{Voting Closed}

Congratulations to our winners Tamara Clause (#6) and Melissa Solomon (#11)! 

Start your training, St. George Marathon here you come!

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Wow, like, WOW!!!—- We cannot believe the outpouring of AMAZING stories that have been shared! So incredible, inspiring, awful, haha everything! Thank you so much to everyone who participated!!! We really wish that we could give ALL of you a free entry into the St. George Marathon!

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#1 Kylie Monroe

I took a year off from college and wanted to do something “worth while” during that time so I didn’t feel like a total dud. I had a friend who convinced me to sign up for the marathon, telling me he’d train with me and it’d be great! I was living in St. George, but didn’t know that I would get automatic entry. I signed up, and waited for the lottery results (thinking my chances of getting in were slim to none.) Well lo and behold, my name was on the website! Holy cow, this was real! My friend was working for the BLM at the time, and ended up being gone, working on fires all summer so he WASN’T around to train with. His mom however was in town and she ran with friends so he gave me her phone number. After one run, I was hooked and trained with her and her group of running friends all summer. By the end of the summer, I was almost better friends with his family than I was with him! We ran the marathon, and everything went great. I’ve now run 7 marathons and can’t wait to run more. The St. George marathon will always have a special place in my heart! The best part is that my friend and I ended up dating, falling in love and now have been married for over 4 years!

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#2 Melissa Kitchen

I have run the SG Marathon once before and it was 10 years ago. My story is nothing special to others I’m sure, but it was life changing for me…
I was 19 when I ran it, fresh out of high school and trying to figure out where my next step in life was. I grew up watching the SG Marathon with my parents who volunteered to help with the race a lot, and it has always been like a holiday to our family. The year before I ran I was more inspired than usual while cheering for the runners. I decided I would put the race on my bucket list. 😳 I was not a runner! Not even close. I wasn’t even a big runner at the time I signed up for the next year! I could not run 2 miles with out stopping and being wiped out. But I decided I would test myself, see just how far I could get through my training. Soon after I started this ‘test’ I started dating a great young man and learned his mom and sister were running the marathon too. He talked me into training with them and what a blessing that was! They were (and still are) experienced runners that have run the SG Marathon for years. I pushed myself and gave it my all and the training went amazing and the race even better! (Little thanks to the extra motivation from the boy and his family at the time 😉)
We can do hard things!! The marathon that year was a spiritual experience for me, one that I will never forget. I was simply amazed how strong our bodies and minds can be and how they go hand in hand when it comes to running.
Now, 10 years and 3 babies later, I’m hoping to participate once again and HOPEFULLY best my time.

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#3 Sarah Cottle

Way back in 1999, I graduated from high school and made the big move to St. George, UT to attend Dixie College. I had no idea what a marathon was, let alone could run a mile. However, I did meet the man of my dreams. OK maybe at the time I didn’t know he was the man of my dreams, but I fell in love with my best friend over a semester. After breaking up a few times, and serving missions for our church we finally ended up married five years later.

My husband, Andrew, did know what a marathon was and it happened to be on his bucket list to run one. In preparation he signed up for a half which I decided I thought I could do. I finished my first race, the Slacker Half Marathon in 2009 and was hooked. Watching Andrew cross the finish line of his first full, I knew one day it would be me crossing the finish line but soon a baby was on the way and my goal would have to wait.

As my love of running continued to grow, I knew I had to run the St. George marathon. It’s a place that is so dear to my heart as it’s where I developed my personal relationship with God hiking in areas along the course, as well as meeting my sweet love. I knew the thing that would make it most sweet was to run it with Andrew. He didn’t think it was a sweet idea and refused to enter the lottery.

Last year when there was no lottery, I somehow convinced him to sign up. I trained hard, he started too and ended up with an Achilles issue. He wasn’t sure if he was going to run it. After a test run in July ended in disaster for him he went all of August without running a single mile. As the calendar turned to September he decided to give it another go and managed to gut out a 14 miler and followed that up with another 8 a week later.  Naturally he was not too confident but decided to give it a go anyway.

