fitness pals
mix it up t’s 7:30 a.m. on a chilly Sunday morning, and a group of nine women have gathered in the middle of a parking lot at the
Washington Duke Inn &
Golf Club, near the start of
The group is something special – most run, some jog or walk, sometimes it’s for 30 minutes, and sometimes they go 90 minutes – but they’ve developed a bond and sense of trust and comfort with one another, becoming good friends through a mutual desire to stay active. Whether it’s 15 or two women, there is always someone from Trail Mix on the Al Buehler Trail every day, morning or afternoon. “You don’t run hundreds of miles with people without getting to understand one another,” says Jeanne Murray, who came late that morning. (Everyone still waited for her before starting out, of course.) Juliette Eck, the unofficial organizer, ensures everyone knows where to run and when – usually that’s 7 a.m. in the summer and 8 a.m. during the school year. And when the ladies get there, Roberta is often the one coaching her friends, whether that’s doing sprints or drills, or even checking on their technique. Their relationships have grown outside of running, too. Jeanne is a board member of Families Moving Forward, and others are board members of Book Harvest and Latino Educational
the Al Buehler Trail. Their ages ABOVE Juliette Eck, Meredith Frey, Sophia Simpson, Roberta range from 47 to 67, and their Drewry, Dena Hanna, Amy Berchuck, Sue Concannon, Ann Taylor and Jennifer Thompson at the Al Buehler trailhead. energy is infectious. BELOW The run also serves as an easy way for the women of “It’s the morning, we haven’t Trail Mix to catch up with one another. had our coffee yet,” jokes Roberta Drewry, who used to run track at UC Berkeley, after the women try to answer one of my questions at the same time. Running together for the past 14 years (for some, a few years less), as you might imagine, has made these women from varying backgrounds and careers very close. “We have a team name,” says Jennifer Thompson, who teaches high school English at the Hill Learning Center. “It’s Trail Mix. It’s because we’re a mix of people, and we run on the trail.” “But you told me when I first came, it’s because some of us are sweet and some of us are salty, and that’s why we’re trail mix,” says Ann Taylor, the official walker of the group. Achievement Partnership “I’m spicy,” says Meredith (LEAP). They all try to go to one Frey, who recently moved to another’s events, raise money and Indianapolis but comes back every support their causes. now and then to squeeze in a run “I think that the biggest with the women. characteristic of the group is we’re always cheering each other on,” “This is our home base. You can always find somebody every Jeanne says. morning,” one of the women chimes in. It’s why Trail Mix continues to grow both in numbers – there’s “Or after school,” says another. That’s how many in the group met – now almost 30 members – and in spirit. – Hannah Lee through their kids who were in class together at Durham Academy. 50
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durhammag.com
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december/january 2019