College of Education and Human Development

Nancy Guth Completes 3,000 Mile Cycling Race for the Fourth Time

Nancy Guth’s most vivid memory of her 3,000-mile cycling odyssey called the Race Across America was being “in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night” somewhere in Kansas.

With the road lit by the support van behind her and Fleetwood Mac’s lead singer Stevie Nicks blasting from the van’s speakers, Guth was in her own bit of heaven decorated by an “amazing” canopy of stars.

In that moment, Guth was no longer a 64-year-old grandmother of seven.

“Being out there, riding as hard as you can, you lose your age,” she said. “You don’t think of yourself as a senior, you think of yourself as a strong person, and that’s very empowering.”

Guth was never one for the slow lane.

While supervisor of literacy and humanities for Stafford County (Va.) public schools and raising four kids with husband John, Guth got her PhD in Education in 2001 from George Mason University. She also is an adjunct faculty member for the Literacy and Reading program in George Mason’s College of Education and Human Development.

“Just a very tough and determined person,” said Mason professor Elizabeth Sturtevant, who directs the Division of Elementary, Literacy, and Secondary Education.

Guth began cycling because her PhD studies limited her time at the gym. Riding on Saturdays with John, who was already an avid cyclist, Guth got so good with speed and distance, she skipped her PhD graduation to compete in a local time trial. Four times she has ridden in the nonstop Race Across America, which begins in Oceanside, Calif., and ends in Annapolis, Md.

 

Nancy Guth (left) and her team bested nine younger teams in this year's Race Across America.

 

In 2011, her two-woman team set the 60-69 age group record of 9 days, 13 hours, 37 minutes. In 2012, she and John set the two-person, mixed-team record for that division of 8 days, 3 hours, 47 minutes.

In June’s race, John and Nancy’s four-person mixed team won the 60-69 age group in 7 days, 3 hours, 41 minutes, besting nine younger four-person teams.

Along for the ride, so to speak, was Daniel Snow, 25, a fellow cyclist and Mason junior majoring in business management. As crew chief, he directed a 10-person support group that staffed three vans. Two followed riders to protect them against traffic and illuminate roads at night. The backup made food runs.

Snow also was in charge of music, which race rules allowed to be blared in sparsely populated areas. There was Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin, but “a lot of Fleetwood Mac,” Snow said. “I’ll be okay if I don’t hear another Fleetwood Mac song for the next month.”

The Race Across America runs 24 hours a day, with riders in Guth’s team “going as hard as you can” in spurts of 15 to 20 minutes, she said.

Sleep happens in the back of the well-equipped vans. To help keep legs from swelling, all idle riders must recline. To help keep potential stomach problems in check, Guth ate mostly bland oatmeal.

There was 100-degree heat in California, Guth said, and pounding rain the last 18 hours. In Maryland, the team was rerouted after a small bridge washed out, and Snow said the crew cleared a rockslide, which included some 20-pound boulders, so cyclists could get by.

Funding the whole shebang cost $20,000. Small sponsorships helped, but basically, John said, “We’re spending our retirement.”

No remorse, Guth said. “It’s our health. … It’s our vacation. It’s a passion.”

Besides, she added, “There’s nothing like being out under those stars and hearing Stevie Nicks on the loudspeaker. You can’t get that from driving a car.” 

 

This article was written by Damian Cristodero and originally appeared on Mason News.

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To learn more about the Literacy and Reading program at Mason, including how to earn a Virginia K-12 Reading Specialist license, please review the information at gse.gmu.edu/literacy or contact an academic advisor at literacy@gmu.edu.

 

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About CEHD

George Mason University's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) includes two schools: the Graduate School of Education, one of the most comprehensive education schools in Virginia, and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism. CEHD offers a full range of courses, certificates, and degree programs on campus, online, and on site to more than 4,000 students each year. CEHD is fully accredited by NCATE and all licensure programs are approved by the Virginia Department of Education. George Mason University, located just outside of Washington, DC, is Virginia's largest public research university.

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