By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Jessi Nurmi decided to take the full plunge.
There was no easing into her distance running debut on Saturday.
Until she stepped to the starting line for the 11th-annual Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon, the Mahomet resident had never raced more than 10 kilometers at any one time.
In her preparation for the next step, she had a couple training runs of 18 miles and once hit the 20-mile mark.
On Saturday, however, she knew she was embarking on what would be about a 4-hour run.
She signed up to run the full, 26.2-mile marathon.
“I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” Nurmi said. “I’d never even run a half-marathon.”
She wasn’t going to be disappointed, regardless of the outcome.
“I didn’t have many expectations,” Nurmi said. “I expected it to be hard. I don’t think of myself as a runner.”
The first-timer fared well.
She covered the course that stretched throughout Champaign-Urbana in 4 hours, 3 minutes and 35 seconds.
Among all of the 1,087 full-marathoners, she placed 516th. She was 145th among the 393 women who finished.
Nurmi chuckled at the thought of her accomplishing such a feat as far back as a decade ago.
“Nine months ago, I would have thought it was crazy,” she said. “I had no idea of doing a half.
“A marathon was not in my realm of possibility. I’m one of those people who were, ‘Why would you run that. No one is chasing you.’ “
Several years ago, Nurmi ran a 10-kilometer race. Then, she continued to work out for a 5-kilometer Turkey Trot event.
“As I added miles, I thought I could do a half,” she related.
She kept going. And going.
“It got to the point I thought I could do a full,” she said.
Nurmi didn’t shy away from the challenge.
Her training provided confidence, but only to a certain degree.
Mentally, she had some uncertainty.
“It was intimidating,” Nurmi said. “It’s hard when it’s unknown.
“I know I can do 20 (miles). It’s after 20, that things get really hard. The last six are the hardest ones.”
Nurmi decided it was best not to have a running partner for the race even though, “a friend from church was running.”
Her mindset, she explained, was “I wanted to run what I needed and not feel I needed to speed up or slow down.”
For Nurmi, “run” was the operative word.
“I ran the whole thing (without stopping),” she said. “That was a huge goal.
“My family made a huge effort to be at as many spots (along the course) as they could, and that helped. I wasn’t going to let them see me walk.”
***
Mahomet’s Brody Nunn also tried something different on Saturday.
He had modest goals for his half-marathon debut.
“I wanted to get under 2 hours,” Nunn said.
He didn’t have to race the clock for the final 75 meters after entering Memorial Stadium.
Nunn bettered his goal by more than 6 ½ minutes.
His time was 1 hour, 53 minutes and 28 seconds. That mark allowed the University of Illinois freshman economics major to finish in the upper 25 percent of all half-marathoners.
He placed 722nd in a field of 3,096 finishers.
“Before the race, I was nervous because I had never gone quite that far,” Nunn said. “It went really well. I did much better than I expected.”
His longest previous one-time run was 12 miles and upon completing that distance in training, realized “it took more out of me than I thought.”
Nunn ran for the Bulldogs in junior high school, but bypassed the cross-country and track teams after getting in to high school.
“I didn’t want to commit to a team,” he said.
Nunn continued to work out on his own.
“I enjoy running and look forward to doing it,” he said. “Two years ago, I ran the Illinois 5K.”
It was the influence of his mother, Tonya, that provided the encouragement for Brody to try a longer distance.
“My mom ran the half before,” Brody Nunn said. “That gave me a goal. I thought it would be cool to do it one time.”
What he appreciated was the support of other runners and the onlookers.
“When I run (for a workout), I might be the only person I see,” he said. “(The support) made me want to keep going.”
One of the hardest aspects of his first half-marathon was the starting time.
“I had to get up at 5:30,” he said, “and I’m not a morning person. Most of my runs are in the afternoon.”
As one item gets marked off his Bucket List, another one has gotten added.
“One day I’d like to run a full marathon,” Brody Nunn said, “but I think I will wait until I am done with college.”
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Not much has changed for Karli Waldrep in the past year.
As a high school junior in 2018, Prom fell on the same weekend as the Illinois Marathon.
The teen-aged runner competed in the 10-kilometer race early in the day and then got herself ready for Prom.
At least she knew the routine. Again this year, the Mahomet-Seymour Prom fell on Race Day.
