NHS runners complete marathon
Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
A dedicated group of Newcastle High School runners set out to run 26 miles in 26 hours, using their newly added free time to accomplish something that would have been
difficult to nearly impossible before the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools nationwide.
Senior Hailey McGuire proposed the venture, almost jokingly, in
the group chat the runners use to communicate.
“Max (Makousky) said Friday, and I thought okay we are actually going to do it. We set up a time, and our plan was to run 26 miles in 26 hours, a mile every hour,” McGuire said, noting that in the end she accomplished 22 miles in 12 hours.
Her younger classmates took the challenge by the horns and camped out at the Newcastle High School track to complete the run. Sophomores Avery Chick, Carson Bock and Makousky completed the run in the allotted time, although they admit that they threw the time schedule out the window.
“The mile every hour went out the window. The loops we were doing were more than a mile, so we broke it up and modified the plan, depending on how far we were running,” Chick said. “We brought snacks for when we were not running, and we chilled out in the tent.”
Other runners joined the group off and on, running beside them, riding their bikes, or just encouraging the runners to continue. Sophomore Tristan Troftgruben said that he was bummed that he didn’t get to run with the group because of an injury but that he was glad he was able to join them for 35 of the miles on a bike.
“I think it was good to get going and be out exercising, not just staying in the house doing nothing,” Troftgruben said.
The entire group said that the experience brought them closer together and really unified them as a team before McGuire leaves for college.
“This whole thing wouldn’t have happened if school didn’t close, and it is something I never thought I could do. This was the time to do it, and it was a great experience,” McGuire said. “It is hard being a senior right now. You never thought that would be your last time in the school halls or at practice. It just happened so fast. This experience brought me back to when we had a team, and it was really nice. It made up for it in a way. This is an experience I will never forget. I am proud of myself for doing it and never would have been able to without my team.”
Makousky said that the best part of the experience wasn’t in completing the daunting run but in having the ability to spend time with his friends during these days of social distancing and no organized sports.
“It kind of counts as social distancing,” Chick said with a chuckle. “We were running at different paces.”
Throughout the experience, the group agreed that the support of not only their coach and parents but also the community kept them going.
According to Chick, several different runners, including Homer Hastings, joined in supporting the young runners and their coach, Kathy Beehler, joined them for part of the run. Parents made sure the runners were adequately fed and hydrated. They also took pictures and video to document the achievement.
“I was just so proud of them, that they could be independent and do this on their own,” Beehler said with tears in her eyes. “People go all their lives running without running a marathon, and they were focused on a bigger goal and each other. They understood the importance of following the rules of social distancing and wanted to find a creative way to bond.”
According to Beehler, the pride she felt in her runners challenging themselves and looking toward state in the coming years was immense and she made sure to tell anyone she saw. Makousky credited Beehler for the group having the confidence to attempt such a daring run.
“We couldn’t have done it without her. She helped us so much,” Makousky said.
Overall, all the runners said they wouldn’t have changed the experience in any way, although their legs were sore for days.
“It was just a really good experience and any cross-country race will be easier compared to what we did,” McGuire said.