South Elgin woman helps runners achieve their goals

For those readers who think running a 5K race - or running at all - is out of their reach, think again.

Members of the Meaney Running Club in South Elgin have a few stories that should give any aspiring runner the nudge to get off the couch and start running. There's the South Elgin man who was pronounced dead after a serious snowmobile accident, and another resident who ran her first 5K without stopping at the age of 59; nothing could stop them from achieving their goals.

Named after the group's leader, Nancy Meaney, 49, a South Elgin fitness instructor and with a passion for running, the club meets weekly for training runs and participates in races from April through November.

"It started with a handful of people who asked if I could train them for a race," Meaney said. "It has grown to over 60 members and we pick up new members at every race."

Here are some of their stories.

For information on the Meaney Running Club, e-mail meaneytraining@aol.com

Sara Johnson, 60

South Elgin

Running five kilometers, or 3.1 miles, without stopping seemed near impossible for Sara Johnson, an avid walker with bad knees. But at this year's Healthy Hop in Geneva, Johnson finished her first 5K race without a walking break.

"I wanted to challenge myself and see if I could do it," Johnson said. "I have been a walker for almost 35 years. I stepped up my training to prove to myself that I could do it."

Even an operation to repair a torn meniscus couldn't stop Johnson from achieving her goal.

"I don't give up," she said.

Although Johnson had worked out with Meaney for years at a South Elgin fitness club, it wasn't until last fall that Johnson started training with the club for a race.

"It is such a great team with wonderful people involved with it," Johnson said. "Every person, whether you are the first person to cross the finish line or the last, you are greeted at the finish line. I have never been a part of something that is so positive and so much fun."

Training six days a week on the elliptical machine, stationary bike and treadmill has helped Johnson drop from a size 14 to a size 8.

"I can't tell you how much weight I have lost because I threw away the scales, but I am now a size 8," she said.

Kimberly Church, 25 Carpentersville

Joining the running club has been a godsend for Kimberly Church, a 25-year-old Carpentersville resident who could barely walk to her car, had reached the end of the line battling weight and dealing with losing a job.

After eight months of training with Meaney, who happens to be her aunt, Church said she has last over 100 pounds, taken about 11 minutes off her mile time and can now hit notes as a singer she never dreamed of.

"I really wanted to lose weight and I had hit rock bottom," said Church, who weighed 350 pounds eight months ago. "I really needed support."

So Sharp went from sitting on the couch with food to cope with losing a job, to attending her aunt's aerobics classes and eating healthy.

"Some people call (Nancy) crazy, but she is so dedicated to what she is doing and helping people reach their goals," Church said. "If you tell her your goal, you'd better be ready to work to get there."

Starting out was tough.

"I hated running because I was so bad at it," she said. "I was always out of breath. Now breathing isn't even a problem. I have run eight races this year."

Sharp said she could run a mile in about 20 minutes, running one lap and walking the next.

"Now I can run a mile in under nine minutes," Sharp said. "I want to run the marathon next year."

Grant Sharp, 26

South Elgin

On his 25th birthday, Grant Sharp woke up in a hospital bed after a horrific snowmobile accident in Wisconsin.

For two months, Sharp could not walk - or move - suffering broken bones and a punctured lung.

Police said Sharp, who was riding with two friends, failed to stop at an intersection and was thrown under an SUV that had slowed for a stop sign. Sharp was pinned under the SUV and dragged about 60 feet.

"I stopped breathing for a while," Sharp said. "I was revived in the back of the ambulance."

About six months after the accident, which happened in January 2008, Sharp was still dealing with chronic pain, his life slowly degenerating. So, he decided to make changes to strengthen his body, as well as his mind,

"I did not like where my life was going, so I started to get active," Sharp said. "That's where I met Nancy and she has been the be all and end all because I was aimlessly doing my thing and she put structure into my workout."

Sharp said he began working out consistently this year and has run five 5K races this year. From bedridden to finish line-bound, Sharp said he could not have made the recovery without Meaney and his friends at the running club.

"Nancy teaches and inspires," Sharp said. "Her enthusiasm keeps you engaged.

"I used to live with chronic pain from the broken bones, but now I feel like I am 16 again."