Daytona Beach college has three runners over age 40
For the Daytona State College cross-country team, age – like finishing time – ain’t nothing but a number.
The Daytona State College Falcons are fielding an inaugural cross-country team that has a few nontraditional runners: women more than twice the age of their competition. Bego Lopez (50), Kris Gray (48) and Jenny Enslin (42) are all on the team, running alongside 18-to-20-year-old college students.
Older runners, faster runners
Cross-country coach Judy Wilson needed to fill out her team, and so turned to the unusual method of bringing in older students, all of whom are longtime runners. All three of the women, in addition to Wilson herself, have competed in the Boston Marathon. And all three are taking full class loads in order to maintain eligibility.
Plus, the older women are holding up their end of the deal. Over this past weekend, Gray was Daytona State’s fastest woman in a Lakeland, Fla. meet, finishing a 5K in 22:02.
“When I first heard about them, I thought ‘This is insane,’” sophomore Baylee Mills told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. “I didn’t know if they could run at first. It’s actually great having them. They push us at all practices. They are faster than us. It’s fun running with them.”
Here’s more on the team:
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
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