Typically, when I do a community spotlight, whether person or place, it’s… well, within our community, Winn Parish. Nevertheless, as I’m continuously learning, the news isn’t just reoccurring; more often than not frustrating; it’s organic. It forms fingers, arms, and legs; before long, it’s upright and breathing. It lives a life exchanged verbally and is easily influenced by right or wrong, changes shape, and is even capable of great distance. In that, we can sympathize. We, too, are upright, impressionable, and capable of great depth, so I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to touch on Dr. Lindsey Thurmon Norris and her participation just a few weeks back in the 127th Boston Marathon (est. 1868). Though she now calls Madison, MS home, she was born here, in little ole Winnfield.
Dr. Norris, wife and mother of four, is usually found practicing her craft, nephrology (the care and treatment of the kidneys), any given day of the week up in Jackson, MS, but Monday, April 17th, she was busy maintaining a consistent eight-minute mile throughout the entirety of her twenty-six-mile trek–no easy feat! Especially considering the time, provision, and discipline necessary to qualify for the marathon, let alone balancing a healthy family and a demanding career while preparing.
The qualifying window began in September of ’21, requiring runners to have completed a certified marathon within the allotted time, distinguished by age and gender, due to the field limitations dictated by the B.A.A (Boston Athletic Association), achieving the qualified time did not guarantee entry, just the right to submit. Therefore, only the fastest within the applicant pool, which included Dr. Norris, was selected for the opportunity. She finished 13,807 overall in three hours, thirty-six minutes, and forty-four seconds out of 30,000 participants!
Lindsey’s performance is a point of pride but not a surprise for her family and friends here in the Parish. She’s described as diligent, unyielding, and without barriers, consistently set on achieving every goal she sets for herself. From her athletic achievements while attending WHS (graduated 2000), her academic performance through out high school and college, raising a loving family, having a successful practice, and now running in the Boston Marathon. Dr. Norris is clearly a spirited woman who has shown her grit and drive from an early age and continues to push past her limits, forming a direct and powerful example for anyone who stands still long enough to listen!
Congratulations to Dr. Lindsey Thurmon Norris for her acceptance and participation in the 127th Boston Marathon!
