November 27, 2006 in Idaho

They’re friends in life’s race

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Photo by Patty Hutchens photo

From left, Jennifer Merwin, Judy Thompson, Laurel Taylor, and Jennings Waterhouse and her mother, Gloria Waterhouse, decided to train for the San Francisco Nike Women’s Marathon.
(Full-size photo)

They are known among their acquaintances as the Sushi Girls, eight women who for nearly two years have met twice a month at Sandpoint’s Sand Creek Grill for a night of sushi and talk. All active in charitable organizations in the community, they have helped sponsor events such as the Cancer Care Challenge, a benefit for cancer patients, and have volunteered for the Pend Oreille Arts Council.

But for five of the women, who range in age from 25 to 58, the friendship evolved into an exercise and support group.

Eager to get into a regular workout routine, Gloria Waterhouse asked her friend Jennifer Merwin to help. Merwin, 39, is a seasoned athlete who has been running since high school. She agreed to help Waterhouse with a training program, and three other women quickly joined in.

“It was a huge gift to me and Laurel (Taylor) for these women who were veteran runners to go back to square one,” Waterhouse said. “They waited until we progressed.”

The training, which began in October 2005, started at an easy pace: a minute of running, then walking for three. Over time, Merwin increased the running and decreased the walking.

“I have never trained anyone before, but I had read a lot about how to do it,” she said.

The women used a text messaging network to communicate. Merwin would text each person the night before, instructing them when and where to meet the next morning.

Soon after the training began, the women decided to set their sights on last October’s San Francisco Nike Women’s Marathon.The months of training became a time for the women to bond.

“There was a spectrum of life-changing events that took place (during our training),” Waterhouse said. One of the women, Laurel Taylor, was dealing with the illness and eventual death of her elderly mother. Jennings Waterhouse, Gloria’s daughter and the youngest member of the group, became engaged and was married during the year the group trained together. Together they helped plan her wedding and traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyo., to celebrate her marriage. There were stressful times as Jennifer Merwin had her teenage stepdaughter move into her home, and Judy Thompson took on increased responsibilities with the Pend Oreille Arts Council. But through it all the women supported and learned from each other.

“Lots of times we would meet and we would have so much to talk about we would just go get coffee” instead of running, Taylor said.

To an outsider, it appears to be an unlikely group of friends. But Thompson said their differences make their relationship work.

“We are all various ages and backgrounds that it would seem on the surface that we don’t fit,” she said. “But we all have a lot in common, and the things that we don’t have in common complement each other.”

The reasons for competing in the marathon as well as the life lessons they took away from the experience are also diverse.

“Everyone looked at the race in a different way,” said Laurel Taylor, who along with Gloria Waterhouse ran the half marathon instead of the full.

Merwin finished in 4 hours, 11 minutes, placing her 419 out of more than 17,000 participants and 73rd in her age group. She ran the 26 miles for her mother, who is also a runner.

“She was never able to run a marathon due to injuries, and that’s what got me through miles 20 to 26,” she said. “I also wanted to show my own daughters that you have to take chances and put yourself out there to achieve great things.”

Thompson finished 12th in the 55-to-59 age group.

“You cannot do it alone,” she said. “It is a life lesson for anything you want to accomplish. You really need your family.”

Gloria Waterhouse said she took away lessons that she can apply to any challenge she faces.

“This really changed my thinking about any huge goal,” she said. “If you break something up into small steps, you can accomplish it.”

But for all the women, the most fulfilling aspect was the bond of friendship.

“It was the most self-esteem-building thing to have this group of women supporting one another,” said Gloria Waterhouse.

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