Six Chelsea Teens Complete Green Mountain Relay Race

Six Chelsea Teens Complete Green Mountain Relay Race By Cornelia Cesari

A team of six Chelsea teenagers was awarded medals for completing the Green Mountain Relay Race this last weekend. Theirs was the only 6 by 6 team of high school students to complete the 200-mile course running the spine of the Green Mountains, from Jeffersonville to Bennington.

"6 by 6" refers to the six runners—Robin Kennedy, Jodi Emerson, Samantha Bonasera, Charlie Mao, Jasmine Braman, and Andrew Richardson—running six legs each, for an average total of over 30 miles each. In training, they were running five to 10 miles a day.

The group of intrepid teens—participating for the personal and team challenge of the experience—were coached by Donny Wilcox. They began running at 6:30 Saturday morning—when many Vermont teens were still abed—and finished at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Their time was about 34 hours, which was consistent with their goals and expectations.

"The first half was good; but towards the end… you had to keep pushing yourself more and more to keep going," recalled Braman, who at 13, was the youngest entrant in the race, running under an age waiver. She didn’t really feel younger, she said, because she was treated equally. Miles are miles, right?

Coach Wilcox is obviously not a sidelines coach, by Braman’s account. "Donny ran 50 plus miles, and my sister Michelle (Smith) ran 40 plus, just to help keep us going," she said. "They were a huge help. Without them, we never could have done it."

Braman, who found the teamwork to be rewarding, added, "We all did our best and the support we had for each other—" she trails off, unable to describe the camaraderie. "People I hardly know would wish me luck! Drivers would honk and cheer us on… It felt so good to know you could do it."

Braman would like to run the race again next year. But for now? Maybe a little rest. "It was a long time to go without getting really good sleep. It felt so good to lie in my own bed!"

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