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20 MAY 2011
Lauria
continued froM PAGe 19
a full array of the Cape’s winter
conditions – snow, sleet, rain and
a gloomy chill – but despite this
typical fare, more than 4,000 of the
5,500 who had entered showed up to
complete their races, 3,700 of them in
Betty’s event alone. “It was not a nice
day”, she recalls, “but thankfully there
was no ice.” It took her two hours and
33 minutes, far longer than the winning
time of Brockton’s Caitlin Snow,
a 29-year-old triathlete who took
the honors for the fourth time in her
one-hour-and-17-minute finish, but
Betty was happy. Her run was about
completing her goal, not the time it
took to do it.
Her accomplishment was widely
publicized when her friend Kevin
wished her a happy
birthday in a quarter-page
Hanlon’s ad in the Cape
Cod Times. A smiling
Betty was pictured with
fellow Wednesday night
runners and congratulated
for her “half-marathon
debut at age 50” with a
P.S. tacked on for good
measure: “You certainly
don’t look or act 50!” Of
course the fact that she was actually
60 made it even more fun. Although
this soft-spoken teacher is prone to
downplaying her youthful appearance
and is too modest to indulge in bragging
rights, Betty got a huge kick out
of it. So did the friends and students
who mailed her several copies, some
tucked inside birthday cards.
Now planning to enter the June 18
5K Run/Walk for the Arts sponsored
by Yarmouth’s Cultural Center of
Cape Cod, she is shooting for a better
finishing time in this race, which she
has run every year since its inception
nine years ago. Still pursuing her
Saturday long runs and early-morning
40-minute ones, she has been joined
by her husband because one running
buddy was sidelined by an injury and
another sometimes gets sidetracked by
other demands. Since it’s still dark out
when her day begins at 5 a.m., Tom
does not want her running alone. As
a result, he has gotten back into the
sport, proudly accompanying his wife
on the last four miles of her milestone
half-marathon.
To complement their running, the
couple practices oi gong, an ancient
Her run
was about
completing her
goal, not the
time it took to
do it.
Chinese system of movement and
meditation that calms the spirit,
strengthens the body and builds the
immune system. Betty has also
studied yoga with Lynette Walker in
Dennis. “Sometimes my friends and
I would do a hot yoga class after our
long run. I’d be like a wet noodle by
the end of Saturday.”
Once she’s hit the road, Betty
would rather talk with her friends
than listen to music on an iPod.
“That’s too dangerous. I like to know
who is around me and what’s going
on. But when Tom runs with us, he
can’t get a word in edgewise.” She
does admit to being motivated by a
Bruce Springsteen concert she caught
on TV one day when bad weather
kept her inside on the treadmill and
was also impressed by a YouTube
video, sent by her sister-in-law, of
90-year-old runner Olga Kotelko, British
Columbia’s Master Athlete of the
Year in 2009 and still an avid runner.
“Now that’s an inspira-
tion!”
She’s not a big carboloader
and practices no
quirky race day superstitions
but swears by her
pink and silver Mizuno
Wave Riders, sitting at the
ready by her kitchen door.
Although the desire for
fitness and weight control
led her to running, the activity has
produced many more benefits. She
extols it as a stress reliever. “It definitely
helps me stay calm. There are
a lot of budget problems right now.
We get nervous about what’s going to
happen. They have already cut library
programs; it’s heartbreaking.”
Running’s also an energy booster. “I
have to be energized to keep up with
a classroom full of eighth-graders!”
Some students show up to cheer
her on while others have themselves
become runners. “I like to be a role
model,” she adds.
Another huge reward has been a
wealth of new friendships. Between
fellow teachers who are also runners
and the Wednesday night group sponsored
by Hanlon’s, she has widened
her circle.
“I’ve met some of the nicest people
and they have been so supportive.
When I first started out, it took me
forever to run three miles but they
were always so encouraging.”
Not surprisingly, BettyAnn Lauria
encourages everyone to take up running.
“I highly recommend it to everyone,
no matter how old,” she says. “I
don’t think it’s ever too late to start.”
Ma k i n g Fr i e n d s
Seek new friends through this column by sharing your name, town,
interests and contact information with the author at joanofma@
hotmail.com. A friendship matchmaking service is not offered beyond
these pages.
Film BuFFS, unite
My mother’s discussion
group came up with
a great topic recently.
Each member was
asked to list her alltime
favorite movies. As you can
imagine, hearing what everyone else
came up with sparked
additions to each person’s
list. After the meeting,
my mother and I got into
a lively discussion of the
movies we loved: “The
In-Laws” (“Serpentine
Shelly. Serpentine!”);
“The Great Race”
(“Push the button,
Max!”); “Gone with
the Wind” (“Frankly,
my dear ...”); “The
Ladykillers” (the original
with Alec Guinness,
not the remake); “The
Graduate” (“.. here’s
to you, Mrs. Robinson
...”); “The Wizard of
Oz” (“Pay no attention
to that man behind
the curtain.”); “The
Godfather” (“I’ll make
him an offer he can’t
refuse.”); “To Kill a
Mockingbird” (remember
Boo Radley?);
“Chicago” (“... and all
About the author
Joan Harrison has been happily
making friends on Cape Cod since
moving back to Massachusetts from
Oregon in 2002. She is a reader
who collects bookmarks, a movie
buff who loves foreign films, and a
believer in this prescription for emotional
well-being: Just add chocolate.
She is the president of the Cape Cod
Hydrangea Society and the author of
“The Colorful World of Hydrangeas:
a Hydrangea Handbook for the
Home Gardener.”
Joan Harrison
ONE MOVIE
reminds you of
another. One
actor reminds
you of another
actor who also
starred in... It
goes on and
on, like Six
Degrees of
Kevin Bacon.
that jazz ...”). I could go on and on
and on. But you get the idea.
We had recently seen “The King’s
Speech” and decided that had to
go on our list of all-time favorites.
Which reminded us of Colin Firth
and his amazing portrayal in last
year’s “A Single Man.”
(And don’t get me started
about his wonderful Mr.
Darcy in A&E’s presentation
of “Pride & Prejudice.”
Mention any actor and
specific movies immediately
spring to mind. Paul
Newman (“The Sting”);
Judi Dench (“Her Majesty,
Mrs. Brown”); Cary
Grant (“Arsenic and Old
Lace”); Elizabeth Taylor
(“National Velvet”); Maggie
Smith (“The Prime
of Miss Jean Brodie”);
Sidney Poitier (“Lilies
of the Field”); Katharine
Hepburn (“The Lion in
Winter”); Peter O’Toole
(“Lawrence of Arabia”);
Peter Sellers (“The Pink
Panther”); Alan Arkin
(“The Russians Are
Coming, The Russians
Are Coming”). OK, I’m
going to have to restrain
myself from going on in
this vein. But this is what
happens when you get movie lovers
talking about movies. One movie
reminds you of another. One actor
reminds you of another actor who
also starred in... It goes on and on,
like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.
I challenge you to make, in one
sitting, a complete list of all the
movies you have loved. I don’t
believe it can be done. Other titles
will pop into your head at random
times. I asked my mother if she
had included “The Dinner Game,”
Continued on pAge 21