After Orion Oaks upper elementary teacher Amy McCarthy was surprised by her students at a pre-marathon party, she surprised herself with a great result.
McCarthy, an Oxford resident, came back to her class on Oct. 27 after running some errands in the building and found her students waiting with a surprise party.
Kristen Broth, the other teacher in McCarthy’s Neighborhood D class, a group of parents, and over 50 students planned the big surprise.
The students presented McCarthy with a gift certificate for Hanson’s Running Shop in Lake Orion, among other things. Hanson’s also donated a banner and flags for the surprise party.
Two days later, McCarthy participated in the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon in downtown Detroit.
It was her first marathon.
‘I had originally planned a goal of 4 and 1/2 hours, but decided, after some positive training runs, to shoot for four,? she said.
McCarthy finished 64th in her 25-29 age group, with a time of 3:58:50, or a pace of 9:07 per mile.
‘It was amazingly hard, but just as rewarding,? McCarthy said. ‘My true goal was just to finish. It was absolutely thrilling crossing the finish line.?
McCarthy’s students all signed a marathon t-shirt, which she used to battle the cold on the Oct. 29 marathon morning.
McCarthy said the experience has gotten her excited about future race opportunities.
‘I am planning to run the Chicago Marathon next year and am going to attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon while doing so,? she said. ‘We’ll see how that goes!?
The Free Press marathon featured 15 racers from Orion Township.