Race day came and we found ourselves seated on the bus heading to the start line. Andrew really had no idea how to approach the race from a pacing perspective. He was pretty nervous about even finishing. All through our marriage we have been competitive, but I always come up short when we go head to head. I knew this was my chance to finally beat him! After all my training and hard work if I couldn’t cross that line first I didn’t know how I could deal with it.

We started together but the crowd was pretty dense and we lost each other within the first three miles. As the crowds started to thin I kept expecting him to run along side me. As the race progressed, I started to worry about him. Every time one of the busses picking up injured runners drove by, I expected to hear, “You got this babe!”. When I reached mile 25 I heard a spectator shout “Go Andrew!”.  I couldn’t believe it, I thought, “That punk had caught me and is going to freaking beat me!” When I turned my head it was another dude named Andrew.  I crossed the finish line knowing after ten years of marriage I legitimately beat my husband at something, I didn’t even care he only ran 22 miles total in two months. I beat him. Quickly after being elated with the win, I was worried sick about him. I saw a friend on the other side of the finishers shoot and asked “are you tracking Andrew? do you know where he is?” “He’s finished, he’s right behind you”. Honestly, I was conflicted. On the one hand I had feelings of gratitude that he was fine and had a good race. On the other hand I couldn’t believe that freaking punk finished 2 min behind me after no training! In the end I still won and my husband is a beast running a 3:31 marathon with no training.

In the end running St. George was awesome and we both had a great experience that I will not soon forget!

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#4 Zach Hawkins

I had the wonderful opportunity to run the St. George Marathon for the first time last year. As my family and I traveled to St. George, we discussed signing my 6-year-old son up for the kids race they hold the night before the marathon. He was thrilled to do it. As we were filling out his info to get his bib, he started getting really nervous and told us he didn’t feel good. I sat down with him and encouraged him to just have fun and that if he decided to still run it we would be proud of him no matter what.

He ended up conquering his nerves, pushed through the pain and ran the race. He did a great job and loved the finisher’s medal he received.

Fast-forward to the next day – I’m running the St. George Marathon and it is fantastic! I’ve kept a great pace overall, I’m on track to set a new PR and at mile 20 it hits me – pain, lots of pain. I slowed down quite a bit to try and assess the situation, but it seemed I was doomed. As I was hobbling to a stop I thought of my son and how he had pushed through his pain the night before. His actions inspired me and before I knew it, I was running again. I managed to keep running those last 6 miles and ultimately finished the race achieving a new PR.

My 6-year-old son gave me the strength I needed to do the impossible.

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#5 Bret Buchanan

I love the St. George Marathon. I have ran it 3 times. It is about a 6 hour drive for me from Pocatello Idaho. Worth the drive.
My first year I ever ran the STG marathon I was trying to PR. I was trying to get under a 3:35. I was felling great the whole way. I was on schedule to get a PR. I could feel how all my hard worked payed off and I was on cloud nine. Then as I was on the home stretch of the marathon, I was a women walking very delusional (kind of like a drunk person would be walking). I could see she was struggling and I thoughts she was going to fall. I didn’t even think twice. I ran right over to her and put my arms around her and I walked her in to the finish line. We had about 1/4 mile left to the finish (give or take a little). When we finally crossed the finish line a few military men helped grab her and took her to the medical tent. My time I finished was a 3:35:35 that day. I didn’t get a PR. But it was the most rewarding marathon I have ever ran. Even over my Boston Marathons I have done.
I would like to have a free entry to the marathon so I can try for a PR again. My fastest marathon now is a 3:33. I would love to race the STG marathon this fall and shot for a sub 3:30. I have tried to break 3:30 for 5 years now and I would love to give it my best shot this fall.

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#6 Tamara Clause

“October Hope”

Not yet a momma
Why I run started with mine
I’ve missed her five years.

Running helped process the tears
Clears my mind, brings me to peace.

I’m driven like her
One marathon, not enough
How about Boston?

Got my unicorn medal
Wish she were there to see it.

Keep moving forward
Running one day at a time
But what to do next?

The World Marathon Majors
My new goal: to run all six.

Chicago, New York
Even Boston are all run
Three left on the list.

London and Berlin remain
Tokyo also awaits.

Three hours is the goal
To get me to qualify
I long to get in.

A fast time needs a fast course
I hear St. George fits the bill.

Lottery entered
Leaving my hopes all to chance
What more can I do?

