Palmetto cross country coach Kellie Eaves told her runners that she was running the Spinx Run Fest half marathon.
Eaves, starting with the other participants at 7 a.m., mentioned cross country mom Chris Keefe started the initiative of asking the runners to come support their coach, a few weeks ago, along with Eaves\' boyfriend, Mark Rainwater.
Rainwater gave each of the kids a letter before Saturday\'s upper state meet wishing them luck and also telling them to come out Sunday if their schedule permitted, according to Eaves.
\"A couple of them actually got there for the start of the race: Jillana Darby, Marlee Rhodes and Donald Keefe,\" said Eaves. \"They came out on their own, although I had told them that I was running.\"
Also in attendance, supporting their coach at the finish line, were Ashley McClellion, Jonathan Pack, Drew Mahaffey, and Aaron Johns.
\"It was really great for their parents to be willing to get up that early and bring the kids over on a Sunday morning,\" said Eaves. \"Of course, some of them had obligations with church and family and couldn\'t be there. I kinda knew that some of them were going to come, but I didn\'t know who or how many and I had no idea they would be there for the start. It was very inspiring and motivational to have them at the finish because I had to chase down a lady ahead of me in the last quarter mile or so. If they had not been there, it\'s unlikely that I would have caught her right at the line. I was certainly thinking of them and how I stress to them the importance of places and fighting for the finish. I ended up getting third in my age group because I beat that person at the end. You can bet I\'m going to use that in my motivational speech for State!\"
Eaves covered the 13.1-mile course in 1:41:50 for a third place finish in the female 30-34 age group and 64th overall finish.