Angela Eversole runs a marathon

By JIM CUNNINGHAM/Staff Angela Eversole wasn’t exactly a top athlete when she attended Fort Chiswell High School. The 1987 FCHS graduate recalls competing in volleyball for one year. But Eversole (formerly Angela Patterson) recently ran in a marathon. Patterson, who now lives in Harrisonburg, ran in the Richmond Marathon on Nov. 14. Before that 26.2-mile run, Eversole said she had only competed in one other race: a 5K (3.1-miles). So why did she undertake such a challenge? She said it was a combination of events that prompted her to begin training for her first marathon. For one thing, she recently reached the age of 40. And one night she was watching the TV program, “The Biggest Losers,” and some of the participants vowed to run a marathon. Although Eversole doesn’t have a weight problem, she said she thought that if they (extremely obese people) could do it, then she could to. She got a friend of hers to agree to train with her. Eversole said that having a running partner was one of the most vital things she did to get ready for the marathon. She received specific instructions for training from the Internet, which advised her to devote six months to get ready for the long run. She began her training last May. Before she started training, her longest run up to that point had been six miles. She gradually began her training by running five days a week. About once a week she ran her longest, about six miles. Three times during the training, she ran 20 miles. She admitted to losing a little weight, and she also lost five toenails during the training period. Eversole said she kept a precise journal of all her training runs leading up to the marathon. Before the big race, she said she had logged in 673 miles in preparation. “This is probably the most dedicated I’ve even been,” she said. She remained on her strict schedule throughout the six months – even when she went on vacation or on business trips. She tried to get her husband, Jeff, to train with her. She said Jeff, who is also in good shape, ran with her at times but apparently didn’t have the patience to devote so much time to the training. Eversole said a goal of hers was to finish the run faster than five hours. She was a little disappointed with her time of five hours, 31 minutes and 15 seconds. She believes one reason she wasn’t faster than that is because she had been recovering from a cold she caught the week before the race. As far as running the marathon, Eversole said it went fairly well until she completed 20 miles. “The last six miles were quite difficult,” she said. The task was made bearable by all the nice people along the route she said. She noted that the Richmond Marathon bills itself as “America’s Friendliest Marathon,” and it lives up to the motto. She said her run was made so much easier by people shouting out encouragement as she passed. She also liked many of the signs people displayed along the course. One of her favorites said, “Toenails are for sissies.” She has taken several days off her training schedule since the marathon but is planning on entering another one in the near future. She has already begun training for a half-marathon. After graduating from Fort Chiswell High School, Eversole graduated from Wytheville Community College with a degree in banking and finance. She is now employed in Harrisonburg as a financial advisor with the Raymond James Financial Services.