First Marathon Buddy Program Athlete Spotlight: Meet Emily!

Q: What's your favorite race you've ever run?

A: My favorite race I’ve ever run is my first marathon at the 2024 Every Woman’s Marathon in Savannah, Georgia. Honestly, that one will probably always be my favorite. You only get one first marathon, and mine was such an incredible experience. To have trained for months and months, battled injury, and proven to myself that I can do things that I once thought I couldn’t (and had no interest in doing) was just so amazing. The weather was perfect, the atmosphere along the course was so uplifting, and getting to see my husband, Zach, along the course to support me made that day one of the best days of my life.

Q: What is your favorite running memory?

A: Crossing the finish line of my first marathon will probably always be my favorite running memory. It’s hard to describe the feeling of almost disbelief and total joy I felt as I finished the race, and that will always hold a special place in my heart!

Q: What is your favorite running mantra?

A: There are a whole bunch of things I tell myself during my runs, but the one I use the most is, “You CAN do this.” When I start to hit the wall during a run or set a challenging goal for myself, that is the mantra I keep repeating. It helps to encourage me to keep going and push through, and it also forces me to take a deep breath and calm down a bit if I’m nervous or anxious about a goal.

Q: What do you enjoy most about running and/or the running community?

A: Everyone is SO supportive! I’ve gotten to talk to people before, during, and after races, and there is such a sense of camaraderie and friendship even though most times, I’ve never met these folks at all. Since I started posting on social media, I’ve gotten to connect with even more people in the running community. We are all so willing to cheer each other on and offer advice and guidance, and that is so heartwarming.

Q: Why did you join the First Marathon Buddy Program?

A: I joined the First Marathon Buddy Program as a mentor because I really wanted to be able to support first timers however possible. During my training for my marathon, I did my runs solo but I had an insane amount of help from Zach. I know not everyone has a support system, so I wanted to help be that for others. I’m not a professional in any sense of the word, but I love to help others and give recommendations based off of my experience in the hope it will help others. One thing I try to tell all of the members in the Buddy Program community is that no questions are off the table - if you have a question about something, odds are we all have had it, too, so fire away!

Q: What are your current running goals?

A: Currently I am hoping to run a sub-2 hour half marathon on March 7. Depending on how that pans out, I’ll either be focusing on hitting that goal sometime later this year if I don’t hit it this go-round, or I’ll be focusing on doing any and all fun races I can! It will be a change of pace to not have a goal time, and I think that would be good for me.

Fun Fact: This will definitely be a random fun fact, but I am a big Aldi nerd! I found out about 2 years ago that their baby food pouches work really well for me as part of my fuel plan. Plus they have really awesome weekly finds (the $5 blankets are SO soft!).

Listen to Emily's episode of the My First Marathon Podcast: “I’m Not Athletic, But I Ran a Marathon”: Rewriting the Runner Identity w/ Emily Bailey

Follow Emily's journey on Instagram and TikTok: @rockytoprunner

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