Saucony 26 Strong | Team 5 – Chyanne Taylor & Jake Jendusa
Cadet: Chyanne Taylor
Age: 20 | City: San Clemente, Calif.
Chyanne Taylor started running as a sophomore in high school, after her boyfriend (now husband) left for boot camp in the U.S. Marine Corps. “I needed something in my life that I could focus on while he was gone, to make time fly,” she says. “I joined my local gym, signed up for a 5K and got right to work. I had 1.5 months to train and 3.1 miles to run, easy enough, right? It took 28 long minutes to finish, and once I crossed I was already thinking of my next race. Little did I know that four years later I would be gearing up to complete my first marathon.”
For her marathon, Chyanne is inspired to run in honor of her father, who she lost to suicide two years ago. “Just two weeks before his passing, I had finished hosting my own 5K and 10K run to raise money for care packages,” Taylor says. “After my event, he came up and told me how proud he was of me for everything that I had done and to ‘keep it up’. He was always there for me, always supporting my sisters and I, always on the side lines cheering us on. I run to make him proud, and keep a smile on his face, because I know he is still looking down supporting me every step of the way.”
Vet: Jake Jendusa
Age: 23 | City: San Diego, Calif.
Jake first got into running as a dare from a co-worker. “Over the past three years I have learned so much about the sport and about myself,” he says. “I truly enjoy sharing the knowledge and tools I have learned with others, so they do not make the same rookie mistakes that I did!” He ran his first marathon in 2011, and this year hopes to run a 2:50 and qualify for the Boston Marathon.
“I love how simplistic the sport is—all you need is a pair of shoes—and how accessible it is—you can run anywhere,” he says. “I love how energetic and great I feel after running, I love the people I have met in the sport and I love how running has allowed me to travel and explore places that I otherwise would have not ventured.”