Six Chelsea Teenagers: 200 Miles on Foot!

 

Two hundred miles after the start line, this team of six Chelsea High School runners and their two trainers linked arms for an ecstatic approach to the finish line of the Green Mountain Relay Race in June. From left are Charley Mao (17), Jasmine Braman (13), Andrew Richardson (17), Jodi Emerson (17), Robyn Kennedy (16), Donald Wilcox (Trainer), Michelle Smith (Assistant Trainer), Samantha Bonasera (17). (Photo provided)

By Andrew Richardson

It was May 26, the day after the Burlington City Marathon. My exchange student "brother" from China, Michong "Charley" Mao, his trainer Donny Wilcox, my dad, and I stood in the yard reliving the experience.

The final 12.5 miles were difficult for Charley as he was plagued with muscle cramps in his calves. I ran and walked (in my basketball sneakers) those final 12 miles with him, determined that he would finish.

There we were, "The Day After," when Charley says, "Hey Donny, we should get together and run more before I leave to go home to China."

This is when Donny informs us, with a sly chuckle, "You know, there’s this thing called the Green Mountain Relay if you are interested. It’s a mere 200-mile, 36-leg relay covering the length of Vermont. And by the way, it’s less than four weeks away." I think his suggestion was meant more as a joke than a reality.

When Charley gets something in his head, he’s like a dog with a bone. He just won’t let it go. He jumped at the opportunity. Despite my reservations (I’ve never been big on the sport of running), I thought that this would be a great send-off for my brother as he was due to return home to China the week after the relay.

Charley and I recruited the runners – none with any real formal training – but great friends. Samantha (Sam-bon), Robyn (Rob), Jodi (Yoda), and Jasmine (Jaz) were on board and ready ... all of us thinking, "how tough can this be … run between five and nine miles, sleep for a few hours, and then do it again—easy enough!"

We named our relay team "Team Cox" in honor of our trainer, mentor, and good friend Donny Wilcox (He’s the old guy you see running through Chelsea and standing upside down on one hand doing pushups— you know who we mean–62 years old and crazy as ever.) We left it up to Charley to decide in which category we would be registered.

BIG MISTAKE! He registered Team Cox as the first ever 6x6 Ultra High School Team. Charley knew exactly what he was doing, but for the rest of us, ignorance was bliss. While most of the other teams had 12 runners to share the 36 legs, we were but six high school kids, running 200 miles, and we had to run in the same order that we started— there would be no swapping legs if one of our teammates felt that he or she just couldn’t run their lap.

Donny spent countless hours reviewing the leg maps to determine the best possible running order for our ages and varying abilities. Charley, our most seasoned runner, was chosen to be Runner 5 and would endure the most difficult legs. Little did we know that as time passed, those legs classified as "easy" were as difficult as those classified as "very hard."

Resources

We had some great resources. Robyn works part-time for Dr. Robert Rinaldi, DPM, a board-certified podiatrist and podiatric surgeon as well as a former nationally ranked long distance runner.

Dr. Rinaldi spent time with us explaining all of the "what ifs" from the perspective of both runner and medical professional. We had pages of information to absorb that ranged from dehydration to the right foods to eat and when to eat them. We also recruited my parents, Mark and Sherri Richardson. They helped with our fundraising efforts, purchased the necessary gear, and secured relay vans for our transportation. They and Jaz’s mom, Laurie Braman, became our van drivers, nurses, cheerleaders, and, of course, nagging parents: "Drink your water with a tea spoon … don’t eat that now … eat a banana … you really need to sleep …"

And lastly, we recruited Jaz’s sister, Michelle, to be a running buddy for the girls during the nighttime runs. Both Michelle and Donny proved to be so much more than running buddies – both ran between 40 and 50 miles of the relay just to keep our spirits up and help us to realize our goal.

Saturday, June 21, came more quickly than any of us had ever expected. But we were "ready." Our starting runner, Jaz (age 13), was a ball of nerves. We left our house at 4:30 a.m. to get to Jeffersonville for the 6:30 a.m. start. We each finished our first legs all smiles and cheers and slightly ahead of our anticipated running times. We felt GREAT!

Running times became slower as we moved through the course. We all endured physical, mental and emotional obstacles at different points. Jodi twisted her ankle during one of her middle-of-the-night runs. Donny was about to call for a van pickup, but Jodi was adamant, "No—I will finish my leg. We will finish this relay." And she did.

At the end of her leg, Jodi and a couple of other runners were transported by Donny’s son, Russell, to a motel about 30 miles away for medical treatment, showers, and much needed rest. Sam and Jaz both ran in torrential downpours. Jaz even made it through golf-ball sized hail stones.

Oh, Mom!

Then the thunder clapped and lightning bolts zig zagged from cloud to ground. My mother insisted that we suspend the race for the safety of us kids ... nag, nag, nag. We were so angry at her—she just worries too much. Even, Robyn, normally a very mild mannered, well-spoken, respectful 16-year-old, had some colorful things to say about the suspension. But we had no choice; mom had the final say on this one. We waited out the storm for about 20 minutes and then continued the course.

By the time we reached our final relay legs, our bodies were physically wrecked. We each felt so alone. Not even your fellow teammates could help you get through your last leg because they were either prepping for or recovering from theirs. The only thing we had left was our minds and even they were playing games with us. We pushed forward, however, focusing on the obstacle ahead and overcoming each challenge any way possible.

Despite our thoughts that this hell would never end, Team Cox finished the Green Mountain Relay on Sunday, June 22, within the required relay time.

Sam, being Runner 6, was the runner for our final leg. We all stumbled out of the vans with approximately two miles left in that final push to the finish line. We ran some, we walked some. We laughed, we joked, we complained.

When we rounded the corner and saw the finish line ahead, Team Cox along with Donny and Michelle, formed a horizontal line, linked arms, and broke through the yellow ribbon together.

We hugged, we laughed some more, and we cried together. We sat on a lawn in Bennington, eating hotdogs and hamburgers and swigging Coke as though we had all just been rescued from a desert island. We then piled back into the suddenly very silent vans, in our seas of private thoughts until our tired, nearly lifeless bodies slumped into a deep sleep for the two-hour drive home.

It’s Monday, June 23, "The Day After." Team Cox and their families gathered at my home for a celebratory pizza party. As we looked at pictures and relived the weekend together, we said … "Donny, let’s do it again next year!"

Donny scratched his head beneath his well-worn bandana, smoothed his long gray beard, and he grinned with satisfaction and deep pride.