DeProsperis Turns Last Chance Into Trip to U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials

The mother of Kate (Reicher) DeProsperis of Downers Grove tried unsuccessfully to get a videotape of her final moments completing the California International Marathon Dec. 4.

The audio said it all. It’s a finish they’ll never forget.

Because of that race, DeProsperis is among roughly 300 women who qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Saturday in Houston. In her final attempt to qualify at the CIM in Sacramento, DeProsperis covered the 26.2 miles in a personal-best 2 hours, 45 minutes, 16 seconds (6:19 mile pace) to beat the B-standard qualifying time of 2 hours, 46 minutes.

DeProsperis, a 1997 Lyons Township graduate who grew up in Burr Ridge, is the only current Illinois resident in the women’s field.

“I would say it was one of the best days of my entire life. I’d almost have to say it’s almost better than my wedding day because I was surprised and I’ve had (the accomplishment) last for 41 days,” DeProsperis said.

“Obviously, the wedding day is the best day of my life, but this is a very close second. You get married and have a honeymoon, and then it’s back to normal, but I’ve had a while to soak this in and have this feeling, and I hope to have it again at the trials. Even if they don’t go well, it’s just an amazing feeling to have gotten to this point.”

The top three finishers in the women’s and men’s finishers at the trials will represent the U.S. at the Summer Olympics in London. The trials will be broadcast from 2 to 4 p.m. by NBC. According to the USA Track & Field website, DeProsperis shares the 166th fastest qualifying women’s time.

Marathon running may seem lonely, but DeProsperis has thrived off the energy and encouragement from Ryan, her husband since 2007, her family and the running community. For more than five years, DeProsperis has trained with 1996 U.S. Olympic marathon runner Jenny Spangler and her running groups, regularly making the 100-mile round-trip drive to Lake Forest for workouts.

Five other Jenny Spangler training partners also competed in Sacramento and helped her work out since the Chicago Marathon Oct. 9. At the CIM, DeProsperis also was immersed with a group of determined women who worked together to break 2:46.

DeProsperis was 25th among women and 139th overall. In a race of 8,000 total entries, about one-fifth the size of the Chicago Marathon, an impressive 29 women finished under 2:46, the last by four seconds. It was more qualifiers at any single event other than last year’s national championships.

After the finish, the Sacramento Bee newspaper photographed DeProsperis embracing fellow trials qualifier Victoria Russell (2:45.52) from Spokane, Wash.– a woman she never met.

“She would not let go of me. It was probably one of the most unbelievably happy moments I’ve ever experienced, and even though I didn’t know them, I got hugs from all of these other girls,” DeProsperis said.

“We all felt the same way. We were all crying. And sobbing. It was just the most raw, emotional experience. And turning around and watching (later qualifiers) finish and seeing their faces, it’s really such a cool experience. I’ll probably never have that feeling again in a race.”

She shared the elation with her family. This was the third straight year DeProsperis ran the CIM, which she initially tried in 2009 as a suggestion by twin sister Carrie Assell, who has lived in California with husband David since 2007.

Like past CIMs, Ryan and Denise Reicher, Kate’s mother, waited near the finish line. They were optimistic since they seen Kate at four points during the race and knew she was ahead of pace, but they couldn’t be sure since the last update was at 20 miles (2:05.35).

“I started crying. (Reicher) started crying. Every single emotion goes through you at that point and time,” Ryan DeProsperis said. “I’m happy for her, but I want her to be happy for herself.”

Wendy Shulik of WendyCity Productions, working on a women’s marathon documentary, interviewed DeProsperis about qualifying moments afterward.

“All I could say was, ‘I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it.’ I think I said that 10 times,” said DeProsperis laughing.

There was an even more memorable video.

Reicher was poised near the finish line holding a point-and-shoot video recorder just over Ryan’s head, ready for the big moment.

Soon after she saw Kate and about to break 2:46, Reicher was overcome with pure joy. While she screamed on the audio, the footage began to shake, spin and go all over the place, finally stopping to the side of Ryan’s smiling face.

“It’s a hilarious video. Her mom just goes ballistic at that point, but there’s no (race) video,” Ryan DeProsperis said. “It’s like 30 seconds of comedy. You don’t know what’s going on. It’s on everything but on Kate.”

DeProsperis certainly has come a long way since her LT cross country and track days, in which she was a part of the Lions' all-state, third-place 3,200-meter relay along with Carrie at the 2007 Class AA girls track state meet. DeProsperis also competed as a walk-on for her first two years at the University of Notre Dame for the women’s cross country and track teams.

In 1999, her first year not on the cross country team, she ran her first marathon in Chicago in 3:48.15. Ten years later in her first CIM, she ran 2:50.40, a then personal-best time by 14 minutes that indicated to her that bigger things could be on the horizon.

