Team NOVA Profile ( Summer 2006)
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Official Time/Pace
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Betsey Powers-Sinclair 41
Hospital Administrator
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When her doctor not long ago put "moderately obese" on a health form, Betsey was outraged; she prefers to see herself as "situationally overweight." Until roughly three years ago, Betsey exercised avidly and kept her weight under control. But major surgery for a life-threatening tumor growing from her spine forced Betsey to be sedentary for six months. And this trauma was compounded by a divorce. Now the single mother of two teenage kids, Betsey hopes training for the marathon will be a turning point in her life.
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5hrs. 56min./
13:36 minutes per mile
Betsey ran with a painful urinary tract infection
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Carol Brayboy 44
School Administrator
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As a single working mother of three kids, and a parent for 22 years, Carol has struggled to focus on her own needs and desires. She is also the victim of a traumatic crime—an assault that changed her life. Aided by her spirituality, she's been able to recover, but she still seeks greater well-being. For the past 10 years, Carol has tried, unsuccessfully, to master what she calls the "how-to's of training." She thinks NOVA's project offers her a chance to succeed.
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Just under 7 hrs. (Official timing had stopped.)/Roughly 16 minutes per mile
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Daniel Williams 38
College Counselor
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Daniel is openly gay and has been living with HIV for 13 years. By taking on the NOVA challenge and hopefully doing well in the Boston Marathon, he aims to publicize the fact that people with the virus can nonetheless be fit and healthy. Daniel used to work out occasionally but has found it hard to squeeze regular exercise into his schedule in the last few years. He recently graduated with a degree in social work and now serves as an academic advisor to college students.
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4hrs. 31min./
10:22 minutes per mile
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Jane Viener 59
Preschool Teacher
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Jane is a breast cancer survivor, but she doesn't focus on this past hardship. She's just launched herself into a new career teaching preschool, and she's excited to take on other new adventures. While she knows how to sweat it out as a speed walker, she wants to see if she can step it up some and become a marathoner. She recognizes, however, that she has to balance her incredible desire to run the Boston Marathon with her concern about a family history of heart disease.
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Just under 7 hrs. (Official timing had stopped.)/
Roughly 16 minutes per mile
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Jonathan Bush 37
Entrepreneur and CEO
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A successful businessman born to a powerful political family (his cousin is in the White House), Jonathan's life is in many ways blessed. Yet he is going through a painful divorce, with five kids under the age of 10. Wanting to spend time with his kids, and leading a fast-growing healthcare company, Jonathan has little time to exercise and take care of his own health. He sees training for the marathon as a way to pour himself into something positive.
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3hrs. 53min./
8:53 minutes per mile
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Larry Haydu 56
Psychotherapist
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A decade ago, when he was only in his mid-forties, Larry had a heart attack while shoveling snow. Prompted by the attack, Larry became more active—running and walking and working out on a NordicTrack four times a week. But over time, he lost these healthy habits. His college-bound daughter encouraged him to join Team NOVA. Larry is eager to get back into the routine of exercise, but he's somewhat apprehensive about whether his body will be able to handle the stresses of running 26.2 miles. His wife and parents worry, too.
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6hrs. 17min./
14:23 minutes per mile
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Melissa White 35
University Fundraiser
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Like others on the team, Melissa juggles a lot in her life. She's the mom of two young kids and is working to support her husband through law school. But one thing sets Melissa apart: She has Type 1 Diabetes and wears an insulin pump. She says, "It's not just the 26.2-mile course that seems overwhelming. It's managing the effects of such extreme exercise on diabetes, having the courage to attempt something that feels so undoable, and balancing the training commitment with my professional and personal responsibilities."
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Injuries forced Melissa to stop training with Team NOVA.
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Mic Guaring 37
Physical Therapist
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Mic grew up in the Philippines, where running just for exercise and pleasure is almost unheard of. He has now lived in New England for 11 years. Working as a physical therapist, Mic recognizes the importance of good exercise habits. Yet he describes himself as completely sedentary, other than gardening in the summer. He wants to train for the marathon to improve his general well-being.
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4hrs. 27min./
10:11 minutes per mile
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Ray Rassi 50
Computer Technician
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Like many people, Ray found turning 50 depressing. He didn't want to stay in a rut, feeling like "life was over." Ray has never been "the physical type," and until his brother challenged him to run a 10K race in Puerto Rico in the winter of 2005-2006, Ray had never participated in sports at all. The Puerto Rico run energized him and helped him to see a way out of his mid-life funk. By taking on the NOVA challenge, he wants to prove that there is life past 50.
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4hrs. 29min./
10:16 minutes per mile
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Sama ElBannan 28
Hotel Sales Manager
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In November 2005, a tragic accident shook Sama to the core: a drunk driver struck and killed her mother. Sama's motivation to take on the marathon is emotional—she wants to honor her mother's memory and prove that she has the same strong will and determination she so admired in her mother, an Egyptian immigrant who raised three children and was studying to get a master's degree at the age of 62. Yet Sama's goal won't be easy; she has always been sedentary and has smoked for the past nine years. Follow Sama's journey in her Marathon Diary.
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6hrs. 23min./
14:37 minutes per mile
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Steve DeOssie 43
Sports Commentator
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Steve was a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants (including their 1990 Super Bowl champion team), and the New England Patriots. Steve is divorced, has three grown kids, rides a Harley (on average 20,000 miles per year), and loves a good cigar. He is accustomed to running short distances and then hitting something. The thought of a 6'3" 290-pound former NFL linebacker running a marathon was the most ridiculous thing Steve could think of, so he decided to do it. (Steve joined Team NOVA in the fall of 2006, after another team member was forced to stop running due to injuries.)
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5hrs. 24min./
12:22 minutes per mile
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Vera Yanovsky 21
Student/Administrative Assistant
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Vera, a Russian-American, hasn't always had the healthiest of exercise and eating habits. Two years ago, though, she lost 90 pounds. Vera changed her diet and built up her ability to endure a seven-mile course on an elliptical trainer. Now, with her hectic schedule working at a hospital as well as being a student, Vera doesn't want to lose the momentum. Finishing the Boston Marathon would symbolize for her "the epitome of health and fitness."
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Roughly 7 and 1/2 hours (Official timing had stopped.)
Vera ran much of the way with glass in her foot.
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Xenia Johnson 39
Child Psychiatrist
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Xenia calls herself, somewhat disparagingly, an "aging sedentary physician." As a teenager, she always wondered whether she might have a natural aptitude to run track, but she never tested it out. Now about to turn 40, Xenia feels that there is no time like the present to push herself toward a lifetime goal—completing a marathon. Running the Boston Marathon, one of the toughest courses in the world, would make hitting the goal even sweeter.
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6hrs. 17min./
14:23 minutes per mile
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