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Speed Bumps will bring new kind of relay unit to marathon. All five will be running pregnant
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Monday, Sep 22, 2008
They call themselves the Speed Bumps — five women who'll be making their debut as a relay team Saturday in the Road Runner Akron Marathon.
But the 26.2-mile event, which is expected to attract nearly 10,000 runners, is also likely to be the last time the five women will compete as a team in their current — uhh — shape.
Kimberly Bucey, Laura Pizmoht, Kerry Pachla, Vicki Barone and Monica Nowac are all expecting.
And not as in ''expecting'' to finish the race in less than four hours.
''Expecting'' as in a baby.
Julie Jones, spokeswoman for the Akron race, believes the relay team is unprecedented in marathons.
''This is absolutely the first time I've ever heard of a relay team of pregnant women in a marathon,'' Jones said. ''It's really kind of mind-boggling and so wonderful at the same time.
''I couldn't believe it when they told me about their story. After I got over being stunned, I realized that this is just fantastic how they are promoting fitness during pregnancy. I'm still overwhelmed by the Speed Bumps.''
8, 71/2, 61/2, 61/2 months
Bucey, a graduate of Our Lady of the Elms High School in Akron and a veteran of 12 marathons, is eight months pregnant.
She recently moved from Cuyahoga Falls to Lewis Center near Columbus and will run the fourth leg of the relay.
''It's one of the short ones at 3.1 miles, but it's really hilly,'' said Bucey, who is 31 and the only team member who already has a child.
Pizmoht, 33, a Willoughby Hills resident, is 71/2 months pregnant.
A veteran of three marathons, she organized the Speed Bumps and has the featured assignment — the 7.6-mile anchor leg — based on her three-hour, 18-minute time in the Boston Marathon.
Pachla, 36, of Avon Lake, has done six marathons and was scheduled to run in Boston this spring, but, well, her condition changed. Now 61/2 months pregnant, she's taking the 6.2-mile third leg in Akron.
Westlake resident Barone, 28, is a marathon neophyte. She's also 61/2 months pregnant. She will be running the 6.2-mile leadoff leg.
Nowac, 29, of Cleveland Heights, who will run the 3.1-mile second leg, was the last Speed Bump to join the team. There was an eligibility problem.
The project manager for Micros Retail in Solon didn't find out she was pregnant until August.
''I first told my husband and sister that I was pregnant,'' said Nowac, who has run the Cleveland Marathon,''and then I immediately called [Pizmoht] and told her to hold that last spot because I was going to be on the Speed Bumps. I was pregnant!''
Idea takes shape
The idea for a pregnant relay team began forming last spring when Pizmoht learned she was expecting.
''I did the [Akron marathon] relay last year and had a great time,'' she said. ''That's what got me thinking when I knew I was pregnant — I found out on Easter Sunday — and probably shouldn't do the whole marathon.
''But my problem was, where do you find four other pregnant women who are still working out and who want to be in a marathon?''
Pizmoht didn't have to look much farther than her office at Sherwin-Williams headquarters in Cleveland.
She connected with Pachla and Barone, a fitness specialist.
Word-of-mouth led to Bucey, a marketing specialist for Cablequest who recently had been transferred by the company from its Hudson office to Columbus.
''My sister heard about it and got the word to me,'' said Bucey, who ran the Boston Marathon in four hours last year. ''I was so thrilled because I love the Akron marathon — part of the course went right by my house when we lived in the Falls — and it gives me a chance to keep running in it.''
Kimberly won't be the only Bucey on the racing course Saturday. Her husband, Brent, a computer programming expert, will be pushing their son Jack, 2, in a stroller alongside her as she hits the hills in Sand Run Park.
Doctor OK
All five of the women are running with the blessings of their doctors.
''It's great to keep running because it's great to stay in shape,'' Nowac said. ''And it's great to spread the word about staying in shape while you're pregnant. To think anything else is simply archaic at this point.''
A couple of the expectant fathers, however, are a little concerned.
''My husband is worried about me getting a little too competitive,'' Pachla said. ''I had to promise him I wouldn't do anything that wasn't safe.''
The five women will be wearing specially designed — and extra-large — T-shirts with the logo of Team Speed Bumps on the front.
The team name was suggested to Pizmoht by a pregnant woman in Maine.
Although Saturday is expected to be the last time they compete together under these circumstances, the five don't plan to make it the last time they race together.
''This is just so exciting that we're already making plans to run with our kids in the future,'' said Bucey, who runs every day.
''Although we've really only been together a short time, we've already formed a strong bond. We're already planning a reunion with the babies next year at the race.''
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
They call themselves the Speed Bumps — five women who'll be making their debut as a relay team Saturday in the Road Runner Akron Marathon.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 10:42 AM, 09/22/2008
That is awesome!
Posted 12:22 PM, 09/22/2008
yes it is
Posted 11:22 PM, 09/22/2008
I can't believe she's 8 months pregnant-she looks unbelievable good for them!!!!
Posted 01:52 PM, 09/24/2008
Wish my wife looked that good when she was 8 months pregnant...heck she doesn't look that good now, and she's not pregnant! LOL!
