Running Around the World

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Running Around the World

 By: LeRoy Kopp

On April 27th 2025, a new world record was set at the London Marathon by boasting the most runners to ever complete a single marathon, with 56,640 runners. That’s a massive crowd of marathoners to pound the tarmac (as the Brits say) at one of the world’s 7 marathon majors.

One local runner who was fortunate enough to be able to compete in and complete this historic race was Eugenia Resendiz Clark from Emporium, Pennsylvania. When you consider that there were 840,318 applications for race entry, it was a very big deal that she was able to secure entry into this monumental race.

Although Eugenia had previously attempted to achieve entry into the London Marathon for the last 3 years, she had not been able to secure entry until this year. This year she was lucky enough to gain entry into the race by with a working with a travel company that helps interested runners gain entry through a mutual relationship with the race organizers. Race entry is potentially a once in a lifetime opportunity for the majority of runners, so Eugenia made good on the opportunity and began her London marathon training block.

Of course Eugenia’s running journey did not start the moment she was accepted into London, but rather she has been building up to it for several decades. The 52 year old engineer and mother of 2 began running as a teenager in Mexico. Her school did not have a cross country or track team but she ran independently as she found it was an activity that she really enjoyed. She also ran frequently in college as a great way to stay fit and healthy.

It was after her daughter Clara was born though (Clara is currently in high school), when she began taking running more seriously. The stimulus for this transfer of focus was the 2010 Tom Hutton 5k in Emporium which after completing she thought, “that wasn’t too bad.” She then singed up for more 5k’s, then a 10k, then a 25k and a half marathon. If you have been running steadily for a few years you can probably relate.

However it was the 2016 Boulder Dash, which was a 20 mile trail race in Ridgway, Pennsylvania that really got her interested in the marathon. After the difficult race someone said to her, “well you know you only got to run another 6 miles for a marathon.” Now this author call tell you from experience that the Boulder Dash was every bit as hard if not harder than a marathon as it contained over 4000ft of climbing through the forests outside of Ridgway. I have done it a few times and it definitely got the best of me and left me beat up each time I have raced it. Eugenia’s experience is a great example of how you never know when someone says something profound that sticks with you through the years or fundamentally changes your thought process or behavior even if the person had no idea that would be the result. For Clark it was, “a marathon is only 6 miles farther,” that got her into marathon training mode.

The London Marathon this year was by no means Eugenia’s first. She completed the New York City Marathon in 2017, then the Chicago Marathon in 2018 (both world majors). She then ran a BQ (Boston qualifier) at the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton PA, with a 3:54 qualifying time. Unfortunately though, since qualifying times for Boston can change due to the amount of people with BQ’s seeking entry, she ended up just missing out qualifying for that legendary race. However, when she got selected for London this year she would make good on the opportunity and represent Cameron County well. Eugenia trained hard throughout the winter and early spring by doing her shorter runs (usually 6-7 miles throughout the week) after work, then typically did her longer runs on Fridays and Sundays. She also regularly does strength training twice a week to become a stronger and more durable runner to help run smooth and prevent injury. She also maintains a strong emphasis on good nutrition (that’s what we like to hear!). In fact, she is a certified personal trainer with a certification in nutrition as well. She is emphatic enough about fitness and nutrition that she has her own personal training business in addition to being a full time engineer. Her business is Catlike Fitness(contact info: 814-335-7348 or catlikefitness2@yahoo.com). She is actively taking clients if you happen to be looking for a good trainer. Finally, after a long winter training block in which she used her knowledge, discipline and experience to prepare; she was ready for the big day. Eugenia’s husband and 2 children also traveled to London with her for an unforgettable family get away. They were able to have a wonderful trip by enjoying the main attractions such as, a huge Ferris wheel called the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Churchill War Rooms. She also got to watch her daughter Clara (former Fitness Fun ninja champion) run and crush a 5k at nearby Hyde park in a time of 23:25 the day before the marathon. Clark says that it was the best family vacation they had to date.

When marathon day arrived it was a warm one with temperatures peaking in the 70’s, which definitely added an additional challenging element for Eugenia, especially after having trained through a Pennsylvania winter in temps ranging from 19-40 degrees.

She reports that her race was going rather well throughout the first half but abruptly came to a halt when she tripped and fell around mile 16 and hit both her and her head off the ground. She is not sure but thinks there was an uneven patch of pavement that caused this fall which she says was fairly common on the London streets. Immediately two nearby gentlemen momentarily stopped their race to help her up and get to her senses. She was bruised but not bleeding and was thinking to herself, “is my race over?” Adrenaline however, kicked in and she was able to continue on without noticing any more pain from the fall. The human body can be quite amazing in these situations. She was able to hold strong through the heat and the unexpected fall and forged on to complete the historic race in a time of 4 hours and 5 minutes. Thus Clark was able to accomplish something big that few runners will get to experience. She achieved this by training for and competing in the largest marathon of all time in a city rich in history and culture. Clark says she plans on to continue to train as she loves having the strength to run and loves the way it makes her feel. She also say that like almost all of us who regularly run she still has days that are tough and she thinks, “why do I keep doing this?” I think all of us runners can relate. She doesn’t let the hard days derail her though as she has big plans. She says she will definitely continue to do regular strength training and also looks forward to doing some cycling too. Her main focus for the future, though, is to qualify for the legendary Boston Marathon even if it takes a few years. She will need approximately a time of 3:50 or less for her age group qualify (can vary year to year). Get it!

Eugenia is a great example of what a person can accomplish athletically with enough persistence, enough willingness to take care of their body as a whole and with enough study in the field of health and fitness. Her biggest advice to other runners is “don’t forget to get in regular strength training sessions as they will help to strengthen your muscles, tendons and bones, which will in turn help you to stay healthy and prevent injury.” She also encourages others to just do the best they can even if what you plan doesn’t quite go as you had hoped. She also said, “I would like to mention that I am always inspired by other runners in the area including but not limited to: the legendary Bev Yates, Beth Horning, Jenn Morelli, Jason Tanner, and Brandon Nussbaum. I felt humbled to met runners in London that ran Boston the week before and were running another marathon a week after London. It was also amazing to meet a runner like Kelly McLay, who did the unthinkable and ran 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents in 2018.

Every runner has a wonderful story. Thanks for what you do!” Finally she emphasizes that if there is something you really love to do then just do it and make it happen! Well done Eugenia! Thank you for representing our area so well on the international scene and being a great example for not only your own children but for the rest of us as well!