This article won third place in the 2024 Michigan Interscholastic Press Association spring awards ceremony.
A challenge is something that many people fear, but there is one woman who is certainly not afraid to take on an obstacle. Sara Pitt is no ordinary teacher, she has taught at three different schools within the district, including founding the new field school program at Highlands. She is also a former girls cross country coach. However, one of Pitt’s accomplishments stands out against all the rest: a 26 mile long-distance race.
On Monday April 17, Pitt dashed through Boston in the 147th Annual Boston Marathon after running the BayShore Marathon in Traverse City to qualify. The Boston Marathon is an annual event presented by the Bank of America in Massachusetts. Thousands of people run the race every year, and it takes over Boston completely. Pitt trained extensively, persevered through challenges and conquered the race.
Pitt has enjoyed running much of her life, but once she began coaching cross country for the varsity team she decided it was finally time to put her endurance to the test. Pitt’s coaching experience amplified her motivation to pursue the lengthy, prestigious race.
“I used to coach cross country at the high school, so it got me into running even more,” Pitt said. “As a runner people always say ‘Have you done a marathon?’ and I had never done one. Last year I said I [was going to] do one before I turned 40. Since I qualified [for the Boston Marathon] I felt like I should do it because it is such a good experience that many people try to do.”
Cross country co-coach John Wojciakowski is impressed by the dedication it takes to train while teaching a new course at field school while also being a mother of two daughters. He admires her resilience as a person and an athlete.
“[Pitt] is a tremendously dedicated person in whatever realm we are talking about,” Wojciakowski said. “Looking at her training, waking up before school and getting in 5 to 6 miles before her daughters wake up. [She] found time to do 15 [plus] mile long runs on the weekends. It is hard trying to find time [to train] when you’re teaching, have family commitments and just finding time to do that is a challenge.”
Her training for the race began in late December, including runs up to 20 miles 5 days a week and a spin class with longer runs on weekends.
Pitt was satisfied with her results. She performed extraordinarily well, coming in twenty-seven minutes under the qualifying time for her age group.
“I finished [the race] in three hours and eight minutes,” Pitt said. “[About] 26,000 people finished the race itself, and I think I was in the 6,000 range of where I finished which was pretty good. I was happy with my time, it was about where my goals were. I just kept working hard and it was what I was training for.”
One of Pitt’s favorite aspects of the race was the people roaring and cheering while she ran through the course. The environment of any event like this is extraordinary and Pitt admired the energy.
“So many people line the course and cheer you on along the way,” Pitt said. “Boston College was electric with energy. When you go through those college towns there are hundreds of people cheering you on and it is just nonstop. Everyone was into it–kids take the day off of school, it is like a holiday.”
Pitt’s hard work and resilience has reached others and inspired them, especially the former athletes she coached.
Junior runner Katherine Cook was one of the athletes Pitt during her coaching tenure. Cook holds Pitt in a high regard because of her stamina, toughness and sheer tenacity with her running.
“She is a competitive runner who motivated me during cross country and I’m proud that she’s doing what she loves,” Cook said. “She inspires me to keep running when I get older. I’m proud that she is doing what she loves.”
Pitt is grateful for her coaching history and the athletes she spent time with, as they helped her to motivate herself as a runner.
“[The cross country runners] always pushed me to be faster and I loved running with them,” Pitt said. “As we always say in cross country, you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and that is what a marathon is all about. Their improvements inspired me to push myself to improve alongside them.”
Those around her can see how much effort Pitt puts into her training and how grand her work ethic is when she is faced with a challenge.
“I think she has a lot of natural ability, but that only gets you so far,” Wojciakowsk said. “You have to pair that with work ethic and dedication,when you put those two things together it’s a good combination. I think she is a really good example of that.”
Pitt overall loves pursuing her ambitions and this marathon gave her an opportunity to do just that. She certainly proved she is a force to be reckoned with and can take on any challenge she is presented with.
“Running is my outlet for positive mental health,” Pitt said. “It is an opportunity to clear my head and focus on working on my running goals. Pushing yourself to your edge can be so rewarding.”
