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Running now part of a marriage pact
Segura, de Vries, former Lely running stars, wed
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Nico de Vries and Ana Segura met in Colorado in the summer of 2002. It was one of many running camps that Lely High cross country and track coach Mark McGarity has run over the years to improve his runners and to do a little bonding.
Both worked for Nico and Ana who married this year on Feb. 9.
When they met Nico, of Marco Island, had been an outstanding runner at Lely, winning county, district and regional championships.
In 2000, while a Lely senior, he had won the Disney Invitational, county and district titles and finished fifth in the State Cross Country Championships. His best three-mile time was 14:57.
Graduating in 2001, he went running to the University of Florida.
When they met Ana was a junior at Lely. Her star was on the rise. The cross country team went to the state championships three straight years.
In 2002, the team raced to second place in the Class 1A State Cross Country Championships. The team included Marco’s Heidi and Michelle Miller and Jessica Raymond, along with Laura Salinas, Celine Ali and Kim Gallagher.
In track she would become the record holder in the mile and be on the record-setting 4 X 800 relay team. Her senior year she would win the county and two-mile district championships.
When Ana got to the University of Florida in 2004, she and Nico began dating.
“Nico became my running coach, helping me to start running after my stress fracture and making the cross country team the fall of my sophomore year,” she said. Ana would also run on Florida’s track team in 2005.
In his later college years Nico continued to run competitively, but unattached.
After graduation from Florida they both went to study abroad. Nico going to Barcelona to a business school, ESADE, and Ana to Paris to Sorbonne University. While in Europe they continued to run while traveling. Graduating in 2007 they moved to San Francisco.
They both continued running, but not competitively. However, after their wedding, their jobs took them to New York City where Ana said they were inspired to run competitively.
“Running for us is how we start each day,” Ana said. “It allows us to spend more time together and enjoy the outdoors, especially Central Park.”
They run about 50 miles a week as they prepare for the marathon.
For Ana, born in Bogota, Columbia, Lely High was her way to overcome cultural differences.
“Running in high school was my way to deal with cultural shock when I came to the U.S.,” she said. “I learned to have discipline and a commitment and at the same time introduce myself to the culture. Running was my time to release my anxieties and meet great people.”
One of those was her coach, Mark McGarity.
“Coach McGarity introduced me to a lifestyle that has forever changed my essence,” she said. “His everlasting energy and commitment to us lifted my soul many times I needed encouragement.”
She remembers her high school days fondly.
“I remember the long rides in school vans each weekend to a meet,” she said. “It was an awesome time with my teammates.
“The pre-race dinners, the get-togethers, the moments of triumph and disappointment and at the moment that we learned to continue to race for our own goals and finish lines.”
In high school she was committed to the team, “but now I run because it allows me to organize my thoughts and refresh my spirit,” she said.
“Nico, as my training partner, has allowed me to further understand that we are now each other’s teammates, not only in running but in every other aspect of our lives together.”
Nico is with UBS, a Swiss banking firm that is one of the world’s leading financial firms. Ana is with Banco Bilboa Vizcaya Argentaria Global as a trade finance intern.
Nico is the son of Ewout and Jill de Vries of Marco. Ana is the daughter of Bernardo and Claudia Segura of Naples.
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