For the love of it
JEFFERSON TWP — It wasn't Boston.
But it was close.
Jefferson Township residents Jim Csonka, Joe Beilstein and Micci Hutterer, along with former Mars resident Christie Beavers, all qualified to run in this year's Boston Marathon.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced postponement of the fabled event in March. It was moved to September, only to be postponed again and turned into a virtual race.
Runners were given a two-week window to run a 26.2-mile marathon and submit their times. This quartet did so the morning of Sept. 13, running a portion of the Freeport Rails to Trails.They began the run at 6:30 a.m. and finished within four and a half hours.“We measured 13.1 miles out, turned around and came back,” Csonka, 59, said. “It wasn't sanctioned or anything. We wanted to get together and do it.“This was Joe and Christie's first Boston. We wanted to make it special for them.”Csonka, Beilstein and Beavers are all members of the Up N Running Club in Valencia, organized by Ed Doyle. Hutterer is a neighbor of Csonka's.“Jim knew I had qualified for Boston too, so he invited me to run (the virtual) with them,” Hutterer, 62, said. “It was so much fun. I'm sure I'll be running with them again.”
Members of the Up N Running Club, along with family members and friends, manned water stations, rode bicycles alongside the runners and cheered them on as the foursome completed the run.A “Boston Marathon” ribbon was strung across the finish line for the runners to break.“They were holding up signs, setting up water breaks ... the support was fantastic,” Beavers said.“I was the last one in and I didn't care,” the 60-year-old Beilstein said, laughing. “I just wanted to finish.”Csonka and Hutterer have run the actual Boston Marathon before. Csonka ran it in 2017 while Hutterer ran it in 2014.All four have completed numerous marathons previously despite having only been runners for 10 years or so.“Joe, Jim and I have been running in that same (Up N Running) club for years now,” Beavers, 47, said. “I had a procedure done on my Achilles eight weeks ago, so I only had seven weeks to train.“I've always enjoyed working out. My kids got older and I had more free time, so I got into running. A lot of women my age start around then for the same reason. It's all about health and fitness for me. Running keeps me sane ... it's like meditation for me.”
Beavers and Beilstein are kindred spirits in a sense.Both qualified for the Boston Marathon two years ago, but the criteria was adjusted due to a heavy number of qualifiers and they wound up missing the cut-off by a minute, 30 seconds.They were able to qualify this year, only to be derailed by the pandemic.“It's still a goal. I still want to run the streets of Boston,” Beavers said.Beilstein agreed.“My wife and I were going to make the trip, view Boston, make a vacation of it,” he said. “We still want that.”When Csonka ran Boston, the temperature that morning was 79 degrees.“The ideal marathon temperature is 50 degrees,” Csonka said. “When I ran Boston, it was pretty hot. The heat takes its toll on you. I'd love another shot in more ideal weather conditions.”
Besides Boston, Csonka has run the Veterans Marathon in Indiana (Pa.), along with the Pittsburgh Marathon on a few occasions.Beilstein has run the Pittsburgh Marathon three times, the Erie Marathon twice, and the Chicago and Las Vegas marathons once each.Beavers has run marathons in Canton, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; and Columbus, Ohio, along with Pittsburgh, Erie and Indiana, Pa.Besides Boston and Pittsburgh, Hutterer has run the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton and marathons in Philadelphia, Detroit, Richmond, Buffalo and Chicago.“I've always been active,” Hutterer said. “I was in a bad accident while cycling, so I decided to try running again.“The Boston Marathon is such a memorable event. I wanted to get involved in something much bigger than myself. People from all over the world, the same age and demographic, all coming together ... it's fascinating.“I'm grateful for the experience of running (the trail) that day, grateful to all the people involved. Hopefully, all four of us can get together and actually run Boston someday. That would be wonderful,” she added.
