WASHINGTON D.C. – The family of Orange Park High School softball and weightlifting coach Lee Taylor has been a part of some pretty stirring athletic achievements for the Raiders with daughters Lexi and Rebecca both outstanding softball players for their dad, but a marathon?

Add that to the list as Lee, wife Billie J “BJ” and daughter one, Gloria Grace, better known in Raider athletic lore as Lexi, combined adrenaline forces to complete a rain-soaked then sauna-like Marine Corps Marathon (26.2 miles) in Washington, DC., on Sun. Oct. 27.

“It was a year ago today that we signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon as a bucket list item for my wife, Billie J. and I,” said Lee Taylor, 50. “BJ and I had both run marathons before this one and Lexi wanted to join us.”

Once committed, the trio, minus youngest daughter Rebecca, 24, who was living in Louisiana and thus, “not put on the game roster” according to Lee, found a training regime online and gave themselves a year to prepare.

“We were pretty regular until June, July and August, then it got hot,” said Lee. “When September came around, we knew we had to up the milege.”

For Lexi, 28, and a teacher at Chimney Lakes Elementary School, the first time endeavor came with its own barrage of family trash talking prior to race time with Lee trying to play the “age” card, according to Lexi, but, in the end, Lexi prevailing with the fastest time of the trio; a four hour, 36.01 minute effort for a 10:36 per mile pace.

“At the four mile mark, Lexi tapped me on the shoulder and went by me,” said Lee Taylor. “I told her to run her own race and I’ll see you at the finish.”

Lee and Billie J trekked on with both running the Chicago and New York Marathons in previous years with Lee, 50, finishing in 5:32.53 and Billie J, 48, finishing in 5:37.30.

“I intended to run and walk the race, but the crowd on the course covered the entire course and the Washington DC monuments are all on the course,” said Lexi Taylor, also a four year softball player at the University of North Florida. “

As well as the monuments on the course, Lee Taylor was most intensely affected by the Blue Mile from mile 12 to mile 13 where pictures and plaques of fallen U.S. Marines lined the street.

“There were tons of U.S. Marine pictures on that mile,” said Lee Taylor. “It was truly inspirational.”