But wait – one last thing to try
A contest for free entry.

So here’s my story
In the form of a haiku
To be voted on.

Come October, hope I’ll be
Running through those big red rocks.

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#7 Emily Buck

I ran at George as my first marathon back in 2012. I had trained all summer, in Arizona (that was rough) with a good friend. Training was going well but the friendship was slowly fading away. There was a lot of jealousy on my partner’s part that was causing tension. We tried to make it work but come race morning, it became a nightmare. My training partner, straight up ditched me! We had planned to meet at the bus stop at a specific time and she was a no show. With this being my first marathon, I was all sorts of nervous and trying to find my partner only added to the stress. I called her hundreds of times trying to find her. I waited until the very last bus was about to leave and then had to jump on that to get to the start. Once I got there, I was a mess. I was crying with anxiety, still searching for my training partner, but she was no where to be found. I was worried she slept in, got hurt, or worse. There was such a rush at the start line, as I got there just minutes before the gun went off. I had to rush to drop off my bag, rush to go to the restroom, and ended up missing the start. I was already defeated before the race even started. Around mile 7, my parents, 2 brothers, my sister in law, husband and 2 kids had planned to meet me and with how my morning was going so far, I REALLY needed to see familiar faces. Well, I got to the meeting point and they were no where to be found! I called them and they were way behind so I had to keep going. I tried to hold back my tears, but I was devastated!! We then planned to meet around mile 20. After a long time getting there, I finally showed up. Again, no one was there. I called my husband and there was back and forth confusion as to what mile they were at. “Was it 18? No maybe 20? Oh wait I think we are at 23??” I finally broke down. I was so tired and so emotionally exhausted from everything that’s happened thus far, I just wanted to quit. But I didn’t. I kept going. At mile 24, I was stopped dead in my tracks with muscle cramps. My toes curled under and my legs locked up. Several runners passing by kept trying to encourage me on, but I literally couldn’t move. After a few minutes, though if felt like hours, my body relaxed and I was able to finish. I never saw my training partner the whole time. I ended up texting her again on my way home and she replied telling me she purposely ditched me in hopes I wouldn’t finish. I was completely heartbroken. It was a day I never wanted to remember. Well, fast forward a few months and it came time to sign up again. I couldn’t help it, so I signed up! I needed redemption! And boy did I get it! I planned on meeting no one durning the race, actually my brother, sister in law, and husband came but made them not be at the race. They decided to go mountain biking while I ran and we made plans to meet for lunch. Race morning came and I decided to get on one of the first buses out. When I got to the start line, I sat by the fire and listened to my music. I prayed a lot. I prayed that I could finish with a smile and enjoy the race, something that didn’t happen the year before. When the gun went off, I stood off to the side, watching all the excited runners take off. I was filled with peace. I was relaxed and felt good. As the crowd dwindled down, I jumped in and started my race. I paced myself. I enjoyed myself. I cried a little as I remembered my first year running this race. It was an emotional time. By mile 16, I was feeling amazing so I decided to pick up the pace to see if I could get a sub 4 hour time. I had to really pick up the pace if I wanted to get that. So I did. I ran with all my heart. The last 8 miles were all under 8:30pace. Mile 25 and 26 we under 8 minute miles! I felt like my feet had wings! The year before, the last 10 miles were 14-16 minutes miles! I finished in 3 hours, 59 minutes and 32 seconds! I did it! I got under 4 hours but most importantly I had a blast!! I was so proud of myself! The best part of that race was crossing the finish line and seeing my cousin, who was a volunteer working it, and he had his arms out wide and was yelling “you did it! You did it!!” I was so ecstatic! Best. Day. Ever! I would really, really love to run this year, but if I win I am going to give the entry to my mom. My mom started running in 2013. She never thought she could run because she had to have reconstructive surgery on both her feet in 2008. She’s now run 2 half marathons (running her 3rd on Saturday may 14! This will be our first race together as I’m just getting back to running after having my 3rd baby via emergency c section in November 2015). I would love to run St George with her but if we both don’t get picked, I would really love for her to experience running St George as her first marathon!

