Mary Zemansky

LaPorte County Member-At-Large
Michigan City

Gold Cup Committee Chair

While I have been a runner all my life, it wasn′t until three years ago that I began to challenge myself. I was serving on the Board of Directors of an organization that sponsored a Gold Cup race, and casually asked Sue Brown about the possibility of having a LaPorte County representative to the Striders. Next thing I knew, I was "hired" onto the Strider Board. Not wanting to be "just" a 5k runner, I began to take the sport more seriously, setting weekly and monthly goals. I still couldn′t manage to get myself beyond that (arbitrary) five mile mental barrier until a close friend reminded me that "Progress is not linear". This helped me to put my running into a different perspective and better challenge my preconceptions of what my aging body could do. With renewed effort, I gradually worked toward a half marathon, and recently completed my seventh in Phoenix. Last year, I made a commitment to the newly formed half marathon club based in Michigan. However, I stand by the motto on my favorite running shirt "I′ll run a marathon when pigs fly".

In the coming Gold Cup season, I am proud to say that we will have two races out here in the hinterland known as LaPorte County (really not that far a drive), both of which are challenging in their own right. We are also initiating a Long Distance Series, to address the desire of runners to challenge themselves to participate in longer races. As the Chair of the GC Committee, my duties include establishing variety in our series and being responsive to the needs of current and future members. Comments and questions are always welcomed at my email address below.

Contact Information:

E-Mail:

Phone: 219-861-0656

Updated: 1/30/2006