Pace Setter : May 2024

THE JORDANS RULE BOSTON

By Mark Mindel

 

The affable Shen assistant track and cross-country coach, Keith Jordan, who also managed the Fleet Feet Malta store, was hit with some jarring news four years ago; he was diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson’s. Keith, who was a Decathlete at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst,  kept working for three more years before deciding to retire to the woods of New Hampshire with his wife, Therese. They also have a cabin in the Adirondacks where they enjoy the nature of upstate New York.

Keith’s daughters, Kristen and Danielle, both outstanding high school runners at Shen and also Division 1 stars in college, got an idea to raise money through Team Fox’s Parkinson’s Boston Marathon team for their dad.

To say their idea was successful is an understatement as Kristen and Yellie, as she is known, raised over $34,000 for their cause, and managed to navigate the hills and heat of the 2024 Boston Marathon in a respectable 3:46:42 (8:39 pace) finish, first marathons for both girls.

Kristen, a 2013 Shen grad, age 28, currently lives in Windham, NH where she works as a senior account manager for Insight Global. She was a three-time All American in high school, running mostly the 1500 and 800 and graduated with a double major in Communication and Sociology from Boston College in 2017.

Little sister Yellie, 25,  graduated from Shen in 2016 where her distances ranged from the 800 to the 3k and was Section 2 Runner of the Year her senior year. She attended the University of Connecticut where she was an All-American in the Steeple and 5k, graduating in 2021 with a Masters in Exercise Science.

Yellie recently won the Lake Sammamish Half Marathon in Seattle WA in an outstanding 74:05 and is hopeful of qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Trials in the marathon. She is a Running Innovation Researcher for Brooks running company in Seattle.

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Here in their own words is the story of their 2024 Boston Marathon adventures:

Danielle:

It was the best, the most unforgettable day I've experienced! From start to finish, I don't think there were many points during the marathon that I didn't have a smile on my face. 

The idea actually came from Kristen, my sister. I got a call from her last September that she was going to apply to run the Boston Marathon this year for the Michael J. Fox foundation for Parkinson's to run for our dad. I got choked up when she told me, and I applied later that night as well. It was a long process, and the foundation has very limited entries, so we weren't sure if we were going to get accepted. Fast forward to earlier this year, it was the last week of January, and Kristen and I had just had a conversation that if it got to February 1st, we were going to tell them it was too close to the race, since we were nervous about having to raise $30k in time. But that same week we got the message that we were accepted. We were so excited and immediately got to fundraising. The fundraising was way easier than we expected, but we should have known based on how many people our dad has reached and made an impact on. We reached over $34k before race day, and our fundraising page is still live for another 50 days!

When it came to the actual race, this was both Kristen and my first marathon ever! The only goal going into the race was to run it together from start to finish, and just have fun and soak it all in, and I'd say that was a major success. It was a hot day, and the heat started getting to Kristen a bit around half way, but I was just doing everything I could to keep her going, pouring water on her and making sure she was getting enough water & Gatorade. I'm so proud of her for powering through even when she wasn't feeling her best and on a very hot day!

The whole experience of running Boston was so special. I had been on the other side, spectating and cheering a couple times, but running it was a whole other experience. Boston held a special place in our hearts since our parents grew up outside of Boston, both my siblings went to college there (Kristen at BC, Ryan at Berklee), and my mom ran Boston in 2015! When my mom ran Boston, Kristen actually jumped on the course at heartbreak hill and ran with her, so this year my mom did the same for us, and ran to the top of heartbreak hill with us! It was so special to be able to run this year with Kristen, and for our dad. Every time we saw him, or any of our supporters on the course, it gave us a burst of energy that kept us going. And then crossing the finish line holding hands with Kristen was something I had envisioned for a long time, and it was so special and emotional when we crossed that line.

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Kristen:

Our plan going into the race was to run close to 8-minute mile pace for the first half, since we wanted to start off conservatively and that would be a bit slower than our long runs had been, and to pick it up in the 2nd half if we were feeling strong. We started off right on pace and felt strong, but the heat quickly started to affect us. Around mile 10 I started to feel super nauseous and see tunnel vision and was worried about passing out. I slowed down and told Yellie to keep going, but she was determined to run together and help me through it. Around mile 13 I got brutal cramps in both calves.

From mile 10 and onward, I was in a lot of pain and honestly questioned if I’d be able to finish. What pulled me through was 1) my sister, who kept telling me I could do it and who even ran ahead at one point to get waters to pour on my head and cool me off, 2) our family and friends who were scattered throughout the course and cheered so loudly for us, 3) my mom, who ran the Boston marathon in 2015 and jumped in with us from mile 20 to 21 to get us through heartbreak hill, 4) all of the spectators with the most incredible energy and funny signs, 5) and of course my dad, who was our inspiration for running the marathon and who’s signature whistle and warm smile reminded us why we were doing this.

Although the race didn’t go exactly as planned, we could not have been happier at the end of the day. Running for my dad and the Michael J Fox foundation alongside my sister was the most incredible experience. After the race we enjoyed a fun, hearty dinner at the Capital Grille with our parents and brother, my husband and in-laws, Yellie’s boyfriend, and 3 of our close friends. We are so grateful for the experience and for all of the love and support throughout!

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Congratulations to ALL the Jordans for this great accomplishment and good luck to Keith and Therese on their retirement to New Hampshire.

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Mark Mindel is a long-time runner, coach and track official. He won the Montreal Marathon in 1979 and he founded the Schenectady Stockade-athon, winning three of the first four and running the first 43 consecutively. Mark was recently inducted into the Greater Capital Region Track HOF and  is currently a Fleet Feet Vikings Marathon Coach.