Carol Bender: Winning Race with Time
Photo: Carol Bender is pictured here when she was MR's 1991 Female Runner of the Year.

Carol Bender laments that she tends to rocket through the first miles of race and not conserve enough for rest of it.

"Sometimes I forget I'm not supposed to run with the lead women," says the 65-year-old Middleville resident. "I end up struggling through the middle of the race, then having to really kick at the end to run a decent time."

Even so, our Senior Female Runner of the Year had some sparkling efforts in 2004. Among women 60 and older, she finished first at the Fifth Third River Bank 25K (2:12:40), Cherry Festival 15K (1:20:05), and Reeds Lake 10K (51:18).

"I'm happy I'm winning my age group," Bender says. "But I'm not completely happy with my times."

For example, she was pleased with her age-group win at the River Bank 25K, but couldn't quite cuddle up with her time. "I used to always break 1:50 there," she remembers. "I still think I should be able to break two hours."

Bender clocked her best 25K in 1992 with a 1:46:40. Her other PRs include a 39:55 10K and 19:50 5K. She was MR's 1991 Female Runner of the Year.

Plantar fasciitis has slowed her in recent years. "From the end of 1999 to the end of 2001, the only running I did was back and forth across the pool," she says. "My doctor wouldn't let me run more than five minutes a day, after that - at first."

Bender has gradually built up her mileage to where she can race again. "The plantar hurt my confidence too," she says.

She did not start racing until after her 40th birthday. Her son Greg, a former high school cross country runner, remembers entering a 10K, when he was in college during the early '80s, with his mother.

"At first I was ahead of her, but she beat me," Greg Bender says. "That told me how serious she was about running."

Along with Greg, Carol's family includes her husband, Bob, and daughters Cheryl Hemond and Julie Cleary- all of whom compete in road races.

"Mom is an inspiration to us all," says Greg, who recently ran a 3:11 PR at the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon.

"Greg keeps saying I should run a marathon," says Carol Bender. "It's in the back of my mind. Right now, my focus is on running a good River Bank Run - it's my favorite race - next year." MR