Mutual Fun
Hilary Cairns and Malcolm Lester run frequently in local races and trade off babysitting their toddler girl and baby boy at the finish line. Cairns is a law student at Georgetown and has lived in Washington since the mid-1990s. Lester has been a teacher and coach at Saint Alban's for eleven years. Cairns credits Lester, "an avid runner" and marathoner, with getting her back into running. We often take on projects at the urging of others- elite runners step up a level after college due to the influence of a good coach. Lester has motivated Cairns to tackle marathons. His advice for her first Marine Corps Marathon was to run to finish, which she accomplished in three and a half hours.

Cairns brought four-month-old Teddy along for an interview during Memorial Day weekend; the family lives on Capitol Hill. She fed him as we talked; two-and-a-half-year-old Page stayed home with dad. Teddy is a delightful baby whose eyes sparkled and face brightened with a big smile in response to his mom's attention. Ideally, a man and a woman strengthen each other through shared comfort, encouragement, and humor; Cairns and Lester fit this script.

Results
Training has a high priority in Cairns's daily schedule-she runs early in the morning up to four times a week. Once a week, she and Sharon Servidio meet under the gaze of Lincoln on the Mall. Cairns places a high value on fitness and works out at Results gym on days when she does not log miles. Coach Bill Stearns guides her and other members of the Pacers racing team, supplying workouts on demand; she also discusses running with her husband. But mostly she relies on experience, using half- mile intervals on the Mall, tempo runs ( twenty minutes or three by ten minutes) and long runs. A busy family and class schedule dictate low mileage training, but she gets a maximum return on her investment. In 2001, she posted a 36:58 for second place among women in the St. Patrick's Day 10K.

Accessible
Cairns has a pleasant, astute personality and Midwest sensibility that sets one at ease. She attended a private high school in Minneapolis, then headed east for college studies at Williams and Wellesley Colleges in Massachusetts. The intimate atmosphere of a Division III college nurtures creativity through direct contact with faculty and guest speakers; students have confidence in their credentials without the need to compete for elite status. Careful, personal interaction encourages one to see possibilities in everyone. Cairns is a reflection of this attitude with her approachable, polite manner.

Participant
When confronted with a challenge, one can fight the system or withdraw from active engagement in society, but the preferred third choice in a democratic society is to address shortcomings. Cairns interned on the Hill during college, taught and coached at the National Cathedral School before she earned a masters degree in Public Policy from Georgetown, then worked for the District of Columbia. She prefers local politics and appreciates Washington's cultural resources and neighborhood atmosphere within a large city. She served on the board of the DC Road Runners Club and has a cooperative demeanor in the running community. Current enrollment in Georgetown Law school opens a promising future. Meanwhile, she is a familiar sight in the top ten at the Capitol Hill, Jingle Bell, and St. Patrick's Day 10Ks; there are many smaller road races on her schedule every year, too.

Very Competitive
Cairns's mother has run marathons and had Hilary running her first 10K when she was only ten years old. She was driven to succeed in many childhood activities; her sport of choice in high school and college was tennis-a game where love means nothing. Her introduction to competitive running came at Williams College, where she was "recruited" to run track. In her first year, she earned All-American honors in the 10,000 meters (Division III). Halfway through college, she transferred to Wellesley and focused on academics.

The 2001 WRR Runner Rankings reflect Cairns's consistency in road racing with a number three ranking in the open women's category. Cairns won the inaugural Marathon in the Parks organized by MCRRC with a time of 3:00:21 in 2000; the Olympic Marathon Trials standard for 2004 is only twelve minutes away. She has chosen to broaden her view of life rather than define her success by a possible pursuit of an Olympic Trials entry. Hilary Cairns reaches for the opportunity close at hand and has an appreciation for the precious blessing of a lovely family and a promising career path.