Sally Marrack Running Well in Hawai'i

Sally & Keith Marrack family

One of the more difficult times to maintain an exercise routine is when you’re raising a family and your children are too young to be left alone.

    I could recall getting up at 4:30 in the morning during the 1980’s to go out and do a five mile run, while my wife stayed in the house to watch our young daughter. 

    Making the time to get out and put in an hour of exercise when there are young children is always difficult to juggle, but for those that are dedicated to maintaining their physical exercise routine they somehow find the time.

    For Sally Marrack juggling her schedule to be sure that she can get in a good workout while insuring that her children are safe and well protected is just part of daily routine.

    “During my weekday workouts I run three times during the week for about five or six miles before the kids are up and while my husband, Keith, is still home,” Marrack said.  That commitment means that Marrack needs to be out the door at 5:30 in the morning in order to get her run in.

   “One day during the week, usually Wednesday’s, I meet Vicki Daniel and Alan Ryan at the Hilo track for some speed work.  The track is a great to work on the leg turnover and to strengthen the fast-twitch muscles which I seem to have few,” she said.

   But don’t let Marrack’s modesty fool you because a few weeks ago she completed her 26^th marathon, (a distance of 26.2-miles) by doing the Big Island International in Hilo and was the top Big lsland woman to cross the finish line in 3 hours and 39 minutes.

    On the weekends Marrack can be found doing her long distance runs of 10 to 20 miles with one or more of her running friends.  “I have a core group of women in Hilo that I train with on the weekends.  People like Susan Cordell, Amy McWhinney, Lisa Hadway, Kelly Kozar, Robin Martin and Vicki Daniel help each other stay motivated by training together for marathons and half-marathons,” she said.

    In 2006 Marrack got on a marathon groove and ran 11 marathons during that year which also included a 50-miler called the LeGrizz Ultra in Montana.

     Marrack grew up in Miami, Florida where her mom started giving her swimming lessons soon after she could walk.  “I learned to swim early as my mother was afraid of us falling into a pool or the canal that was in our unfenced backyard,” she said.

    Marrack’s yard in Florida was also on a golf course, so naturally she began to play golf along with soccer at an early age.

    “I started running when I was 12 years old.  I was on the varsity team in seventh grade because it was a small private school.  My sister, Jane, was in the eleventh grade and on the same team,” Marrack said.

   Marrack switched schools for high school and continued to run on the cross-country and track teams, while playing soccer in between both running sports.  “My senior year we won the Florida state cross-country AA meet, a nice way to finish up,” she said.

   Marrack wasn’t considered fast enough to run while attending college at Stanford, but she continued to run on her own and at times with the college running club.  “Running is a part of my life, something I continue whether or not I am part of a team,” she said.

   Marrack and her family moved back to Hilo in 2007 when her husband, Keith, landed a job with Edward Jones.

   “Keith has always been a “ball sport” man but my love for running has spread.  When he was a high school math teacher he coached volleyball and tennis and later he started coaching cross-country. When he began running with his team and he found that he enjoyed it too,” Marrack said.

     The Marrack’s will run together when they opportunity provides itself, as one of them always needs to watch the children.  “When a relative is visiting or someone else is around to watch the kids then we can do a run together,” she said.

    In 2006 the couple ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. together and more recently when Sally was doing the Big Island International Marathon, Keith was running in the half-marathon.

    The Marrack family also eats health as Keith is a vegetarian and is also the primary cook for the family.

    “I try to eat healthy.  Although I don’t consider myself a vegetarian I tend to eat that way most of the time since Keith usually cooks,” she said. 

    “Eating well has become a way of life. Healthy food equates to good fuel for the body which results in better athletic performance and overall well being,” Marrack said.

    The Marrack’s try to eat whole grains, fruit and vegetables, while trying to cut out processed foods.  “I do have a sweet tooth and I love dark chocolate,” she said.  “That’s why winning a gift certificate to Big Island Candies was an incentive for me to finish strong in the Hilo Marathon.”

    Marrack’s announcement of her gratitude for winning the Big Island Candies gift certificate made it to company headquarters and she was rewarded with some additional treats that were dropped off at her workplace.  “Do you think Big Island Candies will sponsor me?” she asked.

    Next up for Marrack is the Kona Marathon held in late June, the Kauai Marathon in September and the Honolulu Marathon in December.

   “I enjoy the training process which culminates by pushing my body on marathon day and watching how it (my body) responds,” she said.

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