C-C grad completes first marathon

Churchville-Chili graduates Kelly Stevens, 23, completed her first marathon in Washington, DC on October 30. She competed in the 30th Annual Marine Corps Marathon as a member of the Northern Florida chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. She is currently a second year graduate student at Florida State University and resides in Tallahassee. Stevens is just one of thousands who will participate in the world's major marathons, half marathons, and triathlons this year on behalf of the society's fundraising efforts.

She gathered more than $3,700 in donations for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. At the Marine Corps Marathon the approximately 750 Team in Training participants from around the nation raised just over $2.5 million. Many lives have been affected with leukemia and lymphoma including Steven's grandmother and this was one small way she felt she could do something to help.

She finished the marathon with a time of 3:34.27, a time good enough to qualify her for the Boston Marathon. She placed 1168 overall and was the 187th female out of the 30,000 participants registered for the event. Running the marathon has been her biggest challenge to date. Athletically she is a two-time All-American from Oneonta State in Indoor and Outdoor track and a four-year starter and captain of the Oneonta State Women's Soccer team that won the NCAA Division III National Championship in 2003.

November 13, 2005