thedrifter
04-27-08, 07:04 AM
Ultramarathoner has miles to go, 494 of them
Sunday, April 27, 2008
BY EVONNE COUTROS
STAFF WRITER
RIDGEWOOD — The near loss of two toenails, a bruised foot, a stomach virus and a foot rash did not stop ultramarathon runner Jody-Lynn Reicher from trying to reach her goal of finishing a 494-mile solo run this week from Port Jervis, N.Y., to Cape May and back to help injured U.S. Marines.
Reicher, 45, a former Marine corporal from Midland Park, said she "sucked up" a lot of her ailments — especially a stomach virus — to raise $15,000 to $20,000 for several charities, including the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund in California, which assists the wounded and their families by providing financial and other perpetuating needs.
"I was also having an issue with one of my $14 socks," Reicher said Saturday at a Bergen County park in Ridgewood, where she attended a morning picnic in her honor with fellow members of the Saddle River Detachment of the Marine Corps League.
"I thought it was actually my foot ... but I got an old pair [of socks] on, and that worked. I managed to salvage my toes. Right now, I feel like I could use a little massage, but I'll get one when I get back to the spot I started."
Reicher, was cheered by family, friends and members of the Lakeland Detachment of the Marine Corps League, which attended the picnic. After a brief ceremony, Reicher — who began the run on April 21 — was driven back to Chesterfield in Burlington County to continue the return leg of the run to Port Jervis.
Reicher ran 97.8 miles Monday and completed another 65 by Tuesday. She tacked on another 70 miles on Wednesday and reached Cape May early Thursday morning, taking power naps and walking when she reached her physical limits. By Friday, Reicher was back on the road, running north about 78 miles, with a group of U.S. Marines serving as a support crew.
"I live on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, soup and saltines," said the 5-foot-3-inch Reicher, who said she weighed 109 pounds when she left Port Jervis. "I must weigh less by now. My goal is to just get it done for the charities involved."
By Saturday, Reicher had completed about 334.5 miles. By the time she reaches Port Jervis, the trek will have been her longest.
"It was only 212.8 [miles] going down but a lot more coming back up, because I wanted to include going through Trenton, Passaic and Paterson," Reicher said. "I'm doing this because it's very unique. ... When you do something like this, it will eventually bring attention to the charities that I'm involved with."
Michael Apricena is a former Marine and pal of Reicher, who served from 1980 to 1986.
"One of the U.S. Marine mottos is that Marines never leave anyone behind," said Apricena, the paymaster with the Saddle River Detachment of the Marine Corps League. "World War II, Korea, Vietnam ... no matter how fierce the fighting, we always take out our dead and wounded. We carry on that tradition and mission for these young Marines coming from Iraq and other places where they are in harm's way and get wounded."
Reicher and her husband of 24 years, Norman, are the parents of two adopted girls from China, ages 5 and 3, and hope to adopt a third child in coming months. A massage therapist, Reicher has been running since 1976 and has completed more than 40 marathons and 35 ultramarathons. She began competing in ultramarathons in March 2001 and placed second at the 2001 U.S. National 24-hour Championships and third in the 2004 U.S. National 50-mile Road Championships. She won five of the 10 ultramarathons she entered in 2004.
"This is the most I've trained since 1991," she said. "It was about 20 hours a week for 20 weeks. It is certainly worth it."
E-mail: coutros@northjersey.com
Ellie
Sunday, April 27, 2008
BY EVONNE COUTROS
STAFF WRITER
RIDGEWOOD — The near loss of two toenails, a bruised foot, a stomach virus and a foot rash did not stop ultramarathon runner Jody-Lynn Reicher from trying to reach her goal of finishing a 494-mile solo run this week from Port Jervis, N.Y., to Cape May and back to help injured U.S. Marines.
Reicher, 45, a former Marine corporal from Midland Park, said she "sucked up" a lot of her ailments — especially a stomach virus — to raise $15,000 to $20,000 for several charities, including the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund in California, which assists the wounded and their families by providing financial and other perpetuating needs.
"I was also having an issue with one of my $14 socks," Reicher said Saturday at a Bergen County park in Ridgewood, where she attended a morning picnic in her honor with fellow members of the Saddle River Detachment of the Marine Corps League.
"I thought it was actually my foot ... but I got an old pair [of socks] on, and that worked. I managed to salvage my toes. Right now, I feel like I could use a little massage, but I'll get one when I get back to the spot I started."
Reicher, was cheered by family, friends and members of the Lakeland Detachment of the Marine Corps League, which attended the picnic. After a brief ceremony, Reicher — who began the run on April 21 — was driven back to Chesterfield in Burlington County to continue the return leg of the run to Port Jervis.
Reicher ran 97.8 miles Monday and completed another 65 by Tuesday. She tacked on another 70 miles on Wednesday and reached Cape May early Thursday morning, taking power naps and walking when she reached her physical limits. By Friday, Reicher was back on the road, running north about 78 miles, with a group of U.S. Marines serving as a support crew.
"I live on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, apples, soup and saltines," said the 5-foot-3-inch Reicher, who said she weighed 109 pounds when she left Port Jervis. "I must weigh less by now. My goal is to just get it done for the charities involved."
By Saturday, Reicher had completed about 334.5 miles. By the time she reaches Port Jervis, the trek will have been her longest.
"It was only 212.8 [miles] going down but a lot more coming back up, because I wanted to include going through Trenton, Passaic and Paterson," Reicher said. "I'm doing this because it's very unique. ... When you do something like this, it will eventually bring attention to the charities that I'm involved with."
Michael Apricena is a former Marine and pal of Reicher, who served from 1980 to 1986.
"One of the U.S. Marine mottos is that Marines never leave anyone behind," said Apricena, the paymaster with the Saddle River Detachment of the Marine Corps League. "World War II, Korea, Vietnam ... no matter how fierce the fighting, we always take out our dead and wounded. We carry on that tradition and mission for these young Marines coming from Iraq and other places where they are in harm's way and get wounded."
Reicher and her husband of 24 years, Norman, are the parents of two adopted girls from China, ages 5 and 3, and hope to adopt a third child in coming months. A massage therapist, Reicher has been running since 1976 and has completed more than 40 marathons and 35 ultramarathons. She began competing in ultramarathons in March 2001 and placed second at the 2001 U.S. National 24-hour Championships and third in the 2004 U.S. National 50-mile Road Championships. She won five of the 10 ultramarathons she entered in 2004.
"This is the most I've trained since 1991," she said. "It was about 20 hours a week for 20 weeks. It is certainly worth it."
E-mail: coutros@northjersey.com
Ellie