the final trail loop.
among the runners who will be glad to reach the road is jennifer russo.
at 57 she is the oldest participant in this year’s championship….
.
and she is the epitome of an athlete
especially the backyard athlete.
during the team championships she really struggled on the big trail.
i knew when she came back she would be prepared.
and she was.
her trail loops were improved by several minutes a yard
and she came in looking perfectly under control.
.
this is how the great ones respond to a weakness.
they improve it.
it is easy to practice what you are good at
but it takes courage to practice where you have struggled
and determination to make yourself better…
.
but that is who jennifer is.
she wanted to reach the world championship
and she laid out a path to get there.
.
how easy would it be to say;
“i will be 57. i am too old to play in this game”
but that was not what she did.
she laid out a plan to qualify
and she made it happen.
.
now is there any chance she wins?
of course not.
she is still in there against 73 younger, stronger runners.
but i dont think i would make my living by trying to predict what jennifer russo could do.
because right now she is not a 57 year old mother of three,
she is one of the best backyard runners in the world
competing for a world championship….
.
and she is my hero.
can i add one more favorite?