Jackie’s hometown is Crosby, Texas. She and her husband, Vaughan met in the Air Force, have been married for 12 years and have a son Elijah, who she describes as a “super silly 7 year old who is the perfect combination of us both.”
Jackie’s first and only marathon, and the farthest distance she has run was the San Francisco Marathon, back when her husband and she were dating. She describes it as the “most amazing run I’ve ever done!” The completion of this marathon is her proudest running moment, finishing in 4:32. After many years away from marathon running Jackie states, “I’ve built the courage up to train for the Mickelson Trail Marathon this year.”
One of Jackie’s favorite courses is the Thoen Stone Seven in Spearfish. She says, “One minute your running on a flat surface, then up a mountain, then climbing rocks, more running, but on a narrow path on the side of the mountain and then back down the mountain….It’s a beautiful course with many natural obstacles and the entire time you’re running you’re praying that you don’t get eaten by a mountain lion…Awesome race!
While Jackie enjoys Rapid City, she is a Texas girl at heart, and prefers to run in hot weather. She loves the hot humid weather. You will most often find her running in the mornings, stating “I’m a morning person; there is nothing more relaxing than exhausting yourself from a morning run!” When asked if she has ever run in a costume she responds, “Nope, but it sounds like fun.”
Running for Jackie is her “me time” or “therapy”. Most of the time, she prefers to run alone, enjoying the opportunity to focus with no distractions. She states, “Sometimes when I’m feeling tired and I want to quit I think about my mom. She refused to quit fighting cancer until the day it finally took her. I run for her, I run to be a healthy role model for my son and I run for the simple fact that I can.”
Jackie’s Favorites: Snacks on a run: maybe a ½ of a banana during a long run. My secret weapon for pre long runs is a giant stack of pancakes. I must have my pancakes! Post race nosh: Whey protein shake w/ kale, strawberries, peaches, banana, chia seeds and blue berries.
Jackie completes the following sentences:
If I didn’t run I would probably be weaving baskets in a nut house.
I can’t run without my IPOD!
I run, therefore I am calm.
Having lived in a lot of places, Jackie shares that “there is nothing more inspiring than seeing the awesome trails here full of people running, walking, and biking! I really appreciate the BHRC, everyone is super supportive of each other and go out of their way to help out in any way that they can. When I directed the Resolution 5k to raise money for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life this past year I had runners that I didn’t even know requesting via FB to help out with the race. Thank you for your support and friendships!”