Two Menifee Women Compete in, Finish Boston Marathon

Lori Kearns (left) and Stacy Von Moos Shockley pose with the medals they received for finishing Monday's Boston Marathon. Photos courtesy of Cindy Von Moos

Two Menifee women who have trained hard in distance running got the thrill of a lifetime Monday when they competed in -- and finished -- the Boston Marathon.

Stacy Von Moos Shockley, 40, and her friend Lori Kearns, 50, crossed the finish line together in a time of four hours, six minutes and 50 seconds. They joined some 30,000 runners of all ages and from all walks of life in running the world's most famous marathon race.

"We pushed hard to get here, but we just had fun today," Shockley said in a phone interview from Boston. "We just lived it up and soaked in the atmosphere."

Shockley and Kearns are members of a local running club called God's Running Group, composed of church members of various congregations in the Menifee area. They run every Saturday as a group. Together, Shockley and Kearns run six days a week, averaging about 80 miles.

"We give all the glory to God for what we did," Shockley said.

Kearns competed in last year's Boston Marathon, which was held in cold and wet conditions. She didn't finish the race. Shockley, who hadn't qualfied to compete, sat at home and watched the event.

This year, both runners earned the qualifying mark in their age group -- Shockley with a time under 3:45 and Kearns with a mark under 4 hours.

Shockley said she has run "five or six" marathons and Kearns has run seven. The reception they received from the crowd all during the race is something they won't soon forget.

"The crowd support they get here is amazing," said Shockley, whose Von Moos family members have been well known in Menifee since the 1950s. "The people, the cops, everyone was high-fiving us. There were probably close to 10 blind runners with guides, double amputees, people in their 90s. It's quite an experience."

Shockley said the weather was perfect for a marathon: "Perfect for us from California, but kind of warm for people back east," she said.

Shockley, Kearns and their friends and family members who accompanied them on the trip will fly home on Tuesday.