Emily Bucy and Abby Coers represent Logan County at the 122nd Boston Marathon

[April 24, 2018] 

Two young women from Logan County, who had no idea each other was in Boston last week, ran the 2018 Boston Marathon and they finished the race just a minute and a few odd seconds apart from each other.

If you think that’s coincidental, how about this information: they both grew up in rural areas, they both graduated from the same high school and same college AND they both pursued careers in agriculture. A major difference though is one works for the company that sells the “green tractors” and the other one works for the company that sells the “red tractors.”

Meet Emily (Allspach) Bucy and Abby Coers, if you will.

Bucy grew up on the Allspach family farm in rural Mount Pulaski. While Coers grew up in rural Chestnut. Both young ladies graduated from Mount Pulaski High School.

Bucy is in the Class of 2002 and Coers is from the Class of 2007.

Both young ladies are graduates of the University of Illinois. Bucy graduated in 2006 with a degree in Agri-Accounting. Coers is a 2011 U of I graduate with a degree in Agricultural Communications with a focus in Advertising.

Bucy works as a Senior Financial Analyst for John Deere in Moline, and you guessed it, Coers works for a Case IH dealer, specifically Central Illinois Ag in Atlanta.

The Boston Marathon

Last week the two participated in the most famous of all marathons, the Boston Athletic Association’s Boston Marathon.

This was the 122nd running of the Boston Marathon and for Bucy it was her first time running the course in eastern Massachusetts. The younger Coers is a veteran of the race having run three Boston Marathons now.

The Boston Marathon is always run on the third Monday in April, which is also called Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts. This year that date happened to fall on April 16, 2018 - a day which also happened to be Bucy’s 34th birthday. What a way to celebrate!

The race is 26 miles 385 yards of running, which starts in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and ends in Boston’s Copley Square with runners passing through several towns along the way.

This year’s runners faced some very difficult running conditions. There was rain throughout the day, heavy at times, with the temperature in the 30s to 40s range all day and gusts of winds that all tried to hold back the runners. Even Al Roker of the “Today Show” on NBC made mention in his early morning weather forecast that it was just a “miserable day” for the Boston Marathon.

With the really rough running conditions for this year’s race neither Bucy nor Coers finished near where they had hoped, but both runners should be extremely proud of their accomplishments. Let’s get the times out of the way. Coers finished just ahead of Bucy with a time of 3:51:08. Bucy didn’t miss her by much with a time of 3:52:25. In a crowd of 30,000 runners and just awful weather to break one’s stride, that is amazing.

As for personal records for both runners, they are oh, so close. Bucy ran a PR of 3:28:27 in Champaign at the 2017 Christie Clinic Marathon. Coers has a PR of 3:28:39 at the Chicago Marathon. Coers has now run fourteen marathons in her running career and Bucy has five marathons to her credit.

Thoughts from Abby Coers on this year’s Boston Marathon

As a third-time runner of the Boston Marathon Coers offered these words about this year’s race day. “The runners really came together to help each other,” she said. “People passed out heat blankets and ponchos to other runners to keep warm. Spectators handed me socks for my hands to be warm. It was brutally cold like no other marathon. The race is a point-to-point, so up to 35 mph wind gusts for the first 26 miles. It’s an honor to be at the Boston Marathon no matter the weather though,” added Coers.

“We worked hard to be here and although the weather isn’t ideal, we are still running the most prestigious marathon…way cool!” Coers exclaimed.

Coers mentioned the fact that the marathon is run on Patriot’s Day and that is a holiday in Massachusetts. Despite the weather, she said, “People were still grilling out under tents and spectators along the course were handing out oranges, water, gear, etc. The spectators here are amazing!” It has been reported that some 500,000 spectators gather on this day to cheer on the runners.

What got Coers into running?

Adding medals to her collection, it's just what Abby does.

Coers met some friends in college at the U of I who ran for fun and she says she just got started that way. “I signed up for a 5K in 2009 and told myself, if I do well I’ll continue running, but if I do horrible, well, that was fun. But I ended up getting an overall award that led me to continue running. My runs got longer, eventually I set goals. I ran my first marathon in 2011 at the Carmel Marathon in Indiana (untrained), and from there I enjoyed the 26.2 mile distance, so I registered for more marathons. With a goal to get to Boston I worked my butt off, started training seriously, hitting time goals, and reading lots of running books. I qualified for the first two Boston Marathons at the Chicago Marathon in 2014 and 2015.”

“Last year I ran Boston for my second time and thought that was enough, but when I got home I watched the Patriot’s Day movie and wanted to be back; so I signed up for another marathon that was on Memorial Day weekend. I went to Mountains 2 Beach in Ventura, California, and so I ran a Boston Qualifier a month-and-a-half after I ran the Boston Marathon,” said Coers. She made the cut in California with 3:35 being the qualifying time for her age group. She ran the race in 3:30:29 just six weeks after running in Boston 2017. Coers also mentioned that the Boston Marathon doesn’t accept all qualifiers, only the fastest. “I think they denied about 2,000 runners who were qualifiers for this year's race,” she added.

