- November 23, 2024
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It was pitch black around 3 a.m. in the mountains of North Carolina. The road was dark, and Dawn Lisenby, a Palm Coast runner, couldn’t see a thing.
No, Lisenby wasn’t escaping anything. Instead, she was running recreationally. Repeat: recreationally.
Cellini and five other women competed last month in the Blue Ridge Relays, a 208-mile relay run that begins in Grayson County, Va., and ends in Asheville, N.C.
The team was put together by Lisenby, founder and coach of the Flagler Track Club.
Teams competing in the relay can either be six-person teams or 12-person teams, and Lisenby’s team of six women was one of just four all-women, six-person teams.
The team included Lisenby, Cellini, Tammi Johns, Lisa Wilkenson, Michelle Adams and Maureen O’Sullivan.
It took the team a little more than 33 hours to complete the race.
“I was on a dirt road at 3 a.m. thinking, 'What am I doing?'” Lisenby said. “But then you have this realization that, 'This is cool. I’m out running and everyone else is sleeping.'”
Running in the Blue Ridge Relays was something Lisenby has always wanted to do. After competing in the Flagler 50s last year — a 50-mile relay race — she was able to get a group of women together to compete in a much longer relay.
But why would anyone want to run 208 miles for fun?
“Because we can,” she said, laughing. “I love running through the mountains, and I love running long distance.”
In total, there was about 15,000 feet of elevation gain or loss, so it’s a very hilly race, Lisenby said, noting that adds to the difficulty.
What made it even more difficult was the travel. The team split up into two vans — three runners and a designated driver in each. It took 10 hours to get to Virginia, then about 33 hours for the race, and then an 8.5-hour drive home, all within a few days.
“It’s extremely fatiguing with the travel on top of the race,” she said. Lisenby said she thinks the team will look for a closer relay for its next competition.
Flagler Track Club
Lisenby, who is a certified personal trainer, also runs Flagler Track Club. The group meets once a week, and runners of all ages and skill levels get one-on-one coaching by Lisenby.
Right now, the group meets 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, at the Flagler Palm Coast High School track. But that will soon change to 6-7 a.m. because of Daylight Savings Time. The first session is free, but each session after that is $10. Lisenby said anyone may join.
