This article originally appeared in the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of Marathon & Beyond. Enjoy.
Going For It
Connie was going for it. She had been on pace (about ten minutes per mile) for nearly the entire event, the 2007 Ultracentric 24-Hour US Championship in Grapevine, Texas. The conditions were certainly not conducive to a record; the daytime temperatures had been in the 80s, and there was considerable humidity. Yet she definitely had a shot. We’re talking about a shot at the American Women’s 24-hour record of 145.28 miles by Sue Ellen Trapp 14 years earlier.
For the final two frenetic hours, time seemed to stand still as she ground out mile after mile at the required pace. For the final 45 minutes, runners were moved off the 2-mile course and onto a ¼ mile course so that their distance could be monitored more closely. Then Connie heard the words she was so desperate for. Those wonderful words she heard from race officials, including the race director, was something to the effect that "You've made it - you have the record!" “I was completely exhausted, and almost completely out of time. I immediately stopped and collapsed,” she said. There had been only minutes to spare. But that's not the end of the story.
Gardner was happy not only to have the record but also because she could surely use that $4,000 bonus check, on top of the $4,000 she'd get for the win. But here is the rest of the story. Race officials re-measured the course and determined that it was shorter than they had originally thought. Now Connie was informed that she had run 145.26 miles - about 40 meters short of the record. The record would now stand a while longer. She wasn’t pleased.
The Ultracentric race capped off an excellent 2007 year for Gardner. In the months leading up to the event, she had won the Mohican Trail 100 Mile Run, the Buckeye Trail 50k, and the Javelina Jundred 100-mile run. She also won her age group at the Akron Marathon as well as several other events.
The “year” in the life of Connie Gardner referenced by the title of this article is 2008, but we just had to include at least this run that happened to be at the end of 2007. The year 2008 was also an extraordinary one for marathon and ultra-marathon running. Slight correction: ordinary by Connie’s; extraordinary by almost any other human standards. Besides the Ultrcentric race and the ones that followed for the next 13 months, we’ll also take a look at how Connie got to this point of being one of America’s top ultra runners, and also a bit about what makes her tick.
The most fascinating aspect of Gardner’s life and times has been her struggle. After a decade at or near the top of the ultra running world, she is still as competitive as ever. And yet, making ends meet continues to be a major effort. Regardless, it’s a safe bet that she’d be doing this even if it weren’t for the money. But the money helps.
For over 35 years, top runners at shorter distances, up to and including the marathon, have been able to make a living through their sport. With perhaps only one or two notable exceptions, this has not been the case with ultra running. No, Connie isn’t poor, but she’s also not able to rest on her laurels.
In more than a decade of competitive running, Connie Gardner has had many such running experiences, great, good, and a few not-so-wonderful ones. During this illustrious career, Connie has been:
• National 100 Mile Trail Champion
• National 100 Mile Road Champion
• National 100K Champion
• National 24-hour Champion
• USATF Ultra-Runner of the Year
• Member of multiple USA National Ultra Teams
• Winner of Many other Ultra Races
Some Early 2008 Marathons
On January 5, 2008, Gardner ran the competitive and hilly Mississippi Blues Marathon. With a time of 3:15, she placed 6th among women and was the first master.
A month later, she traveled to Jacksonville Beach, Florida to run the “26.2 with Donna: The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer” Marathon. This time she ran a minute faster at 3:14 but was only the second master. Bummer.
Only a couple weeks later, on March 1, Gardner ran the Snickers Marathon Energy Bar Marathon in Albany, Georgia. With an excellent time of 3:05, she won the masters division.
That same month, Gardner drove to southwestern Ohio to run the small, but well-regarded Ohio River Road Runners Club Marathon. Although the weather was nice, Gardner ran a bit slower than she did for her previous efforts. In spite of this, she won the overall female division with a 3:17.
There would be one more spring marathon for our prolific subject: the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon on May 18. This, along with Akron, is Gardner’s hometown race, and she ran well: 3:09 to finish as the second female and first female master.
Run for the Money
“Taxes were coming due, and I needed some money.” On April 12th 2008 Gardner competed in the Mad City 100k. She needed to place well in order to garner that prize money, and she did; she finished second in a time of 8:52:07. “So I did manage to get those taxes paid for the year,” said Connie. Whew.
Yes, Gardner will run for money. She will do this even in cases where she knows she won’t be at her best. This is often the case for road races, including marathons. Although definitely more oriented towards trails rather than roads, and to ultra distances rather than marathons, Gardner often finds herself competing for marathon prize money. This is not to say that she doesn’t love to run in general. If necessary, she would do it for free for sure. But it’s interesting how much a person will go through to make a living. Not to mention running for road prize money to support a trail ultra habit.
