Lifelong Dunkirk/Fredonia resident Jennifer Donato is all smiles after completing the New York City Marathon last month. Submitted photo

Pine Valley Central School teacher and lifelong Dunkirk/Fredonia resident Jennifer Donato had a spectacular fall marathon running season.

She ran in three out of the six Abbott World Major Marathons in a matter of a six-week period, with the London Marathon being a championship race for her age group.

The Abbott World Marathon Majors are the “crown jewel” of all marathons. Most runners who are both elite and non-elite, dream of qualifying and having the opportunity to run in these races. When a runner successfully completes and runs all six of these races, they are awarded the highly coveted Abbott Six Star Medal. Donato has now earned two of these medals and is set to earn her third, a feat that less than five people in the world have ever accomplished. Her first Six Star Medal was attained in 2017. After earning that medal, she decided she wanted to run each of those marathons again, but all six in one calendar year.

In 2018, Donato successfully completed that mission.

“I put everything into that year. Between training, working, traveling, I was never in one place and sitting still for too long,” she said.

The long hours and all the hard work paid off; she earned her second Abbott Six Star Medal after the completion of the New York City Marathon in 2018.

Donato even overcame and ran on a fractured foot during the Boston and London Marathons so that she could achieve the goal of finishing those marathons in 2018.

Donato admits to not being a runner until her later 30s and got into it just as a form of staying active. From a non-runner to a top runner is what happened when Donato caught the running bug. To date, she has run 32 full marathons, 27 of them being the world majors, which consist of the Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City marathons. These races are not just sign-up-and-run-for-fun races. All the Abbott Marathon Majors have high standards for qualifying times to earn entry into those races.

The 2019 racing year was the was the last before the pandemic hit. During that year, Donato successfully won an age-group championship entry into the London Marathon for 2020. Due to the pandemic, racing and most life activities were shut down. She decided to transfer that race to 2021.

During 2020, Donato didn’t sit still with goals. She plowed ahead with running a total of 5,135 miles in that year. That works out to be just about 14 miles each day.

“I was feeling a bit sad with everything happening in the world and I found my escape was to just go out and run free, and it then became something I enjoyed and craved each day,” she said.

In the pandemic year, Donato also ran two virtual marathons, London, and Boston, with the finish lines ending in her driveway while her family waited in the colors of the respective marathons cheering her home.

This past fall, runners’ dreams were coming back to life. With restrictions being lifted and races starting back up, Donato was set to run in three of them. The first was the championship race in London on Oct. 3. She had earned this by winning her age group at a previous World Marathon in 2019. Donato decided on the Wednesday before that race was set to go off to book a last-minute trip to be there.

“I was torn on if I wanted to go because of not being able to be there for more than a day. Was it worth it? It all kept playing in my mind. I had a chat with my parents on that Wednesday evening before booking my ticket, and they said, ‘ Do you think you’ll regret it if you don’t go? You only live once, go do the things that make you happy.'”

That was the last incentive she needed to hear and booked that ticket to London. A quick trip it was. She left on Friday and returned home Monday. On very little sleep, the travel, time change, and many other factors, Donato once again proved to be a force to be reckoned with, running her third-best finish time of 3:26:51, an incredible 7:53 pace per mile over 26.2 miles.

Donato returned from London to turn around and run her second major of the fall season six days later at the Boston Marathon. This turned out to be another successful time and accomplishment in such a short turnaround from just completing a marathon.

“I felt amazing and incredibly strong that day, even stronger than I did in London,” she said. “I stayed close with a running friend … that I had been training with to help cheer her on and cross the finish line together.”

The finish time there for Donato was a respectable 3:34, another Boston and New York City qualifying time for a future event.

The last race of the fall season for Donato was the 50th anniversary of the New York City Marathon. For this race she decided to make it all about fun. She raced in black-and-gold sparkly clothes and enjoyed the experience of being a part of this historical event for her sixth time. She crossed that finish line to earn her shiny new medal with a time of 3:36.

“I hope that I can inspire my students to strive to achieve their goals,” said Donato, who has taught at Pine Valley for 22 years. ” I want the students to look at me and see that no matter what your age or your dream, it is never too late to try to accomplish it.”

The long list of accomplishments that Donato has earned comes from an inner desire to be her very best.

“My dad tells me that I have an intestinal fortitude unlike anyone he has ever met in his life,” she said. ” I take that as such a high compliment coming from him.

“I hope to keep working hard and chasing my dreams. One day I won’t be able to do this anymore, so I’m going to try to soak in and enjoy as much as I can while I am able to.”