By Steve Keenan
OAK HILL — Competing in the Charleston Distance Run earlier this month, Emily Chaney turned in a pretty fast time.
To cap off the fast weekend, Chaney got a speeding ticket on her way out of Charleston, so it was a good thing she earned some prize money for her third-place overall women’s showing (one hour, 38 minutes, 36 seconds) in the 15-mile foot race.
A raft guide for ACE Whitewatwer as well as a substitute teacher in Fayette County, the 26-year-old Chaney has lived in the Oak Hill area for about four years. The Maryville, Tenn. native was a cross country and track competitor at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn.
“It’s pretty funny (now that she looks back on it),” Chaney said of her run-in with law enforcement.
Earlier in the day, she had displayed quickness of non-leaden feet, finishing only behind winner Maria Busienei (1:33:34.2), a Charleston resident, and runner-up Susan Gray (1:36:50.9) in the women’s division of the prestigious Charleston race.
“It was tougher than I thought it would be,” admitted Chaney, who placed 16th overall. “Every other run I’ve done in Charleston has been pancake flat.
“I felt fine until the 13-mile mark where I guess the hills, both up and down, finally caught up with me. My quads were killing me. I also think I was dehydrated. It was so humid, so I lost a lot of water through sweat.”
Chaney, who counts among her sponsors Adam Stephens and his Marathon Bikes store in Fayetteville, as well as Runners Market in Knoxville, Tenn. (she also gets support from ACE), was surprised with her showing at Charleston.
“I was ecstatic with my performance and finish. I was just hoping to place out of my age group because I hadn’t been training for that distance of running and hadn’t run over 8 miles in a while.”
This weekend, Chaney will enter some uncharted territory in her competitive career.
“This weekend I’m attempting my first adventure race called the Untamed, so I don’t know what to expect,” she said. “It’s mountain biking, riverboarding, orienteering, ropes, paddling and trekking. The whole race has to be self-supported.
“I’ve also never been able to stay up all night and it’s a 30-hour event covering over 100 miles of Virginia, so I’m really nervous. They don’t tell us where we start until we show up Saturday morning, and they don’t tell us where we finish.”
Chaney says running is her strongest suit, but “you’re not actually running a whole lot in the adventure race. I’ll be stronger in the bike and riverboard because I actually know how to do them. Everything else, I’m just trying to stay with my team so we don’t get disqualified. You can’t be separated more than 100 meters, I think.”
That’s not all for Chaney in 2008, though. Far from it, actually.
Barring injury or any other obstacles, she will compete in the XTERRA World Championship, an off-road triathlon, on Sunday, Oct. 28 in Makena, Maui, Hawaii. The event includes a 1.5-K swim, a 17-mile mountain bike, and a 10-K run.
“I am so excited because it’s a great opportunity and I can’t pass up the experience. It’s not easy to qualify for Worlds, so it may be the experience of a lifetime.”
Chaney’s already-active year included a 2:59:01 effort in the Boston Marathon in the spring and a solo maneuvering of the rugged Captain Thurmond’s Challenge on Aug. 16.
“I’m definitely a stronger runner right now,” she said. “I am improving in everything else. I don’t kayak yet. Captain Thurmond’s was in a duckie.”
Notes:
-- “I couldn’t do anything without my sponsors,” said Chaney. “Travel and competition are just too expensive.”
Marathon Bikes is the main bike sponsor. “Biking is a real expensive hobby, so I am really blessed to have such great connections.”
Overall, the people in Fayetteville and Beckley have been “so wonderful with their enthusiasm, encouragement and support,” she said.
-- Locally, Chaney has trained and raced with runners such as Larry Taylor and Aaron Kaylor.
“Larry and Aaron are my running partners and best friends,” she says. “They tell like it is and help me keep everything in perspective. I get great training and racing advice and, most importantly, camaraderie.
“We keep each other motivated, share adventures, and even carpool to races. We train together on the track, trails and hills of West Virginia. It doesn’t get any better than here.”
Unless, perhaps, it’s a solid showing on a big stage in Hawaii later next month.
— E-mail: skeenan@register-herald.com
