For Sally Duval, a marathon beats a sprint every time.
As a coach for the Greenwich Academy field hockey and lacrosse teams, Duval is accustomed to making her team run many sprints during practice.
But in her case, a 50-mile “training” run for a 100-mile ultramarathon was the perfect way to prepare for her upcoming long-distance run while also raising awareness and funds for B*Cured and brain cancer research.
Duval, a mother and a teacher and coach at Greenwich Academy, started her 50-mile trek at Cos Cob Park at 5 a.m. on the first day of Brain Cancer Awareness Month, this past Sunday, and was accompanied by many friends and supporters along the way.
“I was overwhelmed with support,” said Duval. “It was so uplifting to come into Cos Cob Park to see all my high school friends back for reunion and the kids on my team. They all had a lot on their plate but they took the time to come out. I was so overwhelmed but it was very uplifting to see them all cheer for me.”
Dubbed “Sally’s 50-for-50,” the race hits home for Duval: Brain cancer took the life of her uncle and relatives of close friends.
The proceeds of her fundraisers benefit B*Cured, an all-volunteer organization led by co-presidents Karena Bailey and Kristin Duda in Greenwich. They teamed up on Sunday hoping to raise as many $50 dollar donations as they could in order to award a research grant this year.
“We had a bunch of meetings and we put a plan in place,” said Duval. “I did three figure-eight routes, including a seven-and-a-half-mile loop through Belle Haven and a nine-mile loop through Old Greenwich and Riverside.”
Sally’s run, which she says actually came out to be “50.50” miles long, took her 8 hours and 37 minutes to complete.
Despite the wet and slick conditions in the early morning, the longtime runner found the conditions just to her liking and had plenty of support all along the course.
“I think as a runner, the conditions were optimal, because the skies never opened up for torrential rain, but it was actually very cool and misting,” said Duval. “I was hoping for more fan-friendly weather, but everyone still came out anyway. It was great.”
Members of the Greenwich Academy field hockey team and the currently undefeated lacrosse team ran alongside their coach during the latter half of her journey.
“I ran one mile with her,” said Melissa Anderson, head coach of the Greenwich Academy’s lacrosse team. “It’s a testament to the chemistry of the team, but it’s also a testament to Sally. There is nobody more magnetic and more inspiring than her. She has a lot of fans in this community. A lot of people admire her immensely for just who she is.”
Duval says the 50-mile run will be the longest she does in preparation for her upcoming ultramarathon at the 2016 Mohican 100-mile in June. She finished the Leadville 100-mile trail run in under 27 hours for B*Cured, and also completed the Vermont 100 in July of 2014.
Now 18 weeks through a 24-week program, Duval says that she is training for the first 50 miles, and that the second 50 miles are all mental.
But it’s a mentality like Duval’s that makes for a coachable moment on and off the field for her student-athletes.
“Hopefully, I show them what people can do with the power of the mind and the power of the body,” said Duval. “Last year, when I finished Leadville ultramarathon, I finished in the morning, so I went to the awards ceremony, then drove to the airport, took a red-eye flight back to JFK, and was back in town for the first day of preseason at 8 a.m.
“As coaches, we laughed, saying that they can’t complain about anything all season. If I can make it back here after running that, surely they can do any kind of sprints we put them through for a few minutes.”
