She ran the Santa Clarita HalfMarathon and finished first in the “old lady division” as she calls it, taking 12th overall out of 727 women. She was also the first overall female finisher in the Castaic Mud Run held a few months back. Dr. Clare Macaulay Lintereur, a Valencia dentist for nearly 15 years, supports numerous athletic and charitable events. As a mother of six, she still finds time to enjoy the outdoors running and even get a little dirty at the Mud Run.
Roughly a five mile dirt course put on by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the Mud Run took place in Castaic in September of this year. “My good friends at the Fitness Edge Boot Camp corralled me into this run,” states Clare. “It was my first time doing such a race, and I hope it’s the first of many.” And for her first time out, she did great! “The kicker is all the fun and obstacles in the five miles! First you have to wear camouflage pants and boots to be an official participant.”
All lined up and ready to race, the fire trucks started blasting the participants with fire hoses, completely soaking everyone. With a military helicopter circling above, kicking up a massive dust cloud, off went an explosive! “While the ladies screamed and ducked for cover, the men took off running and the race was on!”
Through sand storms, mud pits and over six to eight feet high walls, Clare had a blast. “You’d scramble up the walls and then plunge or slip down into the next section of mud. Sometimes I made better time swimming than slogging. And the explosives, set from a ways away, were loud and startling, but just enough to spice up the run.”
All the preparation for the race worked, as she was the first overall female finisher. “I was actually shocked and thrilled that I won. Truthfully, I felt like throwing up, but after that passed, I was really pleased that the effort had paid off,” states Clare. “The most difficult obstacle in any race is one’s own mind. Determination and confidence in your own abilities must conquer the difficulty at hand.”
And determination she has. Just a little over a month later, she participated in the Santa Clarita Marathon, running the half marathon with a 1:37.03 time. She finished 12th overall. “It’s pretty exciting,” states Clare, “my last half marathon was seven years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter Eva. It’s fun living in Santa Clarita, you see all kinds of people you know out here, either running or cheering for you!”