Dorothy Tanner was filled with emotions as she thought about the starting line of the annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon. She was excited and nervous, competitive and committed, determined and driven.
On Sunday morning, Oct. 9, Tanner will run 26.2 miles through the streets of Chicago, which she proudly calls home. She'll be one of about 45,000 runners, motivated by, among other things, the finisher's medal that awaits all who cross the finish line.
"I am a competitive runner, so I'm trying to be in the now and not put too much pressure on myself because I really would like to run this [marathon] in under four hours. I'm not going to say how much under four hours. If I could finish in 3:50 or 3:55, that would be wonderful," said the five-foot Tanner, an open lesbian, who last ran the Chicago Marathon 10 years ago—when about 18,000 participated.
"But it's all about the day. I feel like I've trained well. I also have to get my head right and not be afraid of the amount of runners.
"I don't feel as though I've aged or changed [over the past 10 years]; I feel like the same healthy person. [My] age is irrelevant, yet [my] height is a bigger concern."
In a half-marathon once run in Australia, for instance, Tanner was pushed at the start and was nearly trampled. "It was an ugly scene," she said.
Tanner has participated in approximately 150 races over her running career, including 12 marathons. She ran the 13.1-mile Chicago Half Marathon Sept. 11, and participated in a 5K race on Sept. 24 in suburban Park Ridge, which she won in her age group.
Tanner ran the marathon and other running events at the two Gay Games, the 1994 edition in New York City and in 2002 in Australia—and claimed multiple medals at each. She participated in Chicago's annual Proud To Run race about eight times—and even was the top female finisher won year in her age bracket.
The Chicago Marathon marks her first race in the 70 to 74 female age-group, where she predicts there will be fewer than 20 others. She celebrated her 70th birthday in Lakeview Sept. 25. (Tanner resides in Australia but comes to Chicago for extended periods of time.)
"I really would like to win my age category; that's a goal of mine," said Tanner, whose main running superstition is similarity. Everything will be the same for her as in past races. She has the same nutrients before, during and after the race, and even carries six or eight packets of Gu in her hands while running, as she has for years. Tanner opts against wearing a runner's belt to store her race-day nutrition, or a water bottle.
She said she plans to a play with friends after the race.
Tanner, always energetic and enthusiastic, joined the predominantly gay Frontrunners/Frontwalkers Chicago club in the mid-1990s and remained with the group until she moved back to her home country, Australia, in 2002. She also formed Team Frontrunners, one of the top teams on the Chicago Area Runners Association (CARA) circuit for years.
"The Frontrunners … that was a wonderful experience," she said.
Tanner was the top overall female finisher in the Proud To Run race in 1996, which she said is a running "highlight, something I was really proud of because it was our day, with our group of people running." She won her age-group in that race every year.
"Running is something I enjoy," said Tanner, who has tinkered with the idea of entering a triathlon, but is worried about her ability as a swimmer.
Running has never been a worry for the charismatic Tanner, who competed—and won her age-group—in the marathon and the 10K race at the 1994 Gay Games in New York City. She finished that '94 marathon in about three hours and 30 minutes.
"It was wonderful, so wonderful," Tanner said of the '94 Games. "Everyone was happy, walking around the streets holding hands. It was such a beautiful time—of joy, togetherness, and hope for the future."
Tanner competed in the 2002 Gay Games in Sydney as a member of Team Chicago, though she had moved from Chicago to Australia about two weeks before the start of those Games. She won individual and team medals, and Team Chicago had a strong showing. However, the memory is bittersweet for Tanner. When the Games ended, her Team Chicago colleagues boarded planes bound for the United States, yet she remained in Australia.
"It was a wonderful experience, but also was very sad," she said. "That was one of the most painful times in my life."
The Chicago Gay Games in 2006 were sad on a physical front for Tanner. She fainted at home days before she was to compete in the marathon, injuring her face. Tanner could only watch and cheer the runners that hot and humid Saturday morning in Chicago.
"Such a disappointment. You can imagine how sad I was," she said.
So what about the 2014 Gay Games in Cleveland?
"Oh sure, I'll go with Team Chicago, and will run the marathon," Tanner said without hesitation.
Tanner, who is single who still works as a nutritionist and holistic healer three days a week, has had an amazing run helping and supporting Chicago's LGBT community. She long was a strong fundraising supporter for such causes as the Windy City Performing Arts and the Bailiwick Theater. Plus, she managed Broadway Vitamins for years, and ran a vitamin co-op for people living with HIV and cancer. She arranged to sell supplements to the needy at wholesale prices. She also provided programs of diet and nutrition.
"The HIV/AIDS community means a lot to me," said Tanner, who stresses the importance of being comfortable with who you are.
Thus, many in Chicago's LGBT community have long viewed Tanner as a loving, nurturing sister who always was comforting, nurturing and someone you could trust.
