Two former Shippensburg University cross-country runners, Neely Spence Gracey and Josh Neyhart competed in the rain-soaked Staten Island Half-Marathon Sunday.
Battling rain and 40-mph gusts of wind, with a 20-mph sustained wind and a flooded course, Spence Gracey and Neyhart finished 17th and 18th respectively, in the half-marathon.
Spence Gracey and Neyhart both finished with a time of 1:13:03. Spence Gracey’s finish was first among female runners and 17th overall, while Neyhart finished 18th-overall and 17th among male runners.
“My goal was 1:13:30, and I ran a 1:13:03,” Spence Gracey said. “I definitely surpassed my own expectations.” For Neyhart, it was a successful race as well.
“Considering it was a workout-like effort I was very happy,” he said. “It’s the fastest I’ve ever run a half-marathon.”
For Spence Gracey, it was a day to work out the kinks before running the New York City Marathon.
Spence Gracey also got a chance to run the final 11 miles of the New York City Marathon course last Friday, giving her a chance to prepare for the end of the grueling race.
“Today I wanted to have a dress rehearsal for the New York City Marathon. Course conditions were not ideal but I felt very calm, very relaxed,” Spence Gracey said. “Running the final 11 miles of the course yesterday helped me mentally prepare for the hills and get a feel for the [New York City] course.”
“It was a good effort for me,” Neyhart said. “It was basically a workout and helping Neely get her last hard effort in before New York City.”
For Spence Gracey, a 2012 graduate, the race was a final workout before running the New York City Marathon on Nov. 6, which will be the second full marathon Spence Gracey has run in her career.
Spence Gracey previously ran the Boston Marathon and was the first female finisher for the United States with a time of 2:35:00.
More recently, Spence Gracey ran the Philadelphia Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon, finishing with a time of 1:12:08.
Spence Gracey expressed the challenges of training for a full marathon, as opposed to a half-marathon.
“It definitely makes a big difference,” she said. “I transitioned after Philly to work toward endurance. I wanted to work on not just speed, but longer races. My performance proved my fitness is there and I am very happy with where I am right now.”
For Neyhart, a 2011 graduate, this is just another step forward in a competitive running career. Neyhart started running again competitively in 2013, and is currently being coached by former SU alumnus, Dillon Gracey.
“At this point, I’m still doing it to be competitive,” Neyhart said. “It doesn’t hurt to stay fit either.”
Neyhart hopes to participate in the Rothman Institute 8K in Philadelphia Nov. 19.
“At this point, I’d like to break my college 8K [personal best],” Neyhart said. “Other than that I just pick and choose the races as I go along. There’s many good opportunities out there for post collegiate runners.”
Neyhart’s record 8K time was 24 minutes and 46 seconds.
For Spence Gracey, the New York City Marathon is just another stepping stone on her path to becoming a member of the 2020 Olympic team in Tokyo, Japan. Her father, Steve Spence medaled in Tokyo during the 1993 World Championships, earning a bronze medal.
Both runners have expressed the importance of their running careers at SU to their current successes.
“It was a great experience,” Neyhart said.
“Some of the most enjoyable years of my life to date. I learned a lot about teamwork and learned how to be a great athlete under coach Spence. Even more than that, I gained some of my best friends while on the team and we all stay in close touch today.”
“The continued support from theShippensburg community has been instrumental in my journey,” Spence Gracey said.
Both runners have made a name for themselves after SU and are working to continue extremely successful running careers.
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