Meet the Route 66 Marathon Run Ambassadors
We are pleased to announce that Cary Aspinwall and Jason Ashley Wright from the Tulsa World are the Run Ambassadors for the 2010 Williams Route 66 Marathon.
Cary Aspinwall
AGE: 30
DAY JOB: Features writer and Fitness Guinea Pig for the Tulsa World
IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY THE BILLS, YOU'D BE: painting, opening my own pizza restaurant, dog walking.
CURRENT FITNESS ROUTINE: Run a few times a week, walk dogs, yoga videos and lift weights at Hillcrest.
HOW YOU'D RATE YOUR FITNESS LEVEL (on a scale of 1-10): Somewhere between 5 and 7 - I'd love to get my body fat percentage down, but I love carbs too much.
HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN RUNNING: Only since 2007 - late bloomer.
NAME AND DATE OF FIRST RACE: Cinco De Mayo 5k in 2007.
NAME AND DATE OF MOST RECENT RACE: Austin Half Marathon, Feb. 14, 2010
WHAT DRIVES YOU TO RUN: It really, really burns calories and helps me keep the pounds off. I don't have a ton of time for cardio, so I need something efficient.
ULTIMATE FITNESS GOALS: I come from a family of swimmers, so I'm really interested in triathlons (at least the sprint ones!). Sometimes my knees and asthma won't cooperate with my running goals, so a half marathon is a big challenge for me. I love being able to do the 10k distance with ease, and just focus on staying healthy and keeping my current clothing size. Both of my grandfathers died of heart disease, so heart health is very important to me.
ROUTE 66 (half) MARATHON GOAL: To beat my time from Austin, and not get as dehydrated -- I spent the day after my first half marathon feeling sick to my stomach, this time I'm going to be ready to party after.
Follow Cary’s training on her blog.
Jason Ashley Wright
AGE: 29 (for the sixth time)
DAY JOB: Features writer and columnist for the Tulsa World
IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY THE BILLS, YOU'D BE: writing novels and screenplays from my home office, and traveling out of the country once a season.
CURRENT FITNESS ROUTINE: Run three times a week, usually on Riverside, between 3.5 and 5 miles each time.
HOW YOU'D RATE YOUR FITNESS LEVEL (on a scale of 1-10): With 1 being abysmal and 10 being freakin' awesome? A 3.5 or maybe a 4 -- delightfully substandard.
HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN RUNNING: Off and on since August 1999.
NAME AND DATE OF FIRST RACE: Tulsa Run, Oct. 31, 2009.
NAME AND DATE OF MOST RECENT RACE: Tulsa Run, Oct. 31, 2009.
WHAT DRIVES YOU TO RUN: Running is the only exercise I actually enjoy. As I'm prone to depression, running elevates my mood, even helps me focus when my brain won't stop spinning. But, mostly, I run so I won't get fat(ter).
ULTIMATE FITNESS GOALS: I used to fantasize about being on the cover of Men's Health, but I think I've eaten WAAAAY too many pints of Ben & Jerry's Karamel Sutra for that to ever materialize. So my more realistic goal is to become physically fit and, more importantly, STAY THAT WAY! My weight has yo-yo-ed for years, and I've never been able to maintain a weight in a healthy way. But this is the year I'm gonna change that, and this is the race that's going to help me do it. Plus, I intend to run at least one marathon a year from here on out.
ROUTE 66 MARATHON GOAL: This will be my first marathon, so my goal is to finish, period -- preferably alive. Seriously, I don't know what to expect other than training well enough to assure that, at the very least, I'll finish. Ideally, I'd LOVE to finish under four hours, even if it's three hours and 59 minutes. If I can finish even earlier without killing myself or collapsing a lung, though, all the better!
Follow Jason’s training on his blog.
