Winning again
Time availability has taken a number of running events away from Jennifer Bole.
It hasn’t diminished her success.
The Butler resident won the women’s division of the Butler Family YMCA’s Turkey Trot 5K last week. It was Bole’s third victory in that race in the past four years. She finished second last year.
“I was definitely pushed by another girl, Olivia Reddick, who was right there with me,” Bole said. “I finally passed her with about a quarter mile to go.
“I beat my best time by about 30 seconds, so I was pretty happy.”
Bole placed eighth overall out of 245 finishers at the Turkey Trot 5K.
Bole, who will turn 35 next summer, began running regularly four years ago to get back in shape after having her children. She has lost more than 100 pounds since.
She wound up qualifying for the 2014 Boston Marathon and competed in that event.
“I used to do about 15 races a year,” Bole said. “Now I’m only doing about four. Being a single mom, working fulltime and going to school at BC3, there’s not a whole lot of time there.”
She still gets in her running, however — 30 to 35 miles per week — primarily by herself.
“My main motivation is to encourage a healthy lifestyle for my kids,” Bole said. “I want them to see me doing this.
“I set running goals for myself, too, and know I have to work hard to get there.”
Bole’s next big race will be the Pittsburgh Half-Marathon in May. She plans to run the Erie Marathon next year in an effort to qualify for the Boston Marathon in 2018.
“I’ll be moving into the next age category (35-39) for Boston which adds another five minutes to the qualifying time,” she said. “The Erie Marathon runs in September and it’s right up against the deadline for qualifying for Boston.
“Erie’s course is much more flat than Pittsburgh’s, though. I feel like that’s my best shot.”
While Bole got back into running to lose weight, she admitted that “it became a bit of an obsession.”
But a healthy obsession at that.
“Now I’m building more muscle,” Bole said.
While she runs for herself and her family, Bole is hopeful of inspiring others along the way.
“I’ve got a full plate in my life right now, but I’m still getting out there and doing it,” she said of running. “It can do so much for you.
“If I can inspire a few other people to make it part of their lives, I’d feel good about that. I’m raising my kids, working, going to school ... But anything’s possible if you work hard for it.”
