First Marathon Stories

Aimee started her running journey running half marathons before deciding she wanted to challenge herself to her first marathon to coincide with her 40th birthday.

From a young age, Martin saw his father running to get in shape. When Frank Shorter won the 1972 Olympic marathon, at the age of 11, Martin was so moved that he went outside in his blue jeans and went for a four-mile run. From there, he was hooked.

Jay was always active but actively avoided running in her youth. After college, a 5K led to a half marathon, which led to the NYC marathon. She struggled early on, but pushed herself through across the finish line of her first marathon.

Hunter has always been into running for the fun of it and for the community. He kept that mindset as he crossed the finish line of his first marathon.

Sierra had an on-off relationship with running for years before signing up for her first 26.2.

Barry started running to get healthy, but along the way found a way to prove himself wrong and push through a less-than-ideal first marathon experience to cross the finish line.

Abia was so inspired by an incredible runner who beat breast cancer at the New York City Marathon that she entered the lottery the next year and won a spot. What followed was a first marathon experience fueled by community and ignoring the imposter syndrome in her own mind to become a marathoner.

Sara signed up for her first marathon almost by accident and found herself fundraising and training for her first 26.2 unexpectedly. Through life disruptions and an imperfect training plan, Sara made it through her first marathon.

Julie ran her first marathon in Philadelphia, healing trauma from school sports and learning to make it through the hardest moments to cross the finish line.

Rachel didn't grow up running. She remembers the first time she enjoyed running was a class in her senior year of high school, which required her to complete a mile. The competitive side of her kicked in, and she trained super hard to run that mile. She was the fastest in the class, and it inspired a future competitor.

Gina never thought she'd be a runner. In 2016, she got it in her mind that she wanted to run a half marathon, and she was truly hooked. After two kids and a long return to running, Gina signed up to run her first marathon at the Eugene Marathon.

Jude described herself as a "late bloomer" who got into running at 38. Through injury and an almost accidental registration, she ran her first marathon in Melbourne, Australia.

Mikaela found ultrrunning while healing in some of the darkest times of her life. Along the way she found peace, strength, and the confidence to keep going.

Maggie always had a competitive spirit. Originally a gynmast and sprinter, Maggie decided to run the 2025 Chicago Marathon to celebrate her 30th birthday.

Alyssa came to running after college. After running a half marathon, she signed up to run the Space Coast marathon. While the day didn't go the way she hoped, she saw it through a few weeks later, and crossed the finish line of her first marathon.

Keneshia found a love for running on the hot roads of Arizona. She finished her first marathon at the Every Woman's Marathon, supported by a community of runners behind her.

Jon found the marathon much more intimidating than the Spartan Races he had been doing. There was no pace pressure on the trails. Everyone was sharing snacks and making friends. But he signed up for the San Francisco Marathon anyway. He wanted to prove he was capable of it.

Ashley was never a runner, but fell in love with the sport during a stressful divorce. She set off on the country roads with $10 shoes and a Fitbit, and her running journey began.

Always a runner, Carly struggled with unexplained illness and surgeries before finding her way to her first marathon on the anniversary of a major surgery.

Jose describes running as a pal he's always had, that he's always come back to throughout his life. He wasn't hugely interested in running or sports, but he found running was a good time. Growing up with 80s movies, he saw running as a way to make himself better (cue the "Rocky" montage). Around 2000, he started training for a 10K entirely on a treadmill. He was in school at the time, and trying to keep himself "out of too much trouble." The 10K wasn't that bad at all, and he