Pageant News Bureau - Christy Sayer

Christy Sayer, Miss Greater Long Beach, is what you might call the beauty queen's beauty queen. Her hometown is the birthplace of Miss Universe, but she represents the town in the Miss America system. She's beautiful, but she doesn't make a big deal about it. She's smart -- on her way to graduating summa cum laude.

She's not a cookie-cutter queen, either. She got into competition of her own free will, lobbying her skeptical parents as a 12-year-old. She even has bold opinions: She has chosen a career in public relations, a field that some young media students deride, because she worries about the sensationalism of modern journalism.

All that is fine, but there's something that really sets Christy Sayer apart: She plays the trumpet and runs marathons.

Think about it. Running a marathon (26.2 miles) is a lot of work for the lungs and the legs. Making a sound come out of a trumpet is a lot of work for the lungs and the lips. Most women -- and most men -- can't run the race or play the horn. How many can do both?

Because this is a pageant story, we should note that Ms. Sayer's lips and legs still look terrific. We can't see her lungs, but we can say that she's a breathtaking beauty.

Is there more? Plenty.

Ms. Sayer is a camp counselor. She ran her most recent marathon for charity, to benefit leukemia research. She's . . . Wait, she sounds almost too good to be true. We had better stop before you accuse us of making this up.

Well, one final note, a pageant note. Her talent in the Miss America system is playing the trumpet.

A marathon would take way too long.

All that jazz,all those miles

All that jazz,
all those miles