Abby’s support team

Every runner will tell you it takes a support team to help them get to where they are going. Whether it be training in the gym, running on the pavement, or just a friend with encouraging words; each runner feeds off the positivity of those around them. For Coers, her mom, Mila, has been her number one fan. “Mom has been to 12 of my 14 marathons.”

Mila traveled to Boston to cheer on Abby and so did a few other friends. Steve Schmidt, her boss at Central Illinois Ag, and his girlfriend, Dana Scheller, made the journey and Coers said, “They are HUGE supporters of my marathons.” Her friends Amy and Christy Unzicker and Debby Harris also made the trip to Boston.

Last, but not least her Decatur Running Club buddy Mark Rotz of Mount Zion ran the Boston Marathon also, and he and Coers were able to meet up during the course. The harsh weather allowed them very little conversation but they both successfully crossed the finish line.

Emily Bucy shares her first Boston Marathon experience and the surprise she will never forget

Bucy autographs the Boston Marathon wall

“The Boston Marathon was an incredible experience even with the rain, wind and cold conditions,” said Bucy. “We ran through seven different towns before arriving to Boston. The crowd and support crew were so positive and cheered us on the entire time. As I ran through Ashland, my Dad (George Allspach) was there to cheer me on, which was so special because he surprised me by coming out to Boston just to see me run the race!

"When we arrived in Newton we faced the challenging hills, and the most notable Heartbreak Hill is where I once again had a cheering crowd of my friend Carly Voltz, who made the trip to Boston with me.

"Once the runners arrive in Boston the landmarks that are on every runner’s mind is the Citgo sign and Boylston Street. The giant Citgo sign is visible from about mile 24, and you finally pass it at the one mile to go mark. From there you are watching for Boylston Street. Boylston street is where it all comes together. It is the last .2 miles of the course and it is where the fans are just phenomenal as they are cheering you on and just carrying you to the finish line.

Once again my Dad and Carly were cheering for me at the finish line. I know the weather made the day just as challenging for all the spectators. I am forever grateful for their support," Bucy said.

Wife and mom of two little girls, Bucy is on the run!

For Bucy, the Boston Marathon is her fifth marathon overall and her second post-baby.

“My running has only improved since I became a mom to Ella (4) and Nora (3), and I think the main reason that I have become somewhat successful is the consistency that I bring to my running. I have run consistently since college and I gave myself the time to ramp up to this level. I ran throughout both my pregnancies. I ran wherever I traveled across the globe with my job at John Deere.

"Over the years I have run to stay healthy, to take time for myself, to make goals and achieve them, to help others reach their goals and to connect with people. Running is now also a way for me to set an example for my girls as I try to teach them to set goals and to stay active,” Bucy says.

Emily’s race career began after college

Bucy’s interest in running began after her graduation from the University of Illinois. “After college, running was a way for me to connect with people since I moved to a new state (Wisconsin) when I started with John Deere. After I had Nora in November 2014, I ran a half-marathon in Springfield the following spring. At about the same time I started training with a group of people here in the Quad Cities that had grander goals than I could even dream up.

"Several people were training to run a 100 mile trail race in Leadville, Colorado in August 2016. As you might imagine it takes months to train for something like this, so I trained with them for the better part of a year and was pushed beyond what I had done on my own, doing everything from stair workouts at the bleachers at the local high school to running 32 miles on my 32nd birthday.

"Throughout that experience I learned the importance of surrounding yourself with people that are positive and goal driven and you, too, will be inspired to set your own grand goals.

"From that experience I built a strong base in my running, so the following spring I ran the Christie Clinic Marathon in Champaign and qualified for Boston by running a 3:28 marathon.

"I started training specifically for Boston last November, and every week included speed training, pace runs and the hallmark “long run.” I ran roughly 50 miles a week to train for Boston.

"Now that Boston is behind me, I am not sure what is next. I want to continue to support those around me to achieve their goals in running, and there is no doubt running will still be a part of my life,” says Bucy.

“Really the best part about running is how I have had a chance to have a small impact on others in my life,” said Bucy.

How did Coers and Bucy cross paths?

In 2016 both girls ran the Mount Pulaski Fall Festival 5K. Bucy ran through the race like the MP Police were chasing her and she finished effortlessly as the first female. Without even breaking a sweat she looked like she could run around the town three or four more times and not get caught. The Washington Street hill was no challenge for her.

Crossing paths - Emily (Allspach) Bucy, Jennifer (Schaffenacker) Wilham and Abby Coers make running look easy at the 2016 Mount Pulaski Fall Festival 5K. All three are graduates of MPHS.

Coers came in second that day in Mount Pulaski and said, “Emily kicked my butt.” Coers notes, “Emily is so FAST.”

Upon hearing about Coers’ Boston Marathon accomplishments, Bucy said, “That is amazing that Abby ran it three times!”

As far as Boston, Bucy and the future, “I might run it again someday,” said Ella and Nora’s mom. Emily and her husband, Josh, have been married going on seven years and they make their home with the girls in Davenport, Iowa.

As for Coers, she may have taken a couple days off from running following the Boston Marathon, but you can spot her running the city streets of Lincoln and hitting the country roads again soon. She doesn’t let the grass grow under her feet.

Congratulations to both of these amazing young ladies!

[TEENA LOWERY WITH PHOTOS FROM ABBY COERS AND EMILY BUCY]