Sunday, December 14, 2008
By PAUL GATTIS
Times
Sports Staff paul.gattis@htimes.com
Jill Horst got tired of
breaking bones and decided to become a long-distance runner instead of playing
soccer. It's a lot safer.
"I haven't broken anything running," Horst joked Saturday morning.
Well, that's not entirely true.
She's run in five marathons and improved her time in each race. And she was the
the top female finisher in the Rocket City Marathon.
It's the first marathon win for Horst, a 30-year-old teacher from Rome, Ga.
"I just took off and ran what felt comfortable," Horst said. "I
didn't see any other females the entire race."
Other females were on the course. It's just that Horst quickly ran away from
them. Caitlin Heider of Huntsville finished second, almost six minutes behind
Horst's winning time of 2 hours, 48 minutes.
Though the race appeared easy for Horst, it really wasn't. Horst was the
favorite to win as the top female seed.
"I felt good through 18 (miles) and then I started hurting and 20 through
26 was just like, 'Get to the next mile,' " Horst said. "My legs were
giving out on me very badly."
But it still felt better than breaking bones. Horst began playing soccer when
she was 4 years old. She eventually went to Furman University in Greenville, S.C., to play soccer in college.
Along the way, Horst said she sustained five broken bones from playing soccer.
And given her size - about 5-foot-2 and 110 pounds - Horst decided she could
keep running but without the soccer ball and the other 21 players on the field.
"I broke my nose my freshman year in college and said, 'That's enough. I'm
done,' " Horst said. "Having surgery on a broken nose is
terrible."
Horst also pointed to her dad's influence and his enthusiasm for running
marathons. She often ran with her dad even while playing soccer, and Horst set
a personal goal to complete her first marathon before she turned 20, which she
accomplished at 19.
"I was really better at running than I was at soccer," Horst said.
"I was getting beat up pretty badly in soccer."
For now, Horst plans to continue teaching fitness classes at Berry College in Rome and hopes to start a long-distance training class at the school next
fall.
And, of course, Horst will keep running. She's bettered her personal record in
all five marathons she's run. "I just worry about it when I don't,"
Horst said of setting personal bests. "I know I'll be let down when I
don't PR."
But that's still better than breaking bones.