As she listened to the rain drizzling Thursday afternoon, the marathoner-in-training mulled over the prospects of running on the treadmill after work instead of pounding the wet pavement outdoors. Although not ideal with only 10 days left to go until the New York City Marathon, Stephanie Dickson said it would have to do.
And even though she’s never run a full marathon before, Dickson has no doubt in her mind she’ll finish all 26.2 miles Nov. 7.
“I have to,” the Sunset Hill Elementary PE teacher said. “I’m just doing this because I want to be a better human. I want to be a role model for my kids at school.”
With about 100 students joining her for Marathon Club two mornings a week, Dickson has enjoyed sharing a portion of the training process with her students, as well as friends and family.
An avid athlete at Shawnee Mission North High School in the 1980s, Dickson was the Sunflower League champion in the 100-meter under track coach Merlin Gish while also competing in volleyball and tennis. She earned a track scholarship at Baker University and then began a career in education spanning 23 years.
She found her niche in elementary physical education. The challenge to run a marathon originated with professional development colleagues in the Online Physical Education Network (OPEN) curriculum project. She’s an OPEN national trainer.
“It’s been a cool experience for my kids at school because I’ve really shared everything with them,” Dickson said, noting her marathon singlet hangs in her office. “It’s been quite a community event. The district has also gotten involved, so I have several adults who’ve emailed me and said, ‘Thanks for getting me up off the couch. I’m gonna walk or run 2 miles a day to keep up with you.’ It’s been really cool.”
At 51, Dickson said, starting the training process this summer proved difficult, but it eventually grew on her. The added benefits: She lost 15 pounds while living more mindfully about the foods she eats and her fluid intake. She’s leaned on J. Jenkins at Ad Astra Running and friend Kimberly Hawks, Lawrence High School business teacher, for support and advice. In her longest run, she logged 19.4 miles.
“I’ve been following a specific training plan and my goal has just been to finish. It’s probably been the hardest thing I’ve done since childbirth. I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do this,” Dickson said.
With more than 33,000 fellow runners participating in the 50th running of the world’s largest marathon, the start times stagger with Dickson and her OPEN running buddy catching the Staten Island Ferry at 8 am Nov. 7 and enjoying an inspiring view of the Statue of Liberty. At noon, their corral begins a 1-mile run uphill over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and through the five boroughs, finishing at Central Park. The course could take up to eight hours.
Even though it’s a race, Dickson said she won’t hurry. “My time will probably be a lot slower because I’m going to enjoy the crowd. I’m really excited about it. I’m going to be taking a lot of pictures, taking some video and really enjoying the moment.”
Dickson’s also looking forward to the possibility of running more long-distance events with her sister — a school administrator in Olathe Public Schools. Also cheering her on are husband Jeff Dickson, LHS technology and business teacher and girls basketball coach, and their 12-year-old daughter, a middle schooler in Lawrence Public Schools.
Follow Dickson on Twitter under the handle @stephysed. She’ll tweet information on how to track her race progress as race day nears.
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Tricia Masenthin (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at tmasenthin (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
