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First Marathon Story: Still Buzzing: A Same-Day Detroit Marathon Recap w/ Laren Gonzalez

Writer: Taylor Sayles
Taylor Sayles
4 days ago
3 min read
Split-screen of two women on a video call, one speaking into a mic; overlaid text reads LAREN OZZIE GONZALEZ.

Finding Movement and Running

Laren is the first to say she has no athletic ability. She got detention in middle school for not completing the mile run. Even when she met her husband, who was incredibly active, and they moved in together, she resisted any type of movement.


Eventually, he talked her into yoga class, and she started going to yoga as much as she could. But then she got pregnant, then got pregnant again four months after giving birth to her first child, and she fell out of the habit of movement.


One day, Laren's husband signed up for a 10K near their home, but couldn't go. He had spent almost $100 on the race, and Lauren refused to waste the money. She asked him to send her the bib. Laren showed up to the race not knowing anything, and just ran.


She couldn't walk for three days after, but she knew she had to do it again.


A 10K Every Month to 26.2

Laren set a goal to run a 10K every month in 2025. She spoke to one friend who was running a full marathon, and told her she couldn't imagine running that distance. Her friend told her that if she could run a 10K every month for a year, she could definitely run a full marathon if she trained intentionally. That one person's faith in her made her start to believe it too. On New Year's Day 2026, Laren signed up for the Detroit Marathon.


Living in Texas, Detroit was where she grew up, and as she was healing from childhood trauma, she thought running the Detroit Marathon would be a huge part of her healing process. It was also on the same weekend as her birthday, and she decided to run in honor of her grandfather, who was a huge advocate in the Detroit community.


Laren downloaded the Runna app, although she made a lot of adjustments to the plan. It all started feeling real to her as her long runs ticked past 15 miles, training in the Texas heat. By the time she hit her longest run, she was feeling pretty over it.


Running Her First Marathon

Laren flew in to Detroit by herself, with a hotel close to the start line and a VIP experience for race morning. Her plan was to stick with a 4:30 pacer, but she couldn't find them in the crowds. She instead found a 4:40 pacer, but was immediately struck by the uneven pavement. Two miles in, her ankles were feeling unstable. She decided to slow down and find a more sustainable pace. Laren ran most of the race by feel; she walked the bridge into Canada, enjoying the moment. She took a photo at the only underwater mile heading back into Detroit.


At the halfway mark, Laren was still feeling good. She stopped to stretch her calves and quads a few times as her legs fatigued. The last few miles started to fly by. At Mile 25, she started crying, knowing she was making it to that finish line. At 26, she started to speed up, with a roaring crowd cheering her to the finish line.


Lessons Learned

  • If you have an injury, find the right person to help you address it.

  • People can change for the better.

  • Be open to wherever life will take you.

  • You can do it.


Want to hear Laren tell the story herself? Listen to the full episode now: Still Buzzing: A Same-Day Detroit Marathon Recap w/ Laren Gonzalez— available wherever you get your podcasts.


Listen to my most recent mini episode: Catching Up Before Taper! Life & Running Updates



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Follow along with the show:

👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays

🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod

📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast


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