Jaime Durant of Albany wasn’t concerned about her lack of sleep returning to work Monday after raising money for the National Down Syndrome Society as part of a 260-mile relay from New York City to Washington D.C.
She ran the race Friday through Sunday — March 19 to 21 — and returned to work bright and early Monday morning to her job as an Albany kindergarten teacher. In a phone interview after a long day at school, her voice still resonated with excitement.
“The kids keep me pretty busy, so I didn’t have time to think about being tired,” she said.
The former Shaker High School and College of Saint Rose soccer goalie discovered her love of helping those who are less fortunate as a volunteer for TOPSoccer when she was in youth soccer.
TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) is a community-based training program for all athletes with intellectual, emotional and/or physical disabilities. Many Capital Region soccer clubs dedicate funding and encourage coaches, team managers and youth players to volunteer time to support the program through the U.S. Youth Soccer organization.
That desire to help children with disabilities provided an inspiration to Durant when she saw an Instagram post seeking volunteers to join a running team to raise money in support of the National Down Syndrome Society. NDSS calls itself the leading human rights organization for all individuals with Down syndrome.
The 27-year-old, who teaches kindergarten at All Saints Catholic Academy and has worked as a special ed teacher, has run the race the past two years. Last year she trained for the March race but it was postponed and made into a virtual event in October because of the pandemic.
“This year was just a brand-new experience," she said. "Some of the people I met I’ve been Zooming with for almost two years now. So to finally meet them was really cool. We had people from all over … Delaware, Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida, and Tennessee.”
Her students and the school community at All Saints Catholic Academy in Albany supported her both during last year’s virtual race and the 2021 run.
“They helped me raise money," she said. "They’ve been so supportive. I even did a quick storytime with the kids during the race on Friday just so I could see them.”
The team of 26 runners tackle the various legs of the course and drive with other team members from checkpoint to checkpoint. Those taking a break from running cheer on the team as they drive past teammates throughout the relay.
Each leg is mapped out and completed by two team members who run at a similar pace. Durant said she and her partner ran segments of anywhere from 3 to 6 miles at an 8:30-9:15 per mile pace. She ran 33 miles over the course of three days.
“Sleep was hard because you have so much adrenaline,” she said, referring to the time spent "resting" in cars, when it wasn’t her turn to drive. “We were all exhausted and we would be like, I can’t believe we have to run again.”
The finish line Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial — on World Down Syndrome Day — was worth every bit of pain.
“We had a large group of people waiting for us. Family members and people who just came out to support Down syndrome and raise awareness,” she said. “It was just so cool to see so many people supporting not just us but Down syndrome.
Jamie Durant, left, and her partner Gina Mannion, getting ready to run their first leg in Fort Lee, New Jersey, as part of "Run for 3.21" National Down Syndrome Society team on Friday, March 19, 2021. The group ran a 260-mile relay from New York City to Washington D.C. , raising $90,000 so far for the organization. (Provided)
Provided
Jaime Durant of Albany, in middle holding the sign, with some of her "Run for 3.21" teammates on the National Down Syndrome Society team on Sunday, March 21, 2021 in Washington D.C. The group ran a 260-mile relay from New York City to Washington D.C. , raising $90,000 so far for the organization. (Provided)
Joshua D. Goldberg
Jaime Durant of Albany, second from left, around 3:15 a.m. Sunday March 21 prior to running the 62nd leg of the National Down Syndrome Society's 260-mile relay from New York City to Washington D.C. Also pictured are teammates, from left, Meghan McGee, Gina Mannion and Misty Adams. (Provided)
ProvidedDurant’s fundraising page is at https://give.ndss.org/JaimeDurantNDSS. Donations will be accepted through Wednesday (March 31). So far she’s raised $900 out of a lofty goal of $3,500. NDSS’s fundraising goal for the marathon is to raise $100,000 and this year’s event has raised just over $90,000, according to NDSS advisor Jessica Kuss.
Joyceb10bassett@gmail.com • @joyceb10bassett • https://blog.timesunion.com/allin
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NWHL: Boston won the league final 3-2 over Minnesota Saturday to capture its second Isobel Cup. It marked the first time in the NWHL's six seasons that a team earned the Isobel Cup a second time. Boston won during the inaugural 2015-16 season. COVID-19 shut down the NWHL mini-season and championship in Lake Placid one month ago. The league moved its semifinal and final games for the Isobel Cup to Boston. Huge success in sponsorship, viewership and media support with the finals on NBCSN.
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NCAA women’s basketball: Just watch. It’s basketball at its finest. Did you watch Michigan-Baylor? Wow.
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