When Salt Lake resident Jann Bunnell, 52, ran the Boston Marathon this year she gave everything she had.
That's about the only strategy she knows.
Competing in her first Boston Marathon, the Salt Lake native finished sixth in the veteran women's division (50-59) of the historic race. She logged a time of 3 hours, 25 minutes to complete the 26.2-mile course, becoming the only Utahn to finish in the top 10 in any division of the event.
"I am kind of driven. I do things till it's done. When I run, I give it my all. I like to compete hard when I am out there," Bunnell says, revealing a dogged determination that changed her life.
The road to achievement has had its ups and downs. She stopped once but never gave up.
At the St. George Marathon last November, Bunnell clocked a time of 3 hours and 24 minutes, which qualified her for the Boston Marathon on April 17.
She had qualified for the Boston race all five times she ran the St. George. "I didn't go to Boston earlier ... but last year I told myself, 'Come on, do it.'
"If I do it, I will do it well," Bunnell says about her approach.
This approach stood her in good stead as she spent the next few months prepping for the Boston race, running five days a week, lifting weights and swimming.
In Boston, the last 10 miles are uphill. She trained for the race, charting a course along the Wasatch Front down and up beside I-80, turning back on the gradual uphill toward her home near Emigration Canyon.
Bunnell, a homemaker and grandmother, embarked on a running career at age 35 after her fifth child was born.
She chose running out of compulsion. "I had five girls. Staying always inside the house, I was going crazy. (Going to the track was) a refreshing change," she said.
Once on the track, people urged her to compete. "Why don't you try running races?" friends asked. When she did, companions challenged her to try a marathon.
However, after finishing in the top 10 in three St. George marathons and clocking a personal best of 3 hours and 10 minutes, Bunnell's running career was sidelined by health issues. "While running back then, I used to feel worn out and bad by the afternoon. And a medication for depression I was taking left me with no desire," she explained.
Still, she didn't quit. She kept exercising and walking. But, Bunnell had to wait. "I started running again when my youngest daughter went to high school," she says.
Back again after 10 years, she hit the track with more fire and hunger. She finished first in her age classification in the 2004 Deseret News Marathon. The next year, she continued the streak, winning her age group at the St. George Marathon despite not being able to do as much training as she wanted. The win buoyed her.
Bunnell observes a consistent routine, which helps her attain the 7 1/2 mph speed needed to win races. "I found a schedule I like to follow. There are days when I push hard, on others, I don't. During the week, I work to get the miles in." She eats a lot of healthy foods and prefers plain pasta for "carbo-loading" before races.
In her renewed passion for running, Bunnell logs 30-40 miles a week these days. She runs three to four times a week, working up from eight to 20 miles. On other days she works out in the pool, at the elliptical machine or does weights for upper-body strength.
Her upcoming goals are to run the St. George Marathon in October and to participate in the Salt Lake Marathon next year. When she won her age group last year at St. George, the athlete was awarded a stipend of $120. "I will go for the stipend this year, too," she said.
"My plan is to do two marathons a year," she added.
The highlight of Boston, which was in its 110th year, was people's enthusiasm, Bunnell said. More than a half-million spectators lined the course, passing out oranges, bananas, pretzels, ice and water as they cheered on the 20,117 competitors. "So many people were cheering for you ... it egged me on," she said.
Heartbreak Hill was the biggest challenge. "We had to go up and down toward the end. It was tough to keep going uphill. I said to myself, 'Keep going, don't quit.' "
Quit? Bunnell didn't, even though she couldn't sleep well the night before because she was nervous.
But she overcame the odds, etching a glorious moment. However, Bunnell is not sure whether she'll return to Boston next year. "It's like having a baby. You never quite know whether you want one more yet," she said.
Her husband, Bob, who accompanied Bunnell to Boston, says, "Now she is familiar with it (the Boston track). She can do better next year."
"Well, for Boston, (I have) got to try and see what you get upon winning the marathon," Bunnell quips.
Here in Salt Lake City, Bunnell has her family and children. When not running, she does yard work, keeps books for her family property and watches her grandchildren's soccer and rugby games. "I spend time with my grandkids. I like projects, and I like being creative."
"She raised the kids, got them through high school and accomplished her personal goals. She really could run for hours and not even get tired. I am proud of her," Bob says.
Bunnell has a very supportive family to fall back on. "When I returned to track my family was hugely supportive."
Bob dons multiple hats. He describes himself as "her chief course driver, her physiotherapist, her secretary, cheerleader and her biggest fan."
"Boy, once she sets her mind on anything, she gets it done," Bob says raising a thumb up for his wife's "give it all" strategy.
E-mail: schakraborty@desnews.com