Gail Waesche Kislevitz was born September 29, 1951. A Libra, she likes to keep her life balanced and running is a big part of that.  She grew up in Oradell, New Jersey, and spent her summers in New London at the family home on Long Island Sound. It was there on the beach that she watched her older brothers who ran cross-country and track for River Dell High School, run sprints in the sand. She wanted to do the same thing, to feel the wind and splash of the surf, to push herself and come back sweaty and jump in the water for a cool down. As girls back in those days were not encouraged to run, she started running under cover of darkness when she was sixteen, the summer of1968. She pulled on her Keds and took the family dog with her as her first running partner. And she never stopped. She’s run 26 marathons, did a half Ironman, and continues to get a thrill every time she steps out the door for a run. She’s not a streaker, doesn’t hold a record, isn’t fast, but she is a lifetime runner.

Started running/years: August of 1968, 50 years. And counting.

Why did you start running? I was a tomboy and loved