by Keith L. Martin | Staff Writer
As Erin McGrady runs her first marathon in Frederick on Sunday, she’ll have the support of friends and family - as well as a few hundred sixth-graders.
McGrady, a physical education teacher at Thurmont Middle School, is embarking on her first 26.2-mile race after her students challenged her to enter last fall. As the students performed fitness testing – a combination of sit-ups, chin-ups and running – their complaints about the one-mile run inspired the teacher to inform them about marathons, 26 times the effort they were making.
Then a student asked McGrady if she had ever run a marathon. “I’ve done 10-mile races and 5-kilometer races, but never a marathon,“ McGrady, 28, said. “That started the idea and come January, my training started.“
For the last 18 weeks, with the help of a training program she found in a book, McGrady has trained regularly, taking long runs along the C&O Canal on weekends and even running at Thurmont Middle after school.
Each Monday, she has updated students on her progress, telling them the ups and downs of training.
“I tell the students that this is like studying for a big exam,“ McGrady said. “When you get to the test, you either do well or you don’t because of your preparation. With a marathon, there is no way to cut corners ... or it will be painful ... The goal is to finish.“
McGrady will be among an expected 1,200 runners in the sixth annual marathon, drawing runners from across the country and the globe to test their mettle on Frederick’s streets. According to race sponsor Corrigan Sports Enterprises, this year’s registration for the marathon, half-marathon, 5K and kids’ “fun run“ is up 85 percent from last year, a testament to its growing popularity.
This year, the races have a new start⁄finish location - the Great Frederick Fair grounds- and a new course. Having already toured the course, McGrady is dreading hills in the Spring Ridge area. But she wants students to know that anything can be achieved if you put in the time and the effort.
“You set a goal and work hard towards it,“ she said. “... I want to come in on Monday [after the race] and tell them I did it and show them my medal.“
McGrady, who also coaches varsity field hockey at Walkersville High School, said she is always up for a challenge, whether in the gym with energetic students, on the field with her team, or in life in general.
Thurmont Middle’s principal, Barbara Keiling, said that is one of the characteristics she admires about her teacher of two years.
“She is always challenging students to meet and beat their personal best,“ Keiling said. “To me, that is healthier, to compete with themselves, especially at this age ... She is great at building relationships with our kids.“
Keiling said that McGrady is an ideal role model for the middle-schoolers because she “walks the walk and talks the talk,“ proven by her taking on the marathon to show herself and students that anything is possible.
“I think it’s neat that she’s running because she always encourages us to do things like that,“ Joy Julian, 11, said about her teacher.
Marathon by the numbers
Source: Corrigan Sports Enterprises