Her dedication has helped her become among 75 runners nationwide selected to represent Saucony shoes, which provides her with shoes and gear. She also is part of PowerBar’s TeamElite program, receiving gear and nutritional products. DeProsperis was a member of Dick Pond Racing the previous five years.

Despite having her training hampered from late January to Memorial Day with  misdiagnosed tendinitis in her left knee (actually nerve entrapment), DeProsperis appeared on pace to get the qualifying time in October on her “home course” in Chicago.

DeProsperis had dropped out at the halfway point of the warmer 2010 Chicago Marathon. She realized quickly she didn’t have it this day either. She turned the race into a workout and stopped around 11 1/2 miles, basically because that’s where Ryan and family members were positioned on the course.

“Until I started having this goal, I’d never dropped out of a race before," DeProsperis said. "Having my eye on the bigger picture, sometimes when things aren’t going right, you have to pull the plug for bigger things. It’s not the wrong or wimpy thing but the smart thing to do.

“(In 2010) I had a hard time physically and emotionally getting over Chicago. Because the same thing happened, I was more emotionally ready to move on. Going through it before probably was the most helpful thing.”

Even with disappointing workouts after the 2010 Chicago Marathon, DeProsperis posted yet another personal best at the CIM (2:48.27) and remained optimistic she could come through again.

DeProsperis focused on improving her tempo runs with Spangler, and had the added benefit of teammates who also were working out for the race, a testament to the group's dedication and camaraderie.

“Having them kind of calmed me and made me feel, ‘This is just a training run.’ Jenny said, ‘Just go out there and have a good time.’ I’m like, ‘It’s a marathon. How do you do that?’ ” DeProsperis said.

“I felt like I was ready to do it. I’ve always kind of gone into this that even if didn’t get the (trials cut), I live with no regrets and gave it all I had. I’m proud of what I’ve done because it’s amazing and beyond my expectations over the years. Whatever happens, happens and if I do it, it’s pretty amazing and if not, at least I tried. Not many girls get to be in this position. Having a little bit of that resolved at the starting line made me relax.”

On race day, DeProsperis was relieved to see a designated pacer, who ran the entire course at the 2:46 qualifying pace, and numerous women also seeking the cut. Going into the race, there were at least 100 women entered who previously had broken three hours.

Because of her sponsorships, DeProsperis was among those who had additional water and refueling options during the race, but she and others shared their water and Gatorade with the pack.    

“It just really felt like a team effort out there, even though I didn’t know 90 percent of the girls,” DeProsperis said. “I felt like we were all united for the same goal and we all wanted to help each other out. That helped a lot.”

The gradual downhill slope of the course worked to DeProsperis’ strengths. Her familiarity with the course also was important. In the first third of the race, she calmed other women when their pace fell off during a gradual uphill grade of roughly three miles.

The huge group stayed together for roughly the first 20 miles. There was only a slight moment of panic for DeProsperis around 21 or 22 miles when she took too long at an elite refueling station.

“I missed (the bottle) at first grab and knew I needed it and I took an extra second. The next thing I knew, the group was 10-to-15 yards ahead,” DeProsperis said. “I started to surge and started to feel lightheaded so I decided just to run smart. I already was ahead of pace. As long as I was running the same pace, I knew I would be fine.”

DeProsperis feared for a moment she might have miscalculated when she heard Carrie screaming at the top of her lungs around the 26th mile. But even with her mile pace dropping about five or six seconds the last two miles, DeProsperis still had time on her side.

After the last turn, the finish line is just 100 meters away with a view of the capital building in the background. As DeProsperis approached, the clock was at 2:44.58.

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to get this.’ That was the best feeling,” DeProsperis said. “I heard my name over the (loudspeaker) and just crossing that line with all of the other girls that got it, immediately I went down to my knees and started crying. It will go down as my best race ever.”

The trials will mark the shortest turnaround for DeProsperis between marathon races. She’s curious how she’ll bounce back and thinks she has the chance for another personal best.

All finishers receive a medal.

“I want that medal and all I ask for is to give it my all and do my best. I want to get it framed, get a good picture,” DeProsperis said.

“I’d love to run in the 2:44s, something a little quicker than what I did. My secondary goal is 2:50 and my third goal is just to not come in last. It’s an amazing group of the nation’s best runners and to be part of that is amazing to me.”

There also will be a chance for more video. Ryan, her mother and siblings and the Spangler family are among at least 27 people making the trip for her.

“I never would have thought that many people would come to watch and it’s touching,” DeProsperis said. “It’s been an amazing ride, the amount of people that have reached out to me, e-mailed me, called me, sent Facebook pages.

“I would never believe any of this happening, let alone all of the stuff that’s happened since (the CIM). It shows the power of individuals and how they can make you feel so good. An achievement is not just for an individual.”