Sedona Marathon

Sedona Charter School Students Train for First Sedona Marathon

By Sylvia Somerville

While their classmates are enjoying lunch in Sedona Charter School’s ramada, 10 middle schoolers are running laps on Kachina Drive. This one-mile, hilly road loops around the Kachina subdivision (just off Dry Creek Road) and is adjacent to their school.

The runners are 13 and 14 year-olds—seven boys and three girls—who have been training five days a week since December for the first Sedona Marathon, which will be held on Saturday, February 11. They are giving up a part of their lunch hour so they can be ready to run in the 5K portion of the race, which is a distance just over 3 miles.  The event will also include a full marathon (26.2 miles) and a half marathon.

Everyone in their classroom was invited to participate on the school’s marathon team, but only Mimi Bill, James DeVore, Samantha Hauserman, Cassie Kovac, Boris Madar, Ian Martella, Trevor Preschler, Eduardo Ruiz, Dylan Sills and Taylor Webber were up to the challenge. (A few other contenders dropped out at the beginning.)

Once they made the commitment to run, the students even ran during their winter break to keep up their momentum. Sometimes a relative, friend or dog came out to run with the group.

Crowd waits at the finish line of the Sedona Marathon

At first completing even one lap around Kachina had the group huffing and puffing, but now they can run two or three laps without any difficulty, and they are excited about representing their school during the race.  They will definitely be ready, says Doreen Calhoun, their physical education teacher. 

Getting Ready

Running experts all agree that it’s important to train for a marathon to avoid injury. The Sedona Charter School students have two coaches preparing them for the race: Calhoun, who stretches, jogs and runs with them on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and professional coach and trainer Julia Conway, who gives them a more rigorous workout on Tuesdays and Thursdays. “She is really good.  She works us very hard,” says Cassie Kovac. (A group of younger students from Sedona Charter School may also participate in the marathon.)

“Training is not just about running,” says Conway.  “You must be generally fit, and that includes upper body strength.”  Conway offers a good overall workout: strength training, endurance training, stretching, weight training and aerobics. Her routines encompass games, relays and funny jumps, lunges, squats, kicks, even stepping on and off the curb. Conway puts in a lot of variety to keep the training interesting.  The one thing the middle schoolers don’t do is sprint.  According to Conway, “Runners need to pace themselves, not burst their energy out.” 

The camaraderie of the group has helped with training.  The students cheer each other on. After their workouts, they often eat lunch together. 

There are no special incentives for the students to train. Although they may get a special treat now and then, they don’t get out of anything, says Calhoun. “They still must do all their other work. Training is just something extra.”

Life is not a spectator sport

While their teacher and trainer have the big picture in mind, fun is the main reason why the students are training for the marathon. They understand fully what running Guru George Sheehan meant when he said, “life is not a spectator sport.”

Many of the students say they are training because they love sports, and it keeps them in shape for tennis, soccer, dance and swimming. For others, it opens up new possibilities. “Running gives me something else to do,” says Dylan Sills. “Now I can run after school as well as ride my bike.” Mimi Bell likes running because “it is a personal best sport.”

Some of the students say that in addition to their group workouts, they run on the weekend on their own.  Every week they notice they can go a little bit further and faster. “Running is not as easy as it seems,” notes Taylor Webber. “But it gets better.”

On the day of the race Sedona Charter School students will be wearing matching t-shirts to advertise their team and their school.  A charter school parent is gathering pledges to cover the runners’ entry fees. In the long run, some of the money will find its way back into the school because Sedona Charter School (a free, accredited Montessori-based curriculum for grades kindergarten to eighth grade) is one of two designated community charity beneficiaries of The Sedona Marathon. The other is the Sedona-Oak Creek School District. The event’s national charity is T.A.P.S. (tragedy assistance program for survivors of military personnel lost in the line of duty).

Calhoun says she wants her students to have a good experience running the race. For her, the marathon is about confidence, self esteem and developing a sport for life.  She thinks her students are well on their way. “I don’t think they realize how far they’ve come,” she says. “They should be proud of themselves.”

Sidebar: On your mark, get set, ready, go….

The Sedona Marathon on Saturday, February 11, will feature three divisions:  a full marathon (26.2 miles), a half marathon and a 5k race. All runners will share the same course—up and down Dry Creek Road, Boynton Canyon, Red Canyon and Sycamore Pass—but each race will have its unique turnaround point. “We want as many people as possible to meet their competitive goals and personal challenges successfully,” notes Karen Livesay, one of the event organizers.  The races will begin at 8 a.m.

Applications for The Sedona Marathon and Half Marathon 2006 will be accepted until February 1, 2006, or until a maximum field size has been reached (whichever comes first). Registration for the 5k portion of the Sedona Marathon will be open up until race day or until the field is full. When the field is full for all portions of the Sedona Marathon, the website (www.sedonamarathon.com) will post field closures.

Runners can register on line, through the mail or in person at Sol Terra Sports in Tlaquepaque. Minimum age requirements are: 14 years old, full marathon; 12 years old, half marathon; 7 years old, 5K race. All registrants under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian’s signature of approval on the entry form.  Runners have six hours to complete their course.

Several years in the making, the Sedona Marathon is being produced by two Sedona entrepreneurs (Karen Livesay and Dr. Bill Lionberger) who have had the sports adventure company Four Winds Adventures LLC since 1997.  They have an exceptional track record for producing competitive adventure sporting events in the Western states. They have the support of both the U.S. Forest Service and the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, which is a Gold Medal Event Sponsor.

Sidebar:   Volunteers still needed

A marathon is a community event.  Roads are blocked off, cheering spectators line the route and volunteers offer hospitality before, during and after the race. At the finish line, participants gather to receive medals and awards and enjoy refreshments, music and the area’s beauty.

If you are not a runner but enjoy being part of the front-line action, you can participate by volunteering. There are many different opportunities—from runner registration and goodie bag distribution to VIP escort, water stations and services at the start and finish line. Hundreds of volunteers are needed.

According to the event organizers, volunteers and city officials definitely contribute to the success of a marathon and to “the memories that visitors take away.” Runners appreciate the support, cheers and invitations to return. Volunteers of all ages are encouraged to participate, including children and scout troops as long as an adult supervises them. Business sponsors are also invited to support The Sedona Marathon.  For more information, contact Karen Livesay at 800-775-7671 or info@sedonamarathon.com. You can register for volunteering at Sol Terra Sports in Tlaquepaque.

NEWS FLASH: The Marathon Gets Nod from USATF

USATF, the official USA track and field organization, has certified The Sedona Marathon’s course distances for accuracy.  Runners who participate in the event can now be confident that their finishing times will be officially accepted when they qualify for other races.

Running a race on a certified course also allows runners to accurately compare their times to performances run on other certified courses because they can be sure the distances were the same. No one can truly establish a personal best if the course distance is not accurate.

You Don’t Have to Run Alone

For runners who don’t like to go the course alone, there is a corporate team component in The Sedona Marathon. Corporate team awards will go to the fastest overall team (for distance traveled), the largest corporate team and the team traveling the most combined distance.

There is also a special corporate challenge for the biggest loser team—of inches, that is. Participants measured in January 7 at Canyon Breeze and will have final measurements after the race closes on February 11 at Sedona Red Rock High School.