Secret Ambition: Ahwatukee women in Boston Marathon

It was a secret that Paige Swaine didn't even dare to share with her family.

There was this rendezvous coming up in Boston and she was intrigued about being a part of it.

Although she had never run a marathon in her life, she had dreamed about being a part of the Boston Marathon.

To do that she had to qualify and she accomplished her goal with five minutes to spare at the P.F. Chang's Rock ‘N Roll Marathon that wandered through Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe last January.

Now she will be among eight other Ahwatukee Foothills women who made the cut and will be running in the Boston Marathon on April 21.

"It was my secret ambition," Swaine explained, "but (Phoenix) was my first marathon and I didn't tell anyone I wanted to qualify for Boston this year in case I didn't make it. I made some comments to my family, but that was it."

She and the other eight runners have been training with Susan Loken, another Ahwatukee Foothills resident and an elite masters champion marathoner, who will be running in the U.S. Olympic trials the day before in Boston.

"I knew all of these girls and I was thinking about going anyway just to support them," Swaine added, "but it's so much nicer to qualify."

There are five others retuning to the 26.3 route for the second time in three years.

All are part of the Arizona Chances for Children program that raises funds for improving quality of life for youngsters by supporting partnerships and programs that provide access to sports, physical education and character education. Loken is the Arizona director.

Swaine, Stacy Lauritano and Susan Meeker all qualified in Phoenix.

Debra Smothers, Laura Zgoda, Karen Culp and Karen Seymore qualified a month earlier in Tucson while Rebecca Skidmore made the field running in St. George, Utah.

This is also the first time for Culp, Zgoda and Seymour.

"I had been running off and on all my life and just wanted to do a marathon, not necessarily qualify," Seymore said. "Without Susan (Loken) helping us, I would not have done it."

Culp is a personal trainer and teacher at the YMCA.

"Initially, I was just running with friends and then I decided to run my first marathon with this amazing group of women," Culp said. "Never in my mind did I ever think I would qualify for Boston but, now, to do it, and for such a good cause, is wonderful."

Zgoda has been running for 10 years and has done four marathons, but started thinking about Boston a couple years ago.

"I just wanted to go to Boston," she said, "and I made it a personal goal."

Smothers, Meeker, Skidmore, Lauritano and, of course, Loken qualified two years ago.

"We had such a good time we knew we wanted to go back and take more with us this time," Skidmore said. "I must have taken 100 pictures along the way."

And there is a lot to see along the 26-mile routine, Lauritano recalled.

"It was an epic experience," Lauritano said. "If you're a marathon runner, you always want to go to Boston and it's special when you qualify. But now the hard work is done and now it's time for the celebration. We're going there to have fun."

Spectators pack the route that goes through villages and towns with half the population of Ahwatukee Foothills.

"From township to township people are grilling along the way or handing out water cups, "Lauritano said. "It's wall-to-wall people the whole way cheering you on. We went by (Wellesley Women's College) and the girls were out screaming for us. That really makes it fun."

Smothers is a former sprinter, who started out running half marathons about five years ago when she was 38 years old, and was among the Ahwatukee Foothills contingent that went to Boston two years ago.

She joined the group through working with Meeker.

"Before I was 38 I probably ran a total of five miles," Smothers said. "I had done half marathons at the P.F. Chang's, but I made up my mind that I was going to run a full marathon. Now that we've all qualified we're just going to have fun."

She says she got her motivation from the group.

"We run and talk," she said. "Actually, I'm the quiet one."

The Ahwatukee Foothills group will be among 35 Arizona women who qualified for Boston and have committed to run in the event. There are others from Arizona who also qualified in other age divisions but won't be making the trip.

Loken, who was the top American female finisher in the P.F.. Chang's marathon in 2006, has been the group's coach, counselor, confidante and inspiration.

"More than my own accomplishments," Loken said, "I was bawling when they all crossed the finish line."