Mary Chervenak was born in Anderson, South Carolina, where she resided for three months while her father was completing his PhD in physics at Clemson. It wasn’t until her father accepted a position at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, however, that she could remember calling a place “home.”

Mary started running recreationally in college at age 20. She was 27 when she began a serious long-distance running career. She has completed 13 marathons, including a recent ultra-marathon of 31 miles. A graduate from Rhodes College with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Mary went on to receive a PhD in organic chemistry from Duke University. She also was involved in post-doctoral research in physical organic chemistry at the University of Alberta. Mary is currently employed by Blue Planet Run’s presenting sponsor, The Dow Chemical Company, where she works in Technical Service and Development for Specialty Latex.

Mary heard about the Blue Planet Run through Dow’s internal Web site and felt inspired by her husband, who thought she would make the perfect candidate. Mary knew the Run entailed a profound commitment but found support from her colleagues, family and friends. She feels that as an American she has the personal responsibility to make certain that everyone on the planet has safe drinking water. Mary is currently running about 40 miles a week to train for the Blue Planet Run and plans to max out her weekly mileage at 75 miles a week in the next two months. She admits she eats abundantly in order to keep up with her workouts. Typically, her breakfast is something whole grain, followed by a healthy lunch and usually pasta for dinner.

Mary is a member of the board for the Central North Carolina chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. As their scientific adviser, she reads and interprets the published literature describing research and other advances in the field of multiple sclerosis. She fund raises and volunteers at various events associated with the society. When not involved in community service, Mary runs with a local running club and is a spin instructor at her local gym. Mary and her husband are members of the Asheboro Zoo and the Appalachian Mountain Club.

Mary considers her greatest hero to be her mom, who has written books, designed and run fitness programs, taught English to immigrants, catalogued and exhibited ancient glass — all while raising a family. Mary has never met someone with as much energy and drive as her mom.