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#8 Nicole Hogge

I think I’ve always known I was a strong and capable person. But life has a way of beating the confidence and self-assurance out of you. In my parent’s house there is a home video where I am filming, holding this gigantic video camera propped on my shoulder. I was probably in fourth grade. I pan over to a giant mirror and say, “And there’s the beautiful Nicole!” with a grin on my face. When I watch that video, I initially always cringe and feel embarrassed at my confidence. Why are we conditioned to feel this way? I was taught from birth that I was capable and strong and could do anything I put my mind to. But over the course of this life, bumps and bruises have shown me that I make mistakes, that I am not always the strongest and best, and that life is hard and tiring. And somehow that translates to “I’m not good enough, I can’t do it, I don’t want to even try.”

That’s where I felt myself settling in. I didn’t realize I was there until the spring of 2015. This was a time of great change for my mother. She has had 6 children which took an understandable toll on her body. She was not happy with her weight and the way she looked and felt and she decided to take control. She changed her eating and exercise habits and shed weight as well as years of insecurity and negative body image. She was an inspiration to me. I was in her same position at the time and looking back now I can say that I was in total denial. Admitting out loud that I wasn’t happy with my weight and didn’t feel good about myself would make it true. So I rarely voiced these feelings. But I felt them. I was unhappy and had lost my girlish confidence and zeal for life. Watching my mother’s transformation sparked something in me. I made the decision to change. And June 2015 was the beginning of my journey to rediscover myself. I wanted to find my comfortable and healthy weight, but I also hoped to find myself again. The girl who looked in the mirror and saw that she was beautiful. That girl, the girl that I was when I was 9, didn’t look in the mirror and see messy hair and mis-matched clothes (both of which were the reality). She saw a happy girl with a good life and so much to look forward to. This was beauty to my 9 year old self. And this is what I hoped to discover when I started my journey.

I knew it would be hard, but I believed in myself more than I can ever remember. I was going to accomplish my goal. I lost weight and felt enthusiasm to continue this healthy lifestyle. My body was beginning to feel the strength and power that I had always known was there, but had suppressed for years. I started running. Mostly because it was free and something that I saw as requiring little skill and equipment. It was so hard. I was out of breath after a quarter mile. And I felt hopelessness start to creep back. I couldn’t really do this. I wasn’t a runner. This was too hard.

I needed a goal. So, I went against everything inside of me that screamed insecurity and I signed up for two races. A 10K on March 5, 2016, and a Half Marathon on April 16, 2016. I was terrified. But I researched a training program and began my training. It was so hard at first. I struggled to run the beginning distances and wondered how I would ever work up to 13 miles. But I stuck with it. I was dedicated and gave everything in my training. Gradually I noticed that it got easier. By race day of my first 10K I was feeling happy and accomplished. I was so nervous on the morning of my Half. At this point, I had run as far as 11 miles in my training. I knew I had done all I could to allow myself to feel prepared as I approached this race. Still, I defaulted back to self-doubt and reminded myself of all the times I had failed and how hard that would be for me physically, emotionally and spiritually. I wondered if it was easier the way I had done it my whole life. Easier just not to try the things that I could possibly fail at. Undoubtedly, this would have been the easier path. It’s always easier not to try.  But I was reminded that my goal was not ‘easier’. My goal was ‘happier’, ‘healthier’, ‘better’.

I didn’t even feel the first 3 miles. I was elated. I felt so much emotion as I ran. I realized that this activity had become second nature to me. It felt like me. It felt natural. I looked around and saw so many people of all shape, size, age, and circumstance. I felt connected to these humans. We all had this one thing in common and I wondered how many more similarities we shared. I wondered how many doubted in themselves, how many spent years feeling like they weren’t good enough. As I crossed the finish line I felt so grateful for all the ups and downs and bumps and bruises that had led me to this moment.

That finish line meant so much more to me than running 13.1 consecutive miles. It meant that I was good enough. It meant that even though life is hard and tiring and sometimes disappointing, it is also good and rewarding and worth it. It meant that one failure should not keep you from trying again.

When I look at pictures of that day, I don’t see the red faced, tired, still-a-little-chubbier-than-ideal girl that some might see, I see my 9 year old self. I see a beautiful girl who is setting and accomplishing goals, seeking for progression, and giving it her all. I still fall, there are bumps and bruises and signs that life is still trying to beat the confidence and self-assurance out of me. But I’m winning more battles every day. Getting stronger and braver.

