Jayme Del Vecchio

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She’s outgoing, loyal, and believes in having fun while working hard. Jayme Del Vecchio of Fruitland, Maryland, has only been running a few years yet has made a huge mark in the local running community. She has set goals and smashed them, including 24 5ks at Pemberton 24. See how a few friendly conversations welcomed her into the running world and made a profound difference in her life.

When did you start running and why?
I started running when I was around 24 years old, but back then it was really just to stay in shape. I needed to be physically prepared to enter the Maryland State Police Academy in July 2014. I had always run a mile or two here and there to stay active, but nothing like I do now. I actually started running for “fun” in March 2023 when I joined TEAM 360. My son’s preschool teacher, Sheila Loar, asked if I wanted to get involved. Having two autistic children of my own, the mission immediately meant something to me. I loved the idea of being part of something so much bigger than myself and helping athletes accomplish things they may have never thought were possible. Sheila is one of the biggest reasons my running journey took off the way it did and I will always be grateful that she brought me into this community.

Do you remember your first race?
Absolutely. My first race was a 10-miler, the Tim Kennard River Run, with my first TEAM 360 athlete, Kimar. That race will always hold a special place in my heart. I saw firsthand how much love and support the TEAM 360 athletes received from everyone around them, and Kimar had the most electric energy. I completely fell in love with it. No one really knows this, but I went home afterward and cried. My heart was so full because of the environment and community I had just become a part of. Running for myself is amazing, but there is something completely different about devoting your time to helping these  athletes experience everything they deserve.

Shortly after the Tim Kennard race, Sheila Loar, Nikki Rittling, and Michelle Nelson introduced me to Trent Swanson, and I started my first Summer Tour for the Tour de Salisbury. And, as everyone around here knows, once you get introduced to one of Trent’s races, you just can’t stop. From there, running really took off for me.

How has your running journey evolved over the years?
After my first 10-miler, which was pretty wild considering I had never run more than a 5K before, things escalated quickly. I ran my first half marathon in Ocean City in October 2023. I specifically remember telling my husband, “I have no aspirations of running anything more than a half. I will NEVER run a marathon. I don’t know how those people do it.” It’s amazing what a little peer pressure can do. After completing the Summer Tour, Chelsea Lahey hosted an after-party at her house to celebrate. Somehow, during that party, a few friends decided I was ready for Algonquin 50K. Was it smart to go from basically running 5Ks, to a 10-miler, to a half marathon, and then think, “Heck, why not go straight to an ultra trail race, 31-32 miles long?” Probably not. But I have never been one to back down from a challenge, so of course I accepted.

What challenges/injuries have you had?
Loaded question!
I had been healthy for most of my life and had never experienced anything medically significant until I was involved in a near-fatal motor vehicle accident while on duty with the Maryland State Police. After that accident, my back was never the same. I was never the same. I tried everything I possibly could to manage the pain. Strangely enough, running itself usually didn’t hurt, it was afterward that I would pay for it. Then, one morning in July 2024, I woke up unable to feel both of my legs. A disc in my back had severely herniated and was compressing the nerves going into my legs. I needed immediate spinal surgery. My friends were incredible through all of it. They stayed by my side and did everything they could to keep my spirits up.

I knew running would have to wait for a while, and doctors suggested that maybe I should give it up altogether. I didn’t listen. After a few months of recovery, though, I fell into a pretty dark place. I couldn’t run. I was missing races I loved, missing time with my friends, and missing a huge piece of what had made me so happy. Recovery wasn’t pretty. I had to learn how to walk normally again before I could even think about running. Feeling eventually returned to my right leg, but my left leg never fully recovered. I developed drop foot, which meant I couldn’t properly lift or flex my foot. I wore a full leg brace while we waited and hoped for the nerves to repair. Months passed, but my back and leg weren’t improving the way we hoped. My neurologist recommended repeating the surgery. I was devastated. I felt like every bit of progress I had fought for was about to disappear.

In November 2024, I underwent my second spinal surgery. There was a complication involving my spinal fluid, which kept me in the hospital longer than expected. Even then, I held onto the hope that in a few months I would feel like myself again. I remember thinking that I didn’t care what my pace looked like anymore. I just wanted to put my feet back on the pavement. It took about a year before I truly felt happy with running again.

I probably had absolutely no business running Algonquin for my second year, especially after everything my body had been through, but there I was, doing exactly what I wanted to do. It was a struggle. Getting my leg and foot to cooperate for all those miles was incredibly difficult. With about 10 minutes remaining before the cutoff and a DNF, I made it across the finish line. I had tears in my eyes as I hugged Trent and then my family. Afterward, I sat on the benches near the fire, eating something and quietly taking in what I had just accomplished. Zach Freistat came over to me while my dad was sitting beside me. Zach told me how inspired he was that, no matter how many odds had been stacked against me, I just kept showing up. He told me I should write a book about my journey someday, and that if I did, he would be the first person to buy a copy. My dad heard the entire conversation.

