Why We Run Wednesday: Lyell
For many, the thought of simply completing a marathon is daunting. However, for our club's own Wonder Woman, Lyell, one marathon wasn't enough. In fact, 99 marathons weren't enough, so last month she traveled to San Francisco to complete her 100th marathon. So far she has raced in 13 different countries and 14 states. And let me tell you - this awesome lady is far from finished with her running adventure.
When Lyell ran her 100th marathon in San Francisco, she had a group of family and friends supporting her and helping to make it a special weekend. Her daughters were in San Francisco with her, just as they were at her first marathon in 1994, at the ages of one and two. When she first started running marathons, it was mostly about completing the goal of finishing the event. She did a lot of marathons in the first few years in the Pacific Northwest and met some like-minded people who she trained and went to races with. She got fitter and faster as she trained with buddies who could help push her and celebrate successes with.
Lyell and Jack in London this year
Eventually she started traveling to different cities, states and even counties to experience the culture while finishing events in many different places. There were some aches and pains along the way, the most serious was the meniscus surgery in 2003, but everything could be recovered from. In 2007 she got involved with Team and Training which was her first experience of running with an organized group. Team in Training brought a couple of additional side benefits - it helped create a sense of community with runners while helping to raise money for blood cancer research.
After several seasons with Team in Training, she joined of Cascade Run Club in its inaugural season and has been involved ever since. She loves getting out with the group every week, not just for fitness, but also the friendship, support and commitment that everyone has to a healthy way of life.
Since joining Cascade Run Club she has been able to stay involved with group runs year round and she attributes much of her running consistency to training with others, thinking she would not have stayed motivated if trying to do it all solo.
Lyell at the Marine Corps Marathon
Lyell in Vienna
Lyell in Berlin
Here is a Complete List of Lyell's Marathons:
1994
1. Skagit Flats – WA
1995
2. San Francisco - CA
3. Skagit Flats - WA
4. Seattle – WA
1996
5. San Francisco - CA
6. Skagit Flats - WA
7. Portland - OR
8. Seattle – WA
1997
9. Los Angeles - CA
10. Coeur d'lene - ID
11. Skagit Flats - WA
12. Fort Sam Houston-San Antonio - TX
13. Portland - OR
14. New York City - NY
15. Seattle - WA
16. Christmas – WA
1998
17. Boston - MA
18. Coeur d'lene - ID
19. San Diego Rock and Roll - CA
20. Skagit Flats - WA
21. Portland - OR
22. Seattle - WA
23. Christmas – WA
1999
24. Disney World - FL
25. Big Sur - CA
26. Skagit Flats - WA
27. New York City - NY
28. Christmas – WA
2000
29. Carlsbad - CA
30. Boston - MA
31. Marine Corps - DC
32. Seattle – WA
2001
33. Desert Classic - AZ
34. London - England
35. Portland - OR
36. Seattle – WA
2002
37. Disney World - FL
38. Capital City - WA
39. Portland - OR
40. Athens - Greece
41. Seattle – WA
2003
42. Nappa Valley – CA
2004
43. Boston – MA
2005
44. New York City – NY
2006
45. Paris - France
46. Seattle WA
2007
47. Paris - France
48. Chicago - IL
49. Honolulu – HI
2008
50. Prague - Austria
51. Honolulu – HI
2009
52. Vienna - Czechoslovakia
53. Vancouver - Canada
54. New York City - NY
55. Honolulu – HI
2010
56. Los Angeles - CA
57. Eugene - OR
58. Kauai - HI
59. Marine Corps - DC
60. Las Vegas Rock and Roll - NV
61. New York City – NY
2011
62. Rome - Italy
63. Berlin – Germany
2012
64. Disney World - FL
65. Yakima River Canyon - WA
66. Paris - France
67. Madrid Rock and Roll - Spain
68. Vancouver - Canada
69. Chicago - IL
70. Honolulu – HI
2013
71. New Orleans Rock and Roll - LA
72. London - England
73. Light at the End of the Tunnel - WA
74. Lake Chelan Shore to Shore - WA
75. Portland - OR
76. New York City – NY
2014
77. Banff - Canada
78. Tokyo - Japan
79. Marathon du Medoc - France
80. Leavenworth Octoberfest - WA
81. New York City - NY
82. Honolulu – HI
2015
83. New Orleans - LA
84. Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
85. Tunnel Light - WA
86. Chicago - IL
87. Dublin - Ireland
88. New York City – NY
2016
89. Big Sur - CA
90. Big Five - South Africa
91. San Francisco - CA
92. Super Tunnel - WA
93. Marathon du Medoc - France
94. New York City - NY
95. California International - CA
96. Honolulu – HI
2017
97. Boston - MA
98. London - England
99. Tunnel Light - WA
100. San Francisco - CA