KRRA
Kingstonians take on the Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star Challenge
Kingston is blessed with a pool of talented running athletes. They come all ages, and they focus on a variety of distances and disciplines. From track running through to ultra marathons, Kingston represents. We are fortunate enough to celebrate two hardworking runners who are reaching an amazing milestone.
Tammy Pigion and Nancy Ball are approaching the date of an important marathon. This upcoming marathon for each of these ladies completes a prestigious Series known as the Abbott World Marathon Majors Six Star Challenge. Discover their experiences in their own words, with this series of Q&A’s.
Q1 WHAT CITIES DO YOU NEED TO RUN IN AS PART OF THIS SERIES??
The international races include New York, Chicago, Boston, Berlin, London, and Tokyo.
Q2: WHEN AND WHERE IS YOUR FINAL MARATHON TAKING PLACE?
Tammy: I was supposed to run Tokyo in 2020 but it was cancelled because of COVID. Tokyo 2023 is now allowing international runners to run again, so 2023 will be my 6th and final star.
Nancy: My final race to complete the series of 6 races is in Tokyo on March 5th.
Q3: WHO DO YOU TRAIN WITH? DO YOU HAVE A COACH? ARE YOU SELF TRAINED?
Nancy: I’ve been running marathons since 1999. Tokyo will be my 22nd marathon. I originally trained through Running Room in Toronto. I’ve been self coached for many years now. I have a good friend who runs a portion of my long runs with me. This helps to mentally break up the tedium of the long runs.
Tammy: Kevin Coffey from M2M (Mile2Marathon) has been my coach since 2015. I have a training schedule from him and mainly run solo but on Wednesdays I often do speedwork with other M2M members. I run with a few Napanee friends where I live, sometimes with KRRA members, at Runner’s Choice with Al Cantlay and crew. I used to attend KRRA workouts when I lived in Kingston. I now Live in Napanee, so most of my running is here.
Q4: WHEN DID YOU FIRST DECIDE TO TAKE ON THIS CHALLENGE? WHEN WAS YOUR FIRST IN THE SERIES?
Tammy: I did not know about the World marathon majors challenge until after I ran Boston in 2017. Right after the race I was in my hotel elevator when I saw a man with this unique medal. I asked what it was and he told me about the Six Star Challenge. After I researched it, I realized I had a qualifying time for Chicago, so that is how it all started.
Nancy: Not until I was able to qualify and then gain entry to Boston in 2022 did I ever think it possible to complete this series. My first race of this series was Chicago back in 2006. Then there were only 5 races in the series. Tokyo was added in 2013 and the coveted Six Star medal was introduced in 2016. Of note, is that I trained twice for the New York City marathon as I was scheduled to run it in 2012 when it was cancelled because of Hurricane Sandy. I officially ran it in 2013.
Q5: WHICH OF THE MARATHONS TO DATE WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING?
Nancy: Boston! I am not a speedy runner. Boston comes with a time qualification just to enter. Then entry is determined based on your standing of the entire entry pool, fastest to less fast. When the 30,000 places are filled, they cut the remaining entries.
Tammy: All of them were challenging: The courses, the weather, running with crowds the entire time, cramping at the end, getting tripped by another runner. Marathons are just so challenging, that’s probably why I love it so much! It’s very rewarding when you complete a marathon, regardless if you hit your goal or not. I’ve had some successful ones that went exactly how I wanted them to, and others that didn’t go as planned, but I always try to find positives in each marathon and reflect on the areas I can improve on.
Q6: DO YOU HAVE A GOAL TIME FOR THIS RACE? WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BEST / BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT?
Tammy: I hope to qualify for Boston again in Tokyo. I would like to go to Boston more than once and this is a great opportunity for me. Next year I age up to the 50-54 category, so 3:55 is the cut-off. I’m aiming to go 3:50 or a bit quicker. My marathons range from a 3:39 to a 4:01. Tokyo will be my 9th marathon total.
Nancy: No time goal. Time goals are behind me. Getting to the start and finishing healthy and happy is my goal. Biggest achievement was again Boston.
