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TOP JOBS

By SCOTT BEDGOOD
Staff Writer

With the Olympics in Beijing nearing, many of America’s best athletes will be heading to China to compete in tough competitions for their respective countries.

An East Texan has just returned from completing a difficult sporting task, taking part in the Great Wall of China Marathon.

Jennifer Dyess, a Rusk High School graduate, placed seventh in the 20-29 women’s age division and was 33rd overall in the unique event. There were 173 women competing, including 31 women in her division.

Dyess, 25, who lives in China teaching kindergarten English classes and participating in mission work, says she heard about the marathon while running in a half-marathon in Shanghai.

“After that I relocated to Beijing to fill in for a teacher that had left,” she said. “This made it very convenient to be able to run the marathon without having to buy a plane ticket or anything.”

According to Dyess, the course is not completely on the wall as the wall isn’t continuous for 26 miles.

“(The course) is actually on the wall for about four miles, then it goes through villages and orchards, before going back on the wall,” she said.

Dyess, who did not run track in high school but competed in cross country for a year at Dallas Baptist University, said she ran as much as she physically could until the course became too unstable for anyone to run. At one point the course required runners to use the aid of a rope, she said.

“There is a rope connected to one side of the wall because, at this part there is only one side of the wall,” Dyess said. “It is like running on the side of a cliff with no guardrails. I knew if I slipped on the rocks that would be the end of my running career.”

Dyess trained from December 2007 until May 17, 2008 for the May event. Dyess’ reasons for competing in this event are simple.

“I love challenges and I kind of get tired of running half-marathons and things here in the States,” she said. “I just wanted a challenge and I thought how amazing would it be to put together my passion for running and the fact that I live in China and compete in this marathon. So I thought ‘I have to do it.’”

Dyess ran marathons to prepare for the race and says that the Great Wall of China Marathon couldn’t compare to any other race that she has ever competed.

Her times in the earlier events were around 3 hours and 45 minutes, but her time in the Great Wall Marathon was 5 hours and 3 minutes.

“Running up 3,800 stairs, it majorly slows you down, with the ground uneven and the rocks slipping under your feet, it doesn’t compare to a real marathon,” she said. “It is one of the most difficult marathons.”

Dyess said the stairs were the hardest part for her because they are uneven and rocks are always falling under the competitors’ feet.

Despite the training, and the difficult and sometimes dangerous terrain, Dyess says it was all worth it in the end.

“My favorite part was when we finished, you have to run under the wall and you end up in a courtyard surrounded by the Great Wall and it is just breathtaking,” she said. “And to know that I have finished this marathon, it was incredible.”