I was all smiles with, from left, Lisa Eaton, Eilana Hart and Tisha Money before the Pink Up The Pace 5K in St. Augustine. All four of us will be participating in the Cades Cove 10-Miler on Nov. 10 in Tennessee.
Lisa Eaton had never been to Tennessee until about a year ago when her friend, Tisha Money, told her about the Light the Way 5K at Dollywood.
“Her mom lives near Gatlinburg and told her. I was a relatively new runner of just a couple of years and thought it would be fun to go to Dollywood and run. I even got third in my age group, which was my first time ever placing in my age group,” said Eaton. “I totally enjoyed it and thought it was a great way to start the holiday season running through the park with all those lights.”
Eaton and Money live in St. Augustine, Fla., and will be back in Sevierville, Tenn., again next week for the Light the Way 5K on Nov. 8 along with some other friends. However, Eaton, Money and Eilana Hart are also going to add the Cades Cove Loop Lope 10-Miler on Nov. 10. It’s the only organized footrace held inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park and helps Friends of the Smokies fund park projects and programs.
“We have been training for it,” Eaton said. “Me being a new runner, I have never ran 10 miles until we just did it (recently). Cades Cove looks absolutely beautiful and for us Florida girls it will be a huge accomplishment for all of us and certainly something different. None of us have ever done a 10-mile race.”
I met Eaton, Mooney and Hart recently in St. Augustine at the Pink Up The Pace 5K, a unique run through historic downtown St. Augustine that benefits cancer awareness in various ways (they all easily beat my 5K time and certainly will beat my time in the Cades Cove Loop Lope as well).
They are not letting the recent floods that destroyed part of Interstate 40 that will force them to drive a different route to Tennessee impact their enthusiasm. They plan to get to Tennessee Nov. 6 and stay until Nov. 12.
One part of the trip does have Eaton a bit worried. It’s not unusual to see deer, turkeys and even bears during the Cades Cove Loop Lope and bear activity in the Smoky Mountains has been high recently.
“My girlfriends are so excited about seeing bears but I am petrified,” Eaton, 43, said. “I am anxious to see the bears and the beautiful scenery. I’ve seen photos but I know it will be very different on foot but I don’t want to be too close to any bears.”
Cades Cove Loop Lope is limited to 750 participants for the 10 Miler and 5K combined. It normally attracts participants from 20 or more states.
Eaton said her group plans to also visit Anakeesta, a popular and scenic attraction, try a few dinner places and spend a day possibly shopping in Pigeon Forge.
“One of the girls has never been to the mountains, so she is going to be shocked,” Eaton said.
Eaton started running as a way to get into better physical shape.
“I have not always been into fitness. I started running on a treadmill and hated running,” she said. “If you had told me five years ago I would be getting ready to do the 10 miler at Cades Cove I would have said no way. However, it became a challenge. I did a mile and didn’t die.
“My friends that I worked out with at the gym asked me to run with them one Saturday. I was intimidated but I tried and fell in love with running. I plan to keep running and doing a lot of races.”
She has already registered for the Disney Princess Half Marathon (13.1 miles) in February because of the way her St. Augustine running crew has inspired her.
Eaton knows the Cades Cove Loop Lope will have more difficult hills than she has in Florida but hopes she might be able to finish the course in about 1 hour, 45 minutes.
“Eilana and I run at about the same pace. Tisha is a little slower. When we are all training together, we all just start together and then whoever wants to go faster just goes ahead and does it,” Eaton said. “We are all going to finish the 10 miles. I know that. I just don’t want to be last.”
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Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park assists the National Park Service in its mission to preserve and protect Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If you would like more information about the organization or to make a donation, visit https://friendsofthesmokies.
One Response
Tell Eilana hi honey!!