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It wasn’t until the seventh grade when Jeannie Rutherford decided to pursue her passion for running, and despite the fact that doctors told her she would never run again after major knee surgery, the Newhall resident proved otherwise.
With her first of eight surgeries beginning in the ninth grade, it wasn’t until the fourth surgery when doctors told her she needed to stop. “I was devastated! They told me if I wanted to walk down the aisle one day or even carry a baby, I needed to stop running.”
 Extremely disappointed, Jeannie accepted the diagnosis and started to move on. “I kept exercising but knew that running was out.”
In 2001, Jeannie and her husband Mark moved to the Santa Clarita Valley from Manhattan Beach. “My husband and I moved out here because we knew we wanted that small town feel, and I am that country girl that lives and loves this California weather, and we found that in Newhall.”
It wasn’t until the birth of their children Kyle (age 9) and Peyton (age 6) when Jeannie decided she needed to run again. “I needed a way to relax, and I knew exercise was always my outlet. I started swimming and spinning and a couple of months into it, I noticed my knees didn’t really hurt that much….so I started slowly running on the treadmill, and still, no pain.”
Slowly but surely, Jeannie made her way back onto the track. “I needed it, I was craving it. Something was missing in my life,” stated Jeannie.
Just a little inspiration from her best friend Jojo Citarella, and Jeannie found herself competing in her first competition after her surgeries…the Santa Clarita 5K in 2009, which in turn led to a series of many more races. Just the following year, Jeannie competed in the Santa Clarita 2010 Half Marathon and the Rock & Roll LA 2010, placing 13th overall for the women. In 2012, she placed 10th woman overall in Rock & Roll LA, and 9th place in the Hollywood Half Marathon. In March of 2013, she made her debut in the Desert Triathlon, adding swimming and cycling to the race and placed in the top 20. Just a month later, Jeannie took home the “gold” in the Camarillo Duathlon Series, placing first and then in June, placing third in the fourth part of the series. Jeannie competed in her third triathlon this last August, and once again took first on the one year anniversary of her first trathlon. Jeannie has been preparing for the big race in October, where she will compete in Tucson, Arizona for the National USA Championship Duathlon. If placed in the top 18, Jeannie could land a spot in World Championships in Spain.
“It was an amazing feeling to be asked to participate in the U.S. National Duathlon Team,” stated Jeannie. “To be given a second chance, well it does not happen every day and I don’t want to take it for granted. This will be an amazing chance to race with the best, and I cannot do it without the support of my husband and kids. It is a true joint effort.”
“Jeannie is an amazing woman who just loves life, lives for her family and really just does all of this for the love of it,” states friend JoJo. After winning a huge race last year, Jeannie was interviewed and asked which team or sponsorship she was with. Her reply? “I’m just Jeannie from Newhall.”
“To be honest, I love the one on one with the sport. Running, to me, is relaxing. You become one with the road, and I am finding the same thing in biking. I like to clear my head, throw my hair in a ponytail and just watch the sun rise while I train.”
Best of luck in October, Jeannie. We will be cheering for you all the way to the finish line! |
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