Q7: DO YOU HAVE ANY DIET SECRETS YOU WISH TO SHARE? ANY TRAINING FOODS THAT WORKS WELL FOR YOU?
Nancy: I’m a plant-based eater. I eat very healthy and probably healthier than when I started marathons back before becoming plant-based.
Tammy: No diet secrets from me. Lol! I am not much of an expert in this area but I just try to eat everything in moderation. I try to have some sort of protein though after a workout to help with the recovery process. I do take some vitamins and minerals daily and try to drink lots of water.
Q8: WHAT IS YOUR CHOICE RACE FUEL ON MARATHON DAY?
Tammy: For Tokyo, I am using Endurance Tap gels for fueling and Pocari Sweat (which tokyo is using on course… I ordered it online to train with it) for my electrolytes.
Nancy: I’ve been using Huma gels. 100% natural. I’m pretty tired of gels by the end of training but these have been very tolerable.
Q9: WHAT SHOES DO YOU TRAIN IN? AND WHAT SHOES WILL YOU RUN YOUR MARATHON IN?
Nancy: New Balance.
Tammy: Saucony Endorphin Speed 2s were my go-to for training but will be racing in the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3s…My first time racing a marathon in carbon plated shoes. I’ve tried them out a couple of times and so far I really like them.
Q10: DO YOU HAVE ANY RITUAL (SUPERSTITIOUS OR OTHERWISE) YOU STICK TO FOR MARATHON RACING?
Tammy: I don’t think I have a set ritual but I do take a long time waking up and getting ready to go for a run or race. I can get up early but my body just needs that time to wake up. Coffee is very important. Lol!
Nancy: Nope.
Q11: HOW MANY KMS DO YOU RUN AT YOUR PEAK? AND HOW MANY DAYS BEFORE DO YOU TAPER?
Nancy: I will peak at approximately 75k for the week, with my longest run being 35k. I taper for two weeks.
Tammy: For this training block I have been very consistent and have been running around 60-70km per week for the last month. 72km I think was my highest for Tokyo training. I’m tapering right now so the mileage is declining until the race.
Q12: DO YOU DO ANY CROSS TRAINING? WHAT’S YOUR STRENGTH TRAINING REGIMEN? YOGA? PILATES?
Tammy: Yes I cross train. Twice a week in the beginning of my training block, and once a week when my mileage gets higher. I attend a zoom Bootcamp that my friend, Erin Gregory who is a personal trainer, a runner, and Bootcamp instructor, teaches. I love it because I can focus on strength, core, and flexibility. It’s a very well rounded class. Erin teaches each exercise in several modifications for all abilities.
Nancy: Lots of cross training with cycling and walking being the main ones. I strength train 3X per week with a trainer. And loads of stretching and rolling.
Q13: DO YOU HAVE A CREW YOU MOST OFTEN RUN WITH? WHO ARE YOUR RUNNING BUDDIES?
Tammy: I have a couple of crews: M2M, KRRA, Napanee Coffee Gang. It’s fun to run with friends.
Q14: ARE THERE FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN YOUR ROCK AND MOTIVATION?
Nancy: My husband. He has always been encouraging and patient with all the time I train.
Tammy: Matthew Richardson (my spouse) is #1 supporter! My kids Amber and Joshua are super supportive too as well, as the rest of my family and my close friends, but Matt is often out there with me on his bike keeping me company or if the weather is not the greatest for the bike, he will check on me if I am running solo, to make sure I am ok and if I need anything. He is definitely my rock and I love him so much that he is there for me, and is my biggest cheerleader!
Q15: WHEN YOU ARE DONE THIS BIG CHALLENGE, DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER YOU ARE CONSIDERING?
Tammy: I will keep my next races this season local and I probably won’t do anything long until the fall; likely a half marathon. I’ve done two marathons now (London and now Tokyo) back-to-back so it will be nice to do some shorter distances. If things go well in Tokyo, I will be starting training for Boston 2024 at the end of the year. Nancy: Possibly a spring half with a friend and looking forward to long distance road cycling and adding gravel biking this year. A new gravel bike awaits me in the garage!
Thank you for sharing your stories. All the best to you both Tammy and Nancy. May the wind be at your back.
