Senior athlete: Gail Leland, marathoner
Gail Leland exemplifies the healthy lifestyle of the senior athlete right here in Mendocino County; although she came to competitive running late in life. That’s Part II of: Spotlight on Senior Athletes in today’s column.
Elevation to stardom came difficult to Gail Leland. The spotlight is hardly sought. Her series of feints and distractions for this interview were classic: First, she blamed a friend for setting her up... “did Rodger put you up to this?” Second, “I hope you won’t be disappointed.” She suggested that who I really wanted was another legendary woman runner in Ukiah, Lois Cook, and that she hadn’t set any records. I got the picture. Earlier I teased her that I was bringing a sparkly tiara for her to wear with the inscribed word: CHAMP… on it.
However, as I landed outside her grand country estate with a centered massive geodesic dome home where the Lelands just entertained 32 holiday guests; Gail suddenly became comfortable and loquacious about her involvement in the sport of running.
If you’re an uninspired 70 years young, try on this overview of accomplishments Gail has authored: a. Run 11 marathons (winning her division in 6 of them) and 37 half marathons (winning 29 in her division) in the past 10 years. b. Run four (Boston, New York, Chicago, Berlin) of the six Abbot World Marathon Majors. C. Is running London Marathon this April and has the Tokyo marathon in her sights to complete the knockout. D. Winner of the 2012 Bay to Breakers 60- 69 age group (Runner’s World called winning it ‘is like being the first to leave a party’). E. Decided to try the SF marathon in 2010 to celebrate her 60 th birthday, qualifying for Boston on her first try. Time: 4:15.
Gail was a PE major and music (oboe) minor at Cal Poly (SLO) from 19681972 and ran track for the Mustangs as a sophomore and junior. Title IX was hardly a vision for suffragists in those days, so “we were relegated to a dirt track down by Crandall Gym. It’s not there anymore. My events were all sprints ”dashes” and the low hurdles. We sold raffle tickets (a case of Wild Turkey whiskey) to help with travel expenses so that we could go to the national championships in 1971 at Eastern Washington State (my first time traveling by air).She continued her education at UCSF receiving a degree in Physical Therapy in 1975.
Here was an inconsistent fitness jogger who virtually had it all. Kids raised and educated, gentleman farmer/birder husband happily retired, working in a job she loved as a PT in local hospitals and nursing homes, and perched on a “killer view” Redwood Valley parcel.
Then in 2008, daughter Shelby decided that they should run the 2009 Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon together. “So after a year of training, mostly on the Mendocino College all-weather oval with the million dollar view and on the treadmill in the MC fitness lab; I gradually picked up my speed and increased my stamina. Shelby and I crossed the finish line in 1:59.59, while chatting and smiling the whole way. There were bands playing at every mile and food and beverages at the finish. I got hooked on road racing. At Pike’s Market near the freeway, I noticed runners of all ages and body types finishing the marathon. That’s when I decided to try running marathons.”Her best time for the marathon in the past 10 years is Avenue of the Giants in 2013, 3:45.3 and best half marathon was the San Francisco Kaiser Half in 2015, 1:42.3.
“My most recent marathon was the November 2019 Athens Authentic Marathon. Keith and I take advantage of the travel as I run destination marathons. We signed up for a marathon tour for Athens, where 33 of us (runners and supporters) toured for 10 days after the race.Paul and his staff (Apostolos Greek Tours Inc,www.athensmarathon. com) made our experience in Greece, unforgettable! The starting area of the Athens Marathon is on the ground where the battle of Marathon 490 B.C. took place and finishes in the beautiful marble stadium a short distance from the Parthenon in the center of Athens called the Panathenaic Stadium. It is an ancient stadium that was rebuilt for the first modern day Olympics in 1896. The Athens Marathon course in the same as it was then. It was exciting to run on the footsteps of ancient Greek heroes and legends
with spectators cheering us on nearly the entire way. The Greeks understand the importance of the Battle of Marathon. There were a total of 20,000 runners this year. I finished first in my age group of 46 women.
Here’s how Gail maintains her race readiness. “I always have a race on my calendar (5Ks to marathons) to stay motivated. By running about 25 miles a week, I can stay in up to half marathon shape. Four months prior to a marathon, I follow an on-line program and gradually increase the weekly mileage to 40 to 50 miles.My happy place to train is still at the MC track and cross country trails, but I drop by Anytime Fitness for treadmill and strength training (silver sneakers allows me NO FEE there). I also cherish running with North Coast Strider friends on our Saturday morning easy runs and Sunday long runs.”
“We are fortunate to have the yearly Sonoma Wine Country Games for anyone 50+ (winecountrygames.com) so close to home. I participate in the track meet and run the 400m, 800m, mile and 5000m as part of my road race speed training. Each time an athlete competes in a certified meet, they are ranked among other athletes in their division. My best rankings (#2 in the nation) are in the mile and the 5000m).”
“I am thankful for Mendocino College for allowing us to use their beautiful outdoor facilities and for giving us old musicians an opportunity to continue being part of a big band. I’ve been a member of the Mendocino College Community Band since 1978. Oboe playing and running complement each other. My Cloverdale High School band director, Mr. “C”, called me “big wind”. Weird:50 years later, I still have the same hobbies.”