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2013 Runners’ Stories
This year’s sampling of triumphs, milestones and memories
Stiff Competition (B2B)
Australian Shane James’s life changed in March 2007 with a diagnosis of a rare degenerative disease
called Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS). It began to twist his limbs cruelly, attack his entire body in odd ways
and making his life a pain-filled nightmare. It couldn’t kill a strong spirit, however, and now running
keeps Shane out of a wheelchair, or much worse. Three weeks ago he ran his first 100-miler, winning his
age group and placing sixth overall. A documentary of his experience, “Run to Live,” is now in
production. Shane runs to combat the disease, and also to raise awareness for rare diseases.
Vegging Out For Good
Combine a world-class competitive bodybuilder with cross-fit, brain surgery, a vegan lifestyle and
teaching 8th grade in Watsonville schools, and you get Billy “Pruz” Prusinowski. Adversity has come in
the form of extensive brain surgery at 16, being a vegan in a field dominated by carnivores
(bodybuilding) and making it through UCSC unassisted. “I’m under orders to take major doses of
medicine daily and ‘take it easy/not exert myself.’ LOL to that too.”
From Flatline to Finish Line
At 41, Ellen Charnley discovered she had a congenital heart defect by pure chance. If undetected it
would have led to her death perhaps within a few weeks. Instead open-heart surgery led to healing,
then training with seven other heart patients for an Ironman race in Arizona. From this "Team
Ironheart" was born, promoting a heart healthy lifestyle, and will be represented on the Big Sur course
by Ellen's husband, Don Bowman, and others. They also just completed filming “HEART: Flatline to
Finish Line,” a soon-to-be-released documentary on these extraordinary experiences, and have written
a book for those facing open heart surgery. You can read more about it at
www.ellenliveslifetothefull.com.
A Certified Hero (21-Miler)
Kathy Smith will be running the 21-miler. A fire captain now retired due to work-related lung injuries,
she was one of the first female firefighters in the state of California, and in the 1970s became one of the
state’s first emergency medical technicians, where she earned two “hero” certificates for lifesaving. In
2005, she lost her husband, also a firefighter, to lung injuries suffered in the line of duty. She has been
raising his granddaughter as a single parent, and has still run seven marathons, one ultra, and hiked the
Grand Canyon rim to rim three times.
Out of Africa (10.6 Miler)
After travels in 61 countries, professional photographer Paul Sivley doesn’t rank anywhere higher than
Big Sur. His recent stint in Zimbabwe jails as a result of his photographic project “Out of the Shadows:
Inspiration Women in Zimbabwe” certainly doesn’t compare. A regular for 15 years at the new
Camoldoli Hermitage in Lucia, he’ll be running the 10.6 miler.
Running Through Adversity
Over the years, through divorce, loss of job and mother, financial hardship and heartbreak, Juli-Ann
Sannuto had running as her constant. Then in November 2010, a brain tumor—a grade II glioma tumor
specifically—changed her life. She’s risen above brain surgery, setbacks and an uncertain prognosis and
was inspired to run Big Sur by her 15-year-old son’s encouragement. For Julie, “running and a healthy
lifestyle were meant not to guarantee me a long life, but a life worth living every day, whatever
happens.” Her latest PR for a marathon? 3:19.
Turning A Life Around
By 2008, Paul McAuley weighed in at 300 pounds and sported a life spun out of control by too much
food, drinking and entertaining every day. By December 2009, he had run the Dallas White Rock
Marathon and was well on the road to a changed life. He will arrive at the Big Sur Marathon 100 pounds
lighter after life-changing decisions.
Bill, Please! (B2B)
In 2001 at 51, watching an interview with Bill Clinton on his taking heart disease head-on, turned Eric
O'Grey's life in an entirely new direction. At the time, he was taking $1,000 in medication a month, he
weighed 280 pounds, had Type 2 diabetes, his waist was 50 inches and his total cholesterol was 300.
Every diet had failed, but after Googling “Clinton plant-based diet” he switched to eating solely organic
whole plant foods. Now 100 pounds less, his measurements and health are excellent and he’s
medication free.
A Stroke and Good Fortune (B2B)
In 2003 and at 27, Christy Kirk had a stroke, then surgery to correct a congenital heart defect. It has
been a long road for her, but ten years later she is a practicing dentist with four children, a 3:10 PR at
the 2011 Boston Marathon, and is running the Boston to Big Sur Challenge to raise money Stroke
Awareness through Tedy Bruschi’s Marathon Team.
Boston2Big Sur -- Participants of Note
Youngest participant - Alexandra Wood, 19, Sacramento, CA 916-838-0984 or alexwood14@yahoo.com
Oldest participant - Janet Holloway, 73, Monterey, CA, 831-373-5265 or tutuandtutuman@sbcglobal.net
There are 20 "grizzled vets" -- runners who will participating in their 4th B2B
Thirteen B2Bers are from Monterey County
Eight B2Bers are couples