Field of Dreams

My grandson, Greg Darrell Alleman, received a scholarship in cross country running and track from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. There he met Ann Tank who also was at Platteville on a cross country and track scholarship. They both are dedicated runners. They were married after graduating.

Greg is a math teacher and coach at Lancaster High School about 20 miles north of Platteville. Ann is a physical education teacher and coach at Dodgeville, Wis., 20 miles east of Platteville. They recently ran in the 119th running of the Boston Marathon at the official starting point in Hopkinton, Mass.

They decided to run there to test their physical and mental fortitude because they both have always had an attraction to running in the Boston Marathon. Running the 26.2 mile Boston Marathon is a challenge for serious runners only.

Greg ran track and cross country at Putnam County High School. Ann ran track and cross country for Dodgeville/Mineral Point High School. In high school, Ann helped her school program to win two division titles and, with University Pioneers at Platteville, she became a nine-time All-American.

Neither had run a marathon before last summer, although the idea of running at Boston had always been on Ann’s mind since watching her mother run the race in 2003. To run in the Boston Marathon, runners must first meet the qualifying standard at a certified feeder marathon. To qualify, Greg and Ann decided to run in the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn., on June 20, 2014. Ann finished the race in a time of 3:13.43, well below the 3:35 qualifying time for the Boston Marathon. Greg came in at 3:03.38, less than two minutes under his qualifying time of 3:05.

With their acceptance into the Boston Marathon secured, Greg and Ann began a rigorous 18-week training program using the hilly terrain around Lancaster. They started off with lower mileage runs and worked their way up to running as much as 20 miles on a given day. They logged in an average of 65 miles a week. That meant getting up at 4 a.m. every morning before school, even in the cold dark during the winter.

Greg said he finds it “a lot harder to run without a goal.” Ann said running the Boston Marathon was easier than she thought it would be. Greg said it was definitely challenging, but it was easier than his first marathon.

Greg ran the Boston Marathon in a time of 2:52.32, finishing 950th out of 5,047 runners in the 18 to 39 year-old men’s division. Ann finished the race in a time of 3:12.20 and placed 445th of 6,145 runners in the 18-39 year-old women’s division.

“There is really nothing like it,” said Ann. “The weather was not ideal at all. It was rainy, windy and cold, but the crowds came out and cheered at every mile.”

Greg said he had heard a lot about this race, but it is a way different experience firsthand.

“It was very motivating and challenging, which is what drew us to it,” he said.

There was a total of 30,000 runners in this year’s marathon. To say the least I am so proud of Greg and Ann.

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This is an Irish blessing: “May God grant you always a sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you, a sheltering angel so nothing can harm you. Laughter to cheer you. Faithful friends near you. And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you.

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Thank you for reading.

Darrell Alleman can be reached at news@putnamcountyrecord.com.