Like many of us, Gardner juggles her running life with her personal one. Hers may be a bit more hectic than some of ours, however. Most days are spent working in a running specialty store in the morning and early afternoon, followed by her work as a cross country and track coach at a nearby high school. The cross country and track coaching don’t end there, as she also coaches some individual runners from various high schools. Gardner also works part-time at a community swimming pool. Somewhere in there, she finds time to run. This time to run may occur once, twice or three times per day for up to 100 miles per week. But please excuse Connie if she happens to be late for a run or for work; there’s just a lot going on. Oh yes, and one other thing: as a single parent she raises her two teenage daughters, Abby and Gwen.
She admits to being like a fish out of water in at least one area of motherhood: shopping with Gwen for a homecoming dance dress. “Had this been shopping for swimming or running equipment, or simply going out for a run or swim with my daughter, everything would have been just fine.” In this instance, she did her best, but was clearly out of her element. “I managed,” she said, “but that was enough of that.”
Gardner is stunned when she reads a paper Gwen wrote for a high school assignment. It extols her mother’s success and dedication to her sport. This extends back to Connie’s high school years where, unable to compete in any available sports, she worked to create a new cross country team. Although she was one of the slowest on the team, she simply worked hard and kept running. And this work ethic, of course, led to her eventual success at longer distances. “Connie John Gardner has proved to me that hard work is bound to pay off.” Ironically, Connie’s role as a mother of her two girls is the aspect her daughter admires most. “Connie John Gardner is the strongest person I’ve ever met, and I can only hope to be as good of a person as she has become.” She hadn’t thought that her accomplishments ever appeared on her kids’ radar screens, and was flattered to be considered a role model. “I was flabbergasted when I read it,” she says.
The State of Northeast Ohio Ultra Running
On June 21, 2008, Gardner returned to Mohican to run the 100-mile race that kicked off her extraordinary ultra career. It’s a tough one, but she finished in 19:22 – 14 minutes better than the first time, and like the first time, was the first female finisher.
After dabbling in some road races, including a few marathons, Connie Gardner had begun her ultra career in earnest with the Mohican Trail 100-mile run in 2001. She won the race with a time of 19:36. She was a bit disappointed that two men finished ahead of her. “I wanted to be the first overall. I wasn’t satisfied to be only the first female,” she says. Over the next few years she continued road racing, but also continued her success at trail ultras. She recorded wins at the USA 100 Mile Road Championship at Olander Park, JFK 50-Mile (twice), Umstead 100-mile endurance run, Groundhog Fall 50K, Buckeye Trail 50k, Toronto 100k, Sunmart Texas Trail Endurance Run 50-mile (twice).
Northeast Ohio is blessed with more than its share of excellent trail and ultra runners. Mark Godale, Steve Godale, Kam Lee, Bob Pokorny, Tim Clement, among others have all won major events. Mark owns the American male 24-hour record. On Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings Gardner often runs with these folks on the trails in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. She also often leads Tuesday evening speedwork, featuring a variety of runners at a local middle school. Unfortunately, Connie’s most consistent training partner, Kim Martin, has recently relocated to Minnesota.
At the Second Sole of Medina running specialty store, Connie is extremely well regarded as the running authority of the area. She will gladly give valuable advice of all kinds to high school track and cross country kids, novice adult runners, walkers, experienced marathoners as well as fellow ultra runners. She is just as comfortable discussing the experiences of others as she is her own. In the process, she will also sell a pair of shoes or two.
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| At the running specialty shop |
Burning River and Other Racing
At the 2008 Burning River 100 Mile race Gardner was going for it once again. This time there was no American Record or prize money; just (hopefully) the satisfaction of winning this grueling race outright. She had started conservatively and gradually moved up until, late in the race found herself in second place. Only one runner, Tim Clement, was between her and this goal of winning outright. Tim was now between 20 and 40 minutes ahead, but Connie was running well and thought she'd have a shot. This was the point where, on the darkening trails, she saw some markers indicating that the race was to proceed in the opposite direction. Connie now knew what had gone wrong. Miles earlier she had emerged from one trail to another and was a bit confused about which way to go – left or right. She had picked the direction that she thought was right, but now found herself going the wrong way around the almost circular route. She could have simply completed this portion and moved on, perhaps not losing any time or ground. And late in the race, this surely was tempting. But Gardner knew the right thing to do: return to the point where she'd gone off course and continue from there. By doing the right thing, Gardner still won the women's division, but was second to Clement in the overall finish. Most runners would be thrilled to be the first of their gender and not even give the overall placement a second thought. And most runners in Connie's situation may not have done the right thing to complete all of the course. For another runner’s view of the previous year’s Burning River Race, see My Most Unforgettable Ultramarathon (And What I Learned From It) by Wyatt Hornsby, Marathon & Beyond, July/August 2008.
