Moms trained together for N.Y. Marathon

Jennifer Buckley wanted to have 50 marathons under her belt by the time she turned 50 this month.

She’ll have to wait a few more months to achieve that goal, but she’ll have the added bonus of having nine of her closest friends with her when she does.

The 10 Orange County moms recently completed the New York Marathon together, will run the last miles of the Orange County Marathon with her in January, then join Buckley when she completes her 50th marathon in April in Big Sur.

Mary Hayes and Alisha Lange of Corona del Mar, Janina Pietsch, Linda Wirta and Buckley of Newport Coast, Julie Hart of Irvine, Janet Marshall of Newport Beach, and Nancy Fries, Kathryn Gushue and Sian Welch of Orange County, all share a lifelong love of running; they range in age from 38 to 50.

The women met through the Newport Beach-based Cal Coast Track Club and have been running together three times a week for the past two years.

After participating in last year’s Orange County Marathon, the group decided they were ready for New York.

Only about 39,000 entrants can participate in the race, which draws more than 90,000 applicants from around the world, the women said.

There are three ways to secure a spot in the New York Marathon: You can apply through a lottery process, qualify based on race time for a specific age group, or receive a sponsorship.

All 10 women were lucky enough to gain entry, with seven qualifying based on race times that met the marathon’s criteria for their age.

The other three were sponsored by Asics athletic equipment company.

Many entrants apply and are accepted through a lottery, with only a 50% chance of being accepted, and Wirta said most people don’t realize you can qualify for the race.

An official record from a certified race with the time on it needs to be submitted.

“You have to send proof of your race that is verified with the race director,” Wirta said, and you have to be fast, which is why only a small section of people qualify.

The women, who began training in July, always trained together as a group and said they “ran every street in Newport Beach” during that time.

Hart, Wirta, Buckley and Pietsch have run the N.Y. Marathon before, but for the rest, this was their first experience in a race with a tough course, which included lots of bridges and hills.

The women said their friendship, along with the experience of being together in New York was almost secondary to the actual race.

The day before the marathon, the group jogged over to Central Park to watch the Mens’ Olympic trials.

“It was inspiring,” Wirta said.

On race day, the women almost didn’t make it to the ferry, the only transportation available for getting to the course since the main bridge over tot the course was closed.

Once they reached the race site, the group hustled through the streets of New York to get to their starting spots.

Buckley said they weren’t concerned or nervous.

“Everything else had worked out, so we weren’t worried. We used it [the running] as a warm-up.”

In a show of unity they wore matching lime green capes, a gift delivered to their New York hotel from the Cure Duchenne charity, a local group that will also be running in the OC Marathon.

Under blue skies and 50-degree weather, the women took off in pursuit of their goal — making sure everyone crossed the finish line.

All 10 finished within half an hour of each other.

“We all had respectful times and we enjoyed it. It was my easiest marathon. We knew going in we wanted to just have fun, and not push our bodies to the limit trying to get a best time,” Marshall said.

Running together and triumphing over that kind of intense physical endurance crosses over into all areas of your life, Wirta said.

“The spirit of the group runs deep, so even though you’re alone for a good chunk of those 26 miles, those 9 girls are with you every step of the way in your heart, and you’re finishing as much for yourself as you are for them.”

SUE THOENSEN may be reached at (714) 966-4627 or at [email protected].