Shamrockers 2009

PHOTO BY: Caydence Stauffer

Left to Right: Aaron Burke, Fia Nicoloso, Kim Hyslop, Linden Mullins, Alex Farlow, Garrett Lyons, Sam Ross, Morgyn Stauffer. Missing from photo: Julian Olajos. Photo credits: Caydence Stauffer

Morgyn Stauffer, Julian Olajos, Aaron Burke, Alex Farlow, Linden Mullins, Fia Nicoloso, Garrett Lyons, Kim Hyslop and Sam Ross are athletes with ShamRockersUSA who will be running four half marathons in about six weeks this spring. What makes this extraordinary is that these runners are 14 to 16 years old!

These nine, high-energy runners are part of the inaugural “Four Leaf Graduate” Program with ShamRockersUSA. The Four Leaf was offered in July 2009 after the organization’s founder and coach, Diane Lyons, created and ran the prototype program earlier this year. To become a Four Leaf Team Member, the kids must be 1) a graduate of a ShamRocker program and 2) be personally invited by Lyons. “The prototype was clearly one of the most difficult physical adventures in which I had participated to date. When I adapted the program for the young runners, I made sure the kids would not only be accomplishing something most adults would never even try, but have a BLAST doing it! Four Leaf offers chauffer-driven access to each race, special pre-race check-in and post-race refreshments in the limo while they relax”, says Lyons. “Oh, yeah, and lots of Bling!”

Starting with the infamous Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend in January, the kids then run the Miami ING Marathon in late January, the Tampa Bay Gasparilla Distance Classic in February and ending with the Sarasota Grouper Run Marathon in early March. These young runners will participate in some of Florida’s largest races and clearly be some of the youngest in each field.

“These athletes deserve special attention because they committed to doing something extraordinary with their lives. You cannot train to run Four Half Marathons in that short of time span and not have that training positively affect the way you approach the other challenges in life.” Three of these runners ~ Morgyn, Julian and Garrett ~ are “Elite ShamRockers: the Original Seven” who started it all in 2007 (which also included Rico DeTorres, Zac Judsen, Aaron Truluck and Michael Moxom). None of these boys had ever run prior to joining the newly-formed teen running club. Since then, Garrett, Fia, Rico and Michael have gone on to run in the Cork City Marathon Relay in Ireland; Aaron and Linden have run two Half Marathons with Lyons; Morgyn excelled on the SHS Cross Country Team. Aaron Burke says “I would like to run a full marathon, maybe Antarctica, and do a full Ironman one day”; Lyons is sure he will and will run Antarctica with him. Regarding career aspirations, Linden plans on making enormous amounts of money by selling balloon animals whilst traveling all over the world, specifically to Thailand, with her fabulously successful balloon animal cart; she may one day live with the eskimos in an igloo. Garrett wants to pursue a wealthy life as a musical entrepreneur in sound editing and film production; he is currently registered for his first Ironman 70.3 in Augusta in 2010. Morgyn is considering becoming a Worship Leader and wants to surf huge waves anywhere in the world. Alex hopes to be a world-renowned chemist and finally cure cancer; an Ironman may be in his future as well.

Sam hopes to become an international base-jumper and an Eco-Engineer. Julian’s aspirations have him graduating from MIT and inventing a solar camera by which he will film and photograph the various planets of our solar system. Kim will attend the police academy, to eventually work in the Sheriff’s Department, most likely as the Sheriff; she will maintain her training in running and karate, hoping to run global marathons and possibly compete in the Ninja Arts. Fia would love to become a professional writer one day. "ShamRockers has really helped me make a lot of new friends ~ I don't know what I'd do without everyone on the team! When I'm older, I would like to become an author and a teacher. But no matter where I end up in life, I'll forever be a member of ShamRockers."

Many old and new ShamRockers will join together again to run various international races, specifically the Great Wall Half Marathon in 2011. Says Lyons, “Since we all have the ultimate desire to become Seven Continent Members, I am sure we will see each other again over the course of the coming years, and in awesome global settings. Running and travel are the best parts of life…don’t you agree?” ShamRockersUSA is a non-profit offering Half Marathon training to young athletes aged 10 to 18; Youth Triathlon Training and the debut of their national sporting and fundraising event will be added to the programs in 2010. Coaches throughout the nation, and around the World, are encouraged to contact Diane for the opportunity to operate their own ShamRockersUSA Program in their city.

You may contact Lyons at 941 321 6208 or