Chesapeake High runner qualifies for Boston Marathon

A runner takes approximately 55,000 to 65,000 steps in a marathon, depending on stride length. Although the steps seem automatic to the outside observer, they are anything but a given.

The runner must balance multiple physical and mental processes to achieve the seemingly simple act of purposeful forward motion.

No matter the name of the race, the marathon distance is always the same, and each step of the marathon reveals itself in a unique way as the brain and body process inputs.

However, in some races those steps have a different feel, like a run through the history of the marathon itself.

The Boston Marathon is one of those races.

Now in its 127th year, the race always takes place on the third Monday of April on Patriots Day, running point-to-point from Hopkinton to Boston. Aspiring runners must qualify to enter the race with aggressive standards that are only met through dedication, effort and hard training. It is considered by many to be the capstone of a road marathon runner’s craft.

Entry is even more difficult in recent years as meeting the qualification standard is not a guarantee of entry. Indeed, in 2021 a runner had to be faster than their qualifying time by 7 minutes and 47 seconds.

Over 29,000 runners met their qualifying time, but only 20,000 of the fastest were allowed to enter due to limits on the size of the field.

Therefore, when someone qualifies for The Boston Marathon and is accepted into the field, it is a special moment. For one local runner, it is even more special due to her age and accomplishments to date.

Bridgette Van Valkenburgh, a senior at Chesapeake High, ran her first half marathon — the Marine Corps Historic Half — when she was 12 years old and finished in less than two hours. That result planted the seeds for future running accomplishments.

Since then, Van Valkenburgh has completed seven half marathons and four marathons, increasing her speed throughout the maturation process. She ran her first marathon at age 14 and finished the Vermont City Marathon with a time of 4:07:47.

Van Valkenburgh, who plans to attend the University of Maryland in 2024, wanted to qualify for Boston and needed a 3:30 to do so — no small task. Despite her accomplishments, there were some who doubted whether Van Valkenburgh could or should try.

Undaunted, Van Valkenburgh trained through the pandemic and settled on the York Marathon in spring 2021 to see if she was ready. With the help of Chesapeake assistant cross country coach Joe Hatcher, Van Valkenburgh posted a stunning time of 3:22:43, marking a significant improvement over Vermont.

In October 2021, Van Valkenburgh ran the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, New York. The Wineglass is an excellent test of a Boston-like course without all the “big city” distractions. She finished in 3:22:56, placing second in the women’s 24-and-under age group.

Van Valkenburgh knew though she had more speed in her legs, and seven weeks later ran the Philadelphia Marathon, another test to maintain pace in “big city” conditions with all its attendant distractions. She finished in 3:19:09, second place in the women’s 16 to 19 age group.

Van Valkenburgh is now Boston-bound and will run April 17 on the same course as Olympians. If past is prologue, she will do well at the marathon as she has trained in a multiple variety of race simulations and clearly has the mental and physical fortitude to meet and exceed the challenges of the Boston marathon.