Waldrep participated in the 10K on Saturday morning and then had a list to accomplish prior to the evening’s activities.
“It took a lot of planning,” she said. “I got my nails done, had a hair appointment and made time for a nap.
“It was not as much of a hassle as I thought it would be. Running gives me a boost and more energy.”
She ran the 10K in 1 hour, 2 minutes and 51 seconds. In Friday’s 5K event, her time was 26 minutes and 7 seconds.
“I pushed myself hard in the 5K,” Waldrep said. “My 10K was decent, but my body was sore when I woke up (Saturday morning).”
Running became a part of Waldrep’s daily routine nearly five years ago.
“When I started, it was a challenge,” Waldrep said. “My neighbor said to see if I could run from Memorial Day until Labor Day.”
She achieved that goal and hasn’t stopped. On Tuesday, she will celebrate her 1,800th consecutive day of running at least a mile. This Memorial Day will mark the 5-year anniversary of her starting the daily runs.
“I go out to run and can forget everything that has happened,” she said.
Despite her devotion, she has not participated in cross-country or track while in high school.
Fall cross-country conflicts with Marching Band and the track seasons overlap with practice and preparations for the Spring Musical.
“I like doing it for myself,” Waldrep said. “I can control what I am doing and when I am doing it.”
Fitness has become so much a part of her life that it will stay with her in the future.
In the fall, when she enrolls at Northern Illinois University, in DeKalb, it will be as a physical education major.
Waldrep plans to keep her consecutive days of running streak intact, “as long as I possibly can,” she said, “even if I have to hop on a treadmill.”
Some time down the road, she would like to go even further with her running.
“In the future, I’m wanting to do a full marathon,” Waldrep said.
***
Some folks aren’t enamored by the starting times of the races in the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon.
The full marathon starts at 7 a.m. The half-marathon competitors hear the starting gun at 7:35 a.m.
Mahomet’s Kelly Nykaza feels well-prepared for that schedule.
“I’m in a running group that meets several times a week at 5 a.m.,” Nykaza said. “It’s a quiet time before the world wakes up.
“You look forward to staying in shape.”
The six-member group not only trains together, but Nykaza said, “there’s the camaraderie and encouraging each other.”
Nykaza participated in the half-marathon in Saturday’s 11th-annual Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon.
Her time was a lifetime best of 1 hour, 56 minutes and 39 seconds.
Of the 3,096 finishers, she was 918th overall. Among women, Nykaza was 296th out of 1,668 finishers. She averaged an 8:54 mile split for the 13.1-mile course.
“I’m running faster than 10 years ago,” Nykaza said. “I look at it as something I get to do, not something I have to do. Running has become a really great and positive stress-reliever.”
Organization is the key as she moves forward.
“To keep up with the training cycle, I like to have the next thing planned out so I have a goal,” Nykaza said.
Whether the next race is a full marathon or a half-marathon depends on factors other than desire.
“It’s what’s going on in life,” she said. “The time commitment for a full is greater. Sometimes, a half is more manageable.”
The moment right before a race begins brings a smile to her face.
“I think it’s very rewarding,” Nykaza said. “Standing at the starting line is one of the most hopeful places you can be.
“You’ve put in the miles of training and hope you have a great race. Everything about it is positive.”
Kelly Nykaza wasn’t the only family member who fared well during the weekend.
Son Lucas finished 46th in the 10-kilometer race with a time of 44.59. The sixth-grader won his age group (12-and-under).
She doesn’t need to look further than her family to find motivation to continue her running regime.
“I stay in shape to keep up with my kids,” said Kelly Nykaza, a certified Pilates instructor. “To be happy and healthy, do an activity you enjoy; whatever keeps you fueled.”
***
Several current and former Mahomet residents dotted the leaderboard list after Saturday’s race results were posted.
Former Bulldog Andrew Walmer celebrated his last weekend of being a teen-ager by placing sixth in the 5K (17:17) and eighth in the 10K (37:35).
The 10K runner-up was Mahomet’s Brian Bundren (34:46) in a time that computed to a 5:36 mile split.
In the full marathon, Mahomet’s Brian Butcher was 22nd in 2:45.38 and another former Bulldog, Jordan Rock, was 61st in 3:01.18. There were 1,087 finishers.
In the half-marathon, Champaign’s John Butcher placed ninth in 1:11.05. There were 3,096 finishers.
