Nicole Pergar, a Seton Hill University (SHU) junior, had wanted to run a marathon for a long time, but never really looked into the possibility of doing so until she received a brochure in the mail last January.
Though Pergar had previously run in the 5k (3.1 mile) Race for The Cure in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to benefit breast cancer awareness, she knew that a marathon would be a completely different experience.
By Leslie Rodriguez,
Sports Editor
Nicole Pergar, a Seton Hill University (SHU) junior, had wanted to run a marathon for a long time, but never really looked into the possibility of doing so until she received a brochure in the mail last January.
Though Pergar had previously run in the 5k (3.1 mile) Race for The Cure in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to benefit breast cancer awareness, she knew that a marathon would be a completely different experience.
�I wanted to challenge myself in this race to see if I could complete a whole marathon (26.2 miles) and also to raise awareness for a worthy cause,� said Pergar.
Pergar began training rigorously for the marathon in late January at SHU’s McKenna Center.
One day while completing her usual work out routine, Pergar casually struck up a conversation with Darcy Wood, a junior, and mentioned the idea of Wood running in the marathon as well.
Wood was attracted to the idea of participating in the race and soon began training with Pergar.
�I admit that I was skeptical at first mainly because Nicky and I weren’teven friends at the time. Then she went on to tell me that it was in Hawaii and what cause it was for and it was basically a done deal
after that,� said Wood.
Sean Garrity and Andrew Kirsch, also juniors, joined up with Pergar and Wood to make the SHU marathon team complete.
Each of the participants had their individual reasons for running, but the fundraising goal for each person remained consistent at $4,900.
This goal resulted in the team raising a total of $19,600.
�It became very personal race for me when my grandfather passed away about 10 days before I was scheduled to leave. Thinking of my grandfather while I was running inspired me to keep going when I thought that I could go no further,� said Garrity.
The team trained for a total of six months in preparation for the big race, and ran about 16 miles five days a week. The marathon was held in Kona, Hawaii, also known as �The Big Island,� and benefited the American Stroke Association, a branch of the American Heart Association.
The SHU team competed in the age 20-24 division which was then broken down into groups of males and females.
Both Pergar and Garrity finished first in their groups and Wood finished seventh.
According to Wood, running the marathon was a very rewarding experience.
�Seriously, it was the greatest feeling of accomplishment that I have ever felt in my life. Knowing that we were running for people who physically couldn’tbecause of strokes, made us work that much harder, and the payoff was that much sweeter,� said Wood.
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