Columbus High School alumna Lashonda McLeod is a diplomat, currently representing the United States in Guatemala City, Guatemala. As an attache with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, she helps administer services including trade promotion and facilitation, as well as a food aid program in the region that also includes Honduras and El Salvador. But out of the office, McLeod pursues another interest — running.
On Nov. 2, she returned to the States to fulfill a major goal, to run in and complete the 26-plus miles of the New York City Marathon.
“It was an unbelievable experience,” McLeod said via phone from her post in Guatemala. “You always hear that it’s the best marathon in the world, but until you have an opportunity to experience it, it’s hard to appreciate.”
McLeod, the daughter of Thomas and Ella McLeod of Columbus, was one of more than 50,500 runners in the famed event.
“The people, the crowds allowed me to keep going, encouraging us,” she said, clearly impressed by the turnout. While she keeps her completion time close to the vest, the important thing is, she said, “I finished and raised money for charity!” Through friends and family, McLeod raised more than $2,600 for Team for Kids, all through Facebook.
Team for Kids runners raise funds for the New York Road Runners’ Youth and Community Services programs while training for major endurance events. Funds provide free or low-cost health and fitness programs for youth who would otherwise have little or no access to regular physical activities. Programs serve more than 200,000 children annually in more than 800 schools and community centers in New York City and around the world.
From Columbus to foreign service
After graduating from Alcorn State University and earning as master’s degree in agricultural economics, McLeod was an agricultural economist in Washington, D.C., where she first got the running bug. She entered foreign service in 2008 and has been in Guatemala for about a year.
“Running has become really popular here,” she said. “Due to the security situation, during the week I had to train on a treadmill, which is not ideal, but on Sundays they opened up one of the largest avenues in Guatemala for pedestrians, bikes and running, so I was able to train outside.”
A half-marathon and some shorter races in Guatemala and two marathons in Paris, France, helped her know what to expect from the New York challenge, although they didn’t prepare her for the cold temperatures and headwinds.
One of the benefits, however, was taking part in one of the world’s most acclaimed races with good friends.
“We were all these small-town girls — they were from Mississippi as well,” McLeod said. “And how awesome is it to be able to raise money for kids just through Facebook? It was all a great experience.”
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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