Quote: "This year, I am bringing my 10-year-old daughter, Zoe, with me. I was pregnant when my husband died, and she will be waiting for me at the finish line. I want her to witness the event as her father had experienced it. She is very excited to see how big it is and to know what her daddy did. So I'm running it for her this year."
Age: 47.
Residence: Charleston, S.C.
Number of Peachtrees: A least 15.
Why do you run? In high school, our cross-country coach made us run the Peachtree when I think there were only about 500 hundred runners. I ran it every year after that until about 1990. I moved to Colorado in 1993, married and brought my husband, Michael Joseph Gardiner, to Atlanta two years in a row to run the Peachtree with me. I wanted to introduce him to the race that was always very near and dear to my heart. We ran it in 1998 and 1999. In 1999 he had been treated for a brain tumor. At the top of Cardiac Hill he had a seizure. But he got through it and kept on running. We crossed the finish line together and have a photo from your photographers to prove it. It was the last race he ever ran. He died a year later.
Why did you start running? I started running when I was in the seventh grade. I went to Chesnut Elementary School in Dunwoody. We went to Washington, D.C., on a field trip. Our P.E. teacher was also our chaperon on this trip. He had a bet with another chaperon from another school that his track team was better. When we got back home from our trip to Washington, he said, "Kids, we need to start a track team, now." I thought, "What the heck, I will start running and see how it goes." Six weeks into training I hadn't been booted from the team yet, and I started to really enjoy running. I am now 47 and have run eight marathons, 15 half-marathons and many other races in my life. My hips and knees are starting to talk to me daily, but I refuse to give it up. It is my therapy, my psychological stability and it keeps my marriage healthy. It keeps me sane.
When was your first Peachtree? In 1978 when I was a sophomore at Peachtree High in Dunwoody.
What is your favorite tradition? My mother volunteered in the medical tent for many years, so I would go and find her after I completed my race. We would hug and kiss, and I miss her so much. She passed away last year.
What is your favorite race T-shirt? I can't really decide. I have 10 T-shirts made into a blanket, and I love them all.
Do you run alone or in a pack? I run my own race and get very competitive when that gun goes off.
What do you like about the race? The tradition, the crowd, the spirit of the race, all the spectators and of course the finish.
Where is your favorite spot on the course? I don't have a favorite spot. I love it all. The crowd is what makes the course so incredible. I love where there is music, and I love running through Piedmont Park. I just love the whole course. The hills don't bother me, so I don't even mind Cardiac Hill. I get so inspired seeing the wheelchair crowd at Shepherd Center.
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