My dad is not a man who cries, but I saw tears in his eyes. I felt mine, too. Zach may never fully know the gravity of what he said to me that day, but I have carried those words with me ever since. Then I ran the Blades 10 Miler in March 2025. It certainly wasn’t my fastest race, and by then I had pretty much accepted that PRs might be a thing of the past. When I crossed the finish line, Zach (who was the race director) came up to me again. This time, he presented me with the “Cut Above the Rest” blade award. He told me I deserved it because of the perseverance I had shown, getting back out there after everything I had been through and after being told I might not run again. That meant more to me than any PR ever could.

Share some running victories with us! What makes you proud?
I don’t have a 100-miler under my belt to brag about. I don’t have some spectacular race resume filled with huge accomplishments. But my biggest victory is that I have a leg and foot with permanent nerve damage, and I still get out there and crush some races. But something pretty miraculous did happen along the way. I put in a lot of hard work, more than I have ever put into running before. I refused to accept that my best running days were behind me. And this year, in 2026, all of that work started to show. I have hit a handful of racing PRs that I truly never thought would be possible again. I even PR’d my 3rd Algonquin 50K with a sub 6 hour run, shaving eight minutes from my best all with the ground covered in ice and snow. Luckily, I had my ride or die, Melissa Hampton with me for support to get it done. After everything my body has been through, crossing finish lines faster than I ever thought I could again has been incredibly emotional and rewarding Those PRs mean so much more to me now because I know exactly what it took to earn every one of them.

But, if I had to share what I am most proud of in my whole running career, it would have to be September 18-19, 2026 at Pemberton 24. Even though it was beyond the hardest thing I have ever done, I successfully completed all 24 laps. I was one of 41 of 414 total runners to be able to accomplish that and one of only 11 females. Having my family and friends around me to help me get this done was EVERYTHING. This was an experience I will NEVER forget. More importantly, I am the happiest I have ever been, and so much of that is because of the people I have met through running. All of my very best friends came into my life because of this sport. I am proud that when people told me I might never run again, or that maybe I shouldn’t, I kept going. I’m still here. I’m here for myself. I’m here for my friends. And I’m here for every TEAM 360 athlete I have the privilege of helping across a finish line. Those are my victories.

You seem extremely driven to me. Is that accurate? How have you overcome setbacks yet still moved forward?
I would definitely say I’m driven, but I think a lot of it comes from the fact that I don’t like being told I can’t do something. When life knocks me down, my first instinct is usually to figure out how I’m going to get back up. My running journey certainly hasn’t gone the way I expected. There were plenty of moments when it would have been easier to accept that running was something I used to do and move on. But running became about so much more than miles and finish times for me. It became my community, my friendships, my outlet, and a huge part of my happiness. It also gave me the opportunity to help other people accomplish things they may have once thought were impossible.

My definition of success has changed along the way. Before my surgeries, I might have looked at the clock first. Now, sometimes the victory is simply standing on the starting line knowing everything it took just to get there. I still have goals. I still want to get faster. I still want to challenge myself. And I am probably still going to sign up for things that make people question my decision-making! (Mostly my parents, haha) But setbacks have taught me that I am capable of adapting. Maybe I don’t run exactly the way I did before. Maybe my body doesn’t always cooperate. That doesn’t mean I stop. I just figure out another way forward.

You’re the race director for the Spectrum Superstars 5K each June. Tell us about the event.
A lot of hard work goes into the Spectrum Superstars 5K, and this race is incredibly close to my heart. The race represents the Lower Shore Autism Community, a nonprofit where I work part-time. I am also a huge autism advocate because my own two children, Lyla and Brody, are on the spectrum. The Spectrum Superstars 5K gives individuals on the spectrum, their families, friends, and members of our community an opportunity to come together for either a competitive 5K or a one-mile walk. We also love having TEAM 360 join us. It is about much more than a race. It is about inclusion, acceptance, community, and giving people of all abilities a place where they know they belong. Being able to combine two things that mean so much to me, running and the autism community, makes this race incredibly special.

Besides TEAM 360, you are a member of Eastern Shore Running Club. How are you involved?
Both organizations mean so much to me, just in different ways. TEAM 360 is where this whole journey really started. I have devoted a lot of my time to practices and races, and the organization holds a huge part of my heart. Shoutout to all of our athletes, wingmen, and captains who make TEAM 360 what it is. As for ESRC, I lead the Thursday Noon run, and I have to give a shoutout to my Noon Platoon regulars: Melissa, Elise, Richard, Chelsea, Lauren, Michelle, Chris, Ivan, and everyone else who shows up for our weekly shenanigans. I also serve on ESRC’s Scholarship Committee and Social Club Committee. I genuinely enjoy being part of this running club because, as I have said before, all of my very best friends have come into my life through this community.

When I look at the other featured runners and all of the incredible things people in our running community have accomplished, I don’t necessarily feel like my race resume is the most impressive one in the room. But I do feel accomplished. I have found friendships I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I have shared experiences with people I love. I have helped athletes cross finish lines. I have learned what I am capable of when things get hard. And if my story inspires even one person to step outside of their comfort zone and try something they never thought was possible, then I think I’ve accomplished something pretty incredible after all.
*For more information on the organizations Jayme mentioned, see Team 360 and Lower Shore Autism Community.