Pam Tanner has been running the Gobble Gobble each and every year since she first moved here in 2002. Since that time, she has had two children. Brendan who will soon be 7, and soon to be 4 year old Sydney. The kids have run in the Lil’ Gobbler’s Dash every year since birth and begin asking about it months before the actual event. Pam’s husband Mike, a physicians assistant in Urgent Care for NCH also runs the Gobble Gobble. Though he used to run in his younger years, it was the Gobble that got him back into running.
Beginnings
Pam and her husband met while attending UMass Dartmouth. Mike grabbed a seat beside her in class one day and struck up a conversation. Some time later, when a mutual friend passed away in a car accident, Pam and Mike joined with others on a trip to Cape Cod to say goodbye and celebrate that person’s life. The rest is history.
Mike and Pam decided to move to Florida from Massachusetts and into Naples in 2002. Pam even ran on their Wedding Day because it just “makes her feel so good” and that’s how she wanted to feel on their special day. Pam started running just for fitness. She entered her first 5K on the east coast of Florida and ended up winning first place for her age group. That led to her first of 13 marathons at Disney.
To this day, Pam maintains close ties to Massachussetts. She has had a love affair with running the Boston Marathon. When she isn’t running in the marathon her family knows, “Mommy won’t be available today”. Pam can be found glued to the TV and computer, looking up friend’s paces and checkpoints along the route, cheering for them and her favorite runners to win. The kids have even started to get into it. Pam qualified for the 2015 Boston Marathon (which will make number 6) by running well at the Richmond Marathon.
“It’s a bit of an obsession with me but I love the marathon training. The sense of accomplishment finishing and the camaraderie during the 20 milers, the incredible Marco runs doing repeats on the Goodland Bridge in the dark with great friends are what its all about.”
Training
This hot weather can deter many from fall marathon training. Not so with Pam. Pam is currently training for the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She is putting in the miles and running the hills of Marco when she can on the weekends (the only place nearby that isn’t flat). Whomever made the joke “have you ever seen a runner smile?” has never met Pam. She smiles and talks during training runs to all who dare to keep up with her driven determined pace.
Pam is a runner that other runners always want to run with. Her drive and love for the sport fuel everyone around her, including traveling guests visiting for the holidays from up north. In the days when our friend and ultra runner Danny Ripka was putting in the most mileage of his life preparing for a six day ultra running event, his running log was full of Pam Tanner miles. Danny went on to win that event, having run 478 miles on a one mile loop course.
Dedication
When asked “What does your family think about all this?”, Pam admitted that they sometimes think she never sleeps. Mike will stir at 4:30 in the morning after she has already been up and out the door for awhile. It has been a great example for their children. The kids have a great time in the 8 week ‘Run for Fun’ program at Naples High during the summers. She says, “It’s a bit of an obsession with me but I love the marathon training. The sense of accomplishment finishing and the camaraderie during the 20 milers, the incredible Marco runs doing repeats on the Goodland Bridge in the dark with great friends are what its all about.”
The Tanners have already registered for the race they have run every year together since moving to Naples, the Gobble Gobble Four Miler at Venetian Village. The chip timed event is back and there is something for everyone in the family. Join the Tanners and take part in Naples longest running Thanksgiving day race!