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With medals in hand, Elizabeth Lau, Julie Bivin and Tiffany Morris stand at the virtual finish line of the OKC Memorial Run to Remember half marathon. Photo/submitted.
Three Stroud residents crossed another item off their bucket list this month.
Sunday, Oct. 4, Julie Bivin, Elizabeth Lau and Tiffany Morris ran the Oklahoma City Run to Remember half marathon.
Bivin started running at 63-years-old said it was on her bucket list to run a 5k by the time she was 65.
“I wanted to run a 5K and I thought, ya know I’m almost 70 now let’s put another carrot out there and run a half marathon.”
At 69, Bivin finished her first half marathon. After the OKC Run to
Remember 5K last year, Bivin, Lau and Morris decided to run the half marathon this year.
In one year these ladies went from running a 5K to a half marathon.
Bivin said she trained three to four times a week.
“I did a lot of walking an running for the whole year,” she said. “I think the most I did in one day was 11 miles.”
Her goal was to finish in three hours and 15 minutes and she did with a minute to spare, crossing the finish line at three hours and 14 minutes.
“It wasn’t pretty, but I got it done,” she said.
Being the 25 anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing and the 20 anniversary of the Run to Remember, Bivin said they participated in the 168 second of silence before their run.
“It is a very humbling experience,” she said. “I have a dear friend’s husband who was killed in the bombing so it is a very special day to run for him and all the others who lost their lives or for those whose lives have been changed forever. With God’s help I was able to finish.”
Lau said she runs the OKC Run to Remember 5K every year and said running the half marathon virtually was interesting.
“The atmosphere is obviously different,” she said. “If you actually go there and do it, you have the crowd and everyone’s there cheering you on.”
Lau said it was harder to run the race virtually.
“You have the momentum going for you when you’re physically there doing it,” she said. “When you do it virtually it’s different. You’re cheering yourself on.”
Lau said she started running a few years ago. Lau said the race was supposed to take place in April, but was postponed due to COVID-19.
Her goal was to complete the race in under four hours. She crossed the finish line at four hours and five seconds.
“It’s an awesome accomplishment,” she said.