I don’t need to run a marathon to feel good about myself. I didn’t even need my half marathon to feel good about myself. These feelings came through dedication, hard work and self-control. But what an amazing and emotional experience for me. I ran my first 10K in 2016, followed by my first Half Marathon. Wouldn’t it be a cool experience to say I also ran my first Marathon the same year? I would be honored to be given that chance!

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#9 Melissa Coles

St George Marathon 2008! This was my first Marathon and I thought it would be my first and last! Lol! My goal was always to run ONE marathon in my life (like when I was 40!) and then I thought I would be done! In the beginning of 2008 my friend  convinced me to put my name in the lottery. I just laughed at him thinking, well I never win anything so I don’t need to worry! Well, I got in! So the training began! I’ve always been an active person, (swimming and soccer) but I don’t think I had ever run more then 7 miles in a single day!  I figured I better find a half marathon to run before I run a full marathon. August 2008, I ran my first half marathon.

Marathon weekend came, my mom came down with me and we stayed at a friends house. We drove the course the night before. Being new to this running thing, I didn’t look up elevation and had no idea how to actually pace myself or feed my body for such a long run! I just figure I would do what I had been doing on my training runs. I think I slept a total of 20 minutes the night before! Between nerves and the baby cows next door that just left their moms and were crying all night! I got out of bed at 3am got dressed, got my water belt with 4 water bottles, my iPod nano, and a bag of peanut butter. My mom dropped me off at the buses. It was cold and raining! I got up to the top and I huddled by a fire until it burnt out because of the rain. The race started, by mile 6 everyone was drenched! I saw my mom and friend at around mile 14 where they put a garbage bag on me and we took a photo. I felt pretty good still. Somewhere before I saw my mom and friend, I had lost one of my water bottles on my belt. I still have no idea what I was thinking to carry that huge thing! They have water on the course! I continued on and about mile 22 is where I realized, this is the farthest I’ve run in my entire life!! I couldn’t believe it! I was going to finish a marathon! My shoes were filled with water but I didn’t care I was going to finish! When I crossed the finish line at a time of 4 hrs 34 minutes my mom was there to see me! My goal was 4hrs 30min so I get great about that! She found me and I was able to take off some of my wet clothes. I probably could have rung my clothes and shoes out and filled up an entire bucket of water! My mom gave me her jacket and a blanket. I went and just sat on the grass trying to stay warm. I happened to be sitting pretty close to where they were giving out ice cream. I probably sat and stared at it for 10 minutes wondering who in the world would ever think Ice cream would taste good after a marathon!! I decided to give in. At that moment it was the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life! That’s how good it was! The next 4 days I couldn’t walk! Now, here I am today, running a half marathon every weekend and last Sept qualified and went to Boston this April! What can I say, I must Love running!

 

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#10 Erin Papa

A little bit of an emotional day. I started out the marathon feeling strong and running a good pace,  hoping to finish at least 30 minutes faster than my last marathon. At mile 13 my legs started hurting. I told myself I could make it to mile 19 where one of my best friends was helping at an aide station. I knew it would help me get through the rest of the race. I made it to mile 19 and saw Trena. I cried and told her I hurt. She hugged me and I kept running. At mile 23 I hurt. I mean hurt like I’ve never hurt before while running. I called Heath, my husband, crying and told him I would probably have to walk the rest of the way. All that training…and what about my goal? It felt like a waste. Then, he told me to hold on. “Hi, baby!” It was my mother’s voice. He had been planning a big surprise for me and kept it a secret for months. He flew my mom in from Texas and had her waiting for me at the finish line. If you know how much I love my mom, you know that this is a big deal.  My goal changed @ that point. My goal now was to finish. As I got into town near the end of the race I could hear people yelling “you got this” , “you’re almost there”, and “you can do it, Erin” (my name was on my bib). I would try to run here and there and then I saw Heath coming toward me pushing a double jogging stroller with my two sweet baby girls in it. They encouraged me and I walked some then ran some. I ran the last half mile at a pretty decent pace for the pain I was in. Then I heard my name and there they were. My mom and 2 boys. I cried…hard. I finished a few minutes slower than my last marathon time. I feel like it was my shoes. I waited too long to figure that part out. I am stronger for finishing that race. Let’s do it again but this time less pain.

