest of a hill to see the Golden Gate Bridge; smelling the scent of pine on the air; and, at mile nine, getting free tastes of exquisite Godiva chocolate. (Collin also remarks on the group of all-male cheerleaders at mile 22 or 23 that seemed to enjoy his participation. “They kept calling my name,” he says with a laugh.) The finisher’s prize? No cheap medal: It was a genuine silver necklace from Tiffany. Emily wears hers; Collin’s is still in the box.

Will they do it again? Collin will. Though he is emphatic that he’s happy he ran with Emily, he’s eager to stretch his legs a bit, so to speak, and is planning to participate in the Run for the Ranch, a marathon in Springfield December 30, to see what he can do. Emily says she had to overcome a certain amount of guilt at “holding Collin back,” especially once her knee acted up. The main thing they learned from the experience: “Patience,” says Collin. But they’ve also learned to reach a goal, stay focused, and to enjoy one another’s company as they work towards it.

That, and to never, ever run in a city where you might be tempted to go to a Cardinals game instead.

Wanna run?

Want to run (or walk) a marathon (or half marathon?)

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training is now recruiting runners for April and June marathons in St. Louis, San Diego and Anchorage, Alaska. For more information, contact Sheila Boutwell at 417-864-6360 or sheila.boutwell@lls.org.