On Saturday, September 27, 2008, Gardner competed in and won by a few seconds the female masters division of the Akron Marathon. Her time was 3:13. Immediately after accepting her award, which included some amount of cash, she went to her team’s cross country meet, managing to catch the tail-end of it. That evening it was into the car and off to Moline, Illinois. That’s a seven-hour drive. Sunday morning she was to run the Quad Cities Marathon and once again compete for master’s prize money. She won the category at this race too, in 3:19. “I thought these back-to-back marathons would be good training for the upcoming ultra world championships,” she said.
A few shorter races also popped up on the calendar throughout the year. Most notable was the Youngstown Peace Race 10K on October 12. Gardner was the second master with a time of 39:58. “I had never broken 40 minutes for a 10K before,” she said.
World Championships
Gardner had been on US National teams in the past, and for 2008 she had been chosen to be a member of both the National 24-hour and 100k teams.
She had high hopes of placing well at the World Championship 24-hour run in Seoul, Korea on October 20, 2008. Despite the extreme heat, humidity, air pollution; despite the crowded, difficult c-shaped course; despite the mostly concrete surface, she was doing quite well for the first 12 of the 24 hours. It was the blister that got her. Blisters befall many an ultra effort, but Gardner generally doesn’t fall prey to them. She did fall prey this time, however. At 14 hours and 88 miles, she stopped for medical attention with the intention of having the blister lanced and returning to the competition. Her second toe had swollen to well over twice its normal size, but the lancing didn’t hurt too much. It was when the medical person pressed down on her toenail that she felt such intense pain that she immediately vomited. This race was over for her. “If it had only been the concrete surface, the pollution, the heat, or even the blister, I could have made it,” she said. “But all these things together conspired against me. It was just too much.”
After this team race came another: the Ultramaratona degli Etruschi / International Athletics Union (IAU) 100 km World Cup in Tarquinia, Italy on November 8, 2008. Here Gardner gained some measure of redemption after that 24-hour race. “The team’s plan was for some of the runners to ‘go for it’, and for me to run a steady pace,” said Gardner. Running that steady pace as planned, she finished in 29th place among all women and was the fourth American. The USA Women did great to finish second overall.
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| Meghan Arborgast, Connie Gardner, Carolyn Smith at World 100K |
JFK
To finish off the year, Gardner decided to travel to Maryland to run the JFK 50 Mile on November 22 JFK is one of the country’s oldest, largest, and most prestigious ultras. It was a last-minute decision, and the race had been filled to capacity much earlier. But past winners are allowed to register at any time, and Connie had won the race twice, in 2002 and 2004. She had also finished second and third on other occasions.
In 2008, having just turned 45, Gardner took the lead early during the hilly and technical Appalachian Trail portion of the race. “This was my plan; there were some fast runners behind, including a 2:40 marathoner,” she said. “ I thought I’d better run fast while I have the advantage on the trail.” By the time she hit the towpath (mile 16 or so), she had a 20-minute lead. She ran a steady pace, despite the wind, cold, and mud. Losing only a few minutes, she held that lead for the entire 26-mile towpath section, and also on the final road section. She won with a time of 7:15, only 4 minutes slower than her previous fastest time there. What a great way to polish off the year!
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| JFK |
So what does make Connie tick? Yes, she definitely is blessed with those slow-twitch muscle fibers, but she also definitely works at it. The hard work is the thing. Other than that, to answer the question more directly, it sure beats the heck out of us.
To be sure, 2008 was quite a year. And it will only serve as prolog for 2009. Sound familiar?
a Few of Connie Gardner’s Major Ultra running awards and accomplishments
• Mohican Trail 100-mile; female champion 2001, 2007, 2008
• Kentucky 50-mile; female champion 2001
• Buckeye Trail 50K; female champion 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007; course
record 2006
• JFK 50-mile ultramarathon; female champion 2002, 2004, 2008
• Sunmart Texas Trail 50-Mile; female champion 2002, 2004
• Western States 100-mile; top 10 finisher 2002, 2003, 2004
• Umstead 100-mile trail; female champion 2002, 2006; female champion
and course record 2005
• Umstead 50-mile trail; female champion 2003
• 100K USATF national champion 2003
• 100-mile USATF national champion 2003, 2004
• USATF national team member: World Cup 2003, 2006, 2008
• Named USA Track and Field Ultrarunner of the Year 2003
• Named in most interesting people, Cleveland Magazine, 2003
• Chicago Lakefront 52-mile; female champion 2004
• Groundhog Fall 50K; female champion 2005; female champion and
course record 2006
• Rocky Raccoon 100-Mile Trail Championship; female champion
2006
• Toronto 100 K/Canadian National Championship; female champion
and course record 2006
• Laurel Highlands 70-mile; female champion 2006
• Hocking Hills 60K; female champion and course record 2006
• Ultracentric 24-Hour national championship; third female 2006; female
champion 2007
• 100K World Championship; participant 2003, 8:15 PR; 2007, 2008
• Javelina Jundred 100-mile; female champion 2007
• Mad City 100K national championship; second female 2008
• Burning River 100-mile; female champion 2008
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