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Nunns on the Run
Father and daughter regard the grueling Ultimate Runner as a fun, family outing
Journal Photo by Lauren Carroll
Molly Nunn and her father, Dale Nunn, get some laps in together at Hanes Park in preparation for the Ultimate Runner.
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Published: June 25, 2008
Dale Nunn said that no matter how hard he trains, he'll never catch his daughter, Molly, in a race.
But that hasn't stopped Dale, 56, from trying. It should be noted that Molly, 24, is a former cross-country star at Calvary Baptist who went on to run track and cross country at Wake Forest.
Both Nunns will compete for the fifth straight year in one of the city's most popular races on Saturday. The 22nd Ultimate Runner will start at 5 p.m. at Hanes Park with a field of around 115 runners competing in five races of varying lengths.
The Ultimate Runner is a family affair for the Nunns, who both said that running has made their bond stronger.
"I'm so proud of my dad because he's come a long way in his running," said Molly, a two-time women's champion in the Ultimate Runner. "He really looks forward to this, and so do I because it's really a fun race."
Fun is a word that isn't used by everybody to describe the grind of the Ultimate Runner. The runners compete in heats and run a mile, 800 meters, 400 meters and then a 100-meter dash. The entire field then runs a 5K (3.1 miles) through and around Hanes Park.
Dale Nunn caught the running bug about six years ago. With a hefty 240 pounds on his 6-2 frame, he knew he had to do something to get into better shape. While he watched his daughter compete in high school, he wondered what would happen if he started to run.
"Well, I thought I was going to die the first time I went out for a run," said Dale, who now weighs 185 pounds and runs marathons and most of the Twin City Track Club-sponsored races throughout the year. "I think the first time I went out it was about a quarter of a mile, and it was brutal. And then, the first six months I was horrible."
But Nunn, who played basketball in high school, stuck to it and eventually won the battle of the bulge.
The Nunns now share a passion for running, and the Ultimate Runner is one of their major races of the year.
"I just love it," Dale said. "The competition level for the older age groups is astounding."
The Nunns don't have to look far for other motivation. Molly's older brother, Adam, 28, is handicapped. Adam has been able to see his father and sister run at several races.
"Obviously, I love being with my daughter, but I think (Adam) may be part of my fanaticism with running," Dale said. "I think that's why I want to run as much as I can with Molly because it really does bring us closer."
Molly said: "You can see when Adam comes to races his eyes light up, and he claps for us when we run by. Obviously, it means a lot to me to have my brother's support even if he can't vocalize it that well, but just to see his joy from seeing us run encourages me."
"We think about him a lot when we run," Dale said. "One year at the Brenner's Hospital race, he was at the finish line, and in that last kick you see him there and that definitely added to our motivation. And he'll say ‘Papa run' or something like that, so that's a thrill to me to see him out there."
Terri Nunn, Dale's wife and Molly and Adam's mother, is their No. 1 cheerleader. She watches all of the races that father and daughter run in, from the local 5K races to the long, grueling marathons.
"As a family, running is kind of what we do on the weekends," Dale said.
Molly is engaged to Cristobal Figueroa, and the wedding is planned for some time in 2009. He has also been a big supporter.
"Putting me in a dress is going to be a chore," Molly said. "Unfortunately, I can't get married in running shoes and track shorts."
Molly teaches at Forsyth Country Day and is an assistant track coach and got her start in running at an early age. In her neighborhood, she would race boys and usually win, but it wasn't until she suffered a torn knee ligament playing soccer that she became serious about running. That was during her sophomore year of high school, and after she had recovered from the injury, she decided that cross country was going to be her sport.
What she finds interesting is how much her father loves to run.
"I thought I liked running, but he has surpassed me," Molly said. "He does the Ultimate Runner and then two weeks later runs The Bear, which is five miles up Grandfather Mountain. And that's on a Thursday night, and then he turns around on that weekend and runs the Grandfather Marathon."
The answers from competitors vary as to why they put themselves through the rigors of something such as the Ultimate Runner. Molly's answer: "Because we have screws loose."
■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.
Ultimate Runner winners
Year Male Female
2007 Tim Rusterholtz Jocelyn Sikora
2006 Matt Holman Molly Nunn
2005 Matt Holman Julie Smith-Cox
2004 Brian Markley Molly Nunn
2003 Brian Markley Jennifer Strange
2002 Bobby Mack Gabriela Chytrova
2001 Kevin Hill Julie Smith
2000 Dan Dachelet Julie Smith
1999 John Thomas Katie Harmuth
1998 James Thomas Julie Smith
1997 Ben Thomas Blake Phillips
1996 Keith Mathis Blake Phillips
1995 Keith Mathis Robyn Land
1994 Keith Mathis Amy Davis
1993 Keith Mathis Karen Mathewson
1992 Mark Scott Eileen Hogan
1991 Keith Mathis Shala Davis
1990 Keith Mathis Shala Davis
1989 Keith Mathis Debbie Davis
1988 J.D. Laub Chrysaa Nicholas
1987 Ted LeMay Debbie Davis
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