Victoria Patrick - A PUSH Over

Many have taken note of Victoria as she adroitly handles a stroller pushing her granddaughter, Erilynn, in local 5K races.  Even with an extra sixty pounds to push, Victoria finishes under thirty minutes.  A lot of us, including Bob Slowpants, carry an extra sixty pounds and cannot compete with her.

Victoria was born in Cartersville, GA, the youngest of four and the only girl.  Her brothers were seven, eleven, and fifteen years older than Victoria, allowing her to be “spoiled and getting away with everything”.   Her father was in the texile industry and mother was a stay at home mom.  The family moved six times between Kentucky, Alabama, and Georgia, landing Victoria in the seventh grade in Winder, GA.  Victoria graduated from  Winder Barrow High School in 1980.  She alleges the closest she came to being athletic was “timing Track and Field events so she could be near the athletes”.  Husband Eric was a senior runner when Victoria was a freshman at Winder Barrow.  They dated some but when Eric graduated he joined the Air Force.

Their paths crossed five years later.  They dated for a year before marriage, one that is in its thirty-fifth year.  While dating, Eric would return to Winder from Washington, D.C..  Not into running yet, Victoria would drive Eric’s car along side Eric while he ran so that they could talk and be together.  When they married, Victoria would ride a bike for half of Eric’s long runs and wait for him to come back to her.    

Eric is retired from the Air Force and still is a runner.  If you ever want to move to or leave Winder, Eric and Victoria own a U-Haul and Towing business there.  Their only child, Erica, is an Assistant District Attorney for Jackson County and a University of Georgia alum.  Erica is a runner and is frequently with her mother at area races.  The addition of Erica’s daughter, Erilynn, completes the only three generation participants in an area race to my limited knowledge.

Victoria began a program of aerobics and weight lifting in her early thirties but stopped after her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer.  Victoria comforted her mother through her three year battle with cancer.  Victoria began working for the American Cancer Society as the organization was promoting  a program named “Active for Life”.   It stressed healthy eating and exercise.  Victoria at age forty, decided  to “see” if she could run.  She found that she and Eric could do this together progressing from 5K and 10K distances to half marathons.  Victoria left employment with the American Cancer Society after twelve years to become a stay at home grandmother for her five year old granddaughter.  Not content to just run and nurture her granddaughter, Victoria participates in a boot camp program 4 to 5 days a week at Braselton Fit Body.  She also volunteers at Winder First Methodist church and the Tree House (a child advocacy center), plus Adult Literacy Barrow. 

Eric and Victoria have traveled to twenty half marathons to date including destination locations in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Myrtle Beach, as well as Charlotte and Talladega Motor Speedways.  Her PRs are 2:04 for a half marathon, 56.57 for a 10K, and a 5K pushing her granddaughter 29.19.  Granddaughter Erilynn loves the fun runs  and is starting the sport at an earlier age than her grandmother.

Bob checking out from the back of the pack. Watch for the profile of Buddy Davis and Sharon Williams.