 

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#11 Melissa Solomon

I am a 33 year old full time working mom and wife with a beautiful 5 year old daughter. I have dealt with body image issues and low self-confidence my entire life. After some hard times in my life I found my weight really began spiraling out of control in my mid-twenties.  I fell into a depression that was driven by even more weight gain. At 260 lbs, I could barely walk up the stairs without losing my breath, my body hurt and my quality of life was poor. I just knew that if I did not change the direction I was headed my life would be significantly shortened.

In March 2013 I finally realized that I needed to take ownership of what brought me to 260lbs and I needed to fix it.

I started with finding an accountability partner; I chose my sister Heather.  We began to do short work outs together. It didn’t matter what I did, as long as I was just moving.  My goals began to evolve from 20-30 minutes of activity to 30-40 minutes, then over time up to an hour.

I’d dream about what it would be like to be healthy. I would see other women doing awesome things like running, and I thought that could never be me.  I could barely run on the treadmill for one minute. Run a mile?? Ya, right!  But the image of those women happily running stuck with me, so I made a goal of running a mile without stopping.  I mapped out a flat route and I tried again and again. I still remember the first time I ran a whole mile without stopping. As I could see the end in sight I remember thinking “I can do this. I am actually going to run a mile!” As I reached the end tears welled up and poured out of my eyes. Those 13 minutes were life changing.

I then set my sights on completing a 5k. And guess what-I did it! I loved seeing myself grow. As I progressed with these physical achievements, weight loss followed in step.  Just shy of a year into my fitness journey I decided to do a sprint triathlon in February 2014.  I was starting to feel like a whole new person.

In May 2014 I joined a local running group who convinced me to take a giant leap and sign up for a half marathon.  And guess what, I did that too. In October 2014 I completed the Pink Series Half Marathon in Park City Utah with a time of 2:45. I struggled. But I did it. And I felt like a giant standing on top of the world after.  

Then I did the OgdenHalf in May 2015, crushing my original time in 2:17.

Then the Huntsville Half September 2015. 2:11. Another PR.

After that race I decided I was ready to take it to the next level. I am currently in training for a full marathon which is less than 2 weeks away.  My training peaked this last week with almost 8 trail miles immediately followed by the completion of yet another half marathon. It was amazing!

3 years and 120 pounds separate my before’ish’ pictures and my current pictures. My life, my attitude, and my whole demeanor have changed abundantly.  I now have a list of races I can’t wait to participate in; the St. George Marathon being at the top of the list.  I am in love with running and I love the energy you feed off of when participating in a race. The crowds, the smiles, and the number of people putting everything they have into crossing that finish line…  

I can’t wait to officially be a Marathon Mom this month, and I would LOVE to be able to push my dream further by running in the St. George Marathon!

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#12 S. Zeisler

I love to run, it is a way to clear my mind and feel a spiritual connection to our Creator.  My older brother and I had signed up for the St. George Marathon- not to run together but to run the race the same day.  I only say that because he has run multiple marathons, including qualifying and running the prestigious Boston Marathon.  So when I signed up I knew we would be starting at the same location, but finishing at completely different times.  

Training began with a few short runs to start out- maybe a few 3-5 miles, 3 or 4 times a week.  Each week the distance of the runs would increase a little, until one hits the 20 miler Saturday.  Training for a marathon can be not only a physical challenge but a mental one as well.  As a single mom at that time I would bribe my parents to help out.  My dad would watch my boys and my mom would wake at 4:45 a.m. to jump on her bike, ride along side of me, and carry water and protein as I ran.  Those were some of the best runs, knowing I wasn’t alone training, even though my partner was on a 2 wheeled bike and was pedaling rarely to keep up with me; however, the message I gained was that she would help me through my hard mental and physical struggles. Telling stories of life and ancestors.

A few weeks before the marathon, my parents left to serve the Lord on a mission.  I was left to run those long miles without the aid of my mother.  On occasion I could get a friend to run 4-6 miles as I ran my longer distances.  Then when they were done running I would call my boys and they would ride their bikes along side.  There were times when I ran alone, no friends, no family, no one but the long winding road ahead of me.

There were times when I felt like it was too much and I struggled to go on.  Legs would cramp, arms were tired of pumping, but the hardest of all was when the doubt would creep in telling me to give up, it’s too difficult. Those were the times I had to dig a little deeper and repeat in my head “Faith, Focus, Determination.”  I would think about the amazing stock I came from, ancestors who had the faith to leave their family and cross the ocean alone to be with the saints.  Family who gave everything they had to survive and live as finishers.  Thoughts of the pioneers pushing covered wagons in the dead of winter through rocky terrain to an unknown location, recognizing that they weren’t doing it alone, that there were Angels helping push those handcarts.

As I trained and prepared for the race, my brother ran a few long runs, but didn’t really train for it.  He had decided to not run the race, because he hadn’t taken the time to train and knew his time wouldn’t be what he wanted it to be. About a week before the marathon we were talking and he changed his mind and was going to run with me.  Knowing my brother and having run with him a time or two, I knew he would be bored running my pace and might run ahead of me still determined to make a decent time.  However, he calmed my fears and reassured me, he would stay by me the whole way, no matter the pace.  

Marathon day arrived- here was where all of us would find out if our training had paid off.  We headed up on buses to the starting line.  My big brother and I sat by each other and enjoyed our trip chatting about the race.  He spoke about different turns and hills we would come to, places where many had struggled to the point of quitting.  He prepped me; he prepared me, again reassuring me that he would be with me along the course.  That if I needed to slow, he would slow.  If I wanted to quit he would help me keep going.

The National Anthem was sung, the gun was shot and my big brother and I waited our turn to cross the starting line.  Packed in with all those different kinds of runners.  I naturally am a competitive person; however, the only person I was competing with was me!  Was I strong enough, had I trained hard enough, could I mentally pull through when my mind and body ached to give up?

We began our run and started off at a good pace.  My big brother reminding me that many people will push too hard the first few mile because of the adrenaline of running with so many people.  He kept me calm and in the moment- not looking past the mark, but enjoying the here and now.  

As the race went on, we would walk through the water stations, gather our strength and then forge on.  When we came to the hill he described on the bus ride up, he spoke to me very lovingly, how we would walk at a good pace and then come to the top and push on at our normal pace.  That hill was steep, difficult and long, the whole time my brother encouraged me to keep moving.  As we came to the top, the view was amazing, we looked back down the hill to see how far we had come and seeing all those people who were trucking up that same hill, some determined, some barely hanging on, but all still moving.

On my previous marathon, when I came to mile 18, I was beat, hurt from an injury and struggling to continue on.  At the water station a man said to me, “ I can have a vehicle here for you in a half hour.”  With tears in my eyes and pain shooting through my body, I told him “No thanks, I will roll myself across the finish line before I quit.”

So with this current marathon, I wondered if that same feelings of pain and struggling to carry on would come.  With my big brother along side me I felt his strength and his overwhelming love and concern for me, pushing me through each and every mile.  I didn’t even feel the struggle on mile 18 as we ran through the small town.  

In this race there isn’t a lot of places for the spectators to sit for the first 20 miles or so. However, as you draw closer to the finish line, there are people cheering you on.  I remember hearing my name from someone in the crowd and it made me cry to think someone besides my big brother knew me and was cheering for me.  It gave me the added strength to keep moving.  

My brother had let me set the pace for most of the race, but he said at mile 22 he would take over and I would have to keep up with him.  I felt the change of pace and struggled to move my legs.  I found myself walking or running a slower pace than my brother.  My brother kept encouraging me with loving words, but still forging on.  Again hearing my name and the roar of the crowd, I dug deep and found faith to move forward.

As we crossed the finish line I felt emotional and over joyed that I had made it to the finish line with my big brother.  I saw my children there cheering me on and I felt so grateful to have the privilege to have run the St. George Marathon.  

I would love to have the chance to run it again, now that my life has been changed.  Recently I was married and moved from Washington County to Northern Utah.  Unfortunately with the move I lost my residency of the county and a promised entry into the race.  Fortunately my life has been changed for the best and I would love to add this to my blessings of the year!

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Such incredible stories! Thank you for sharing them with us! Good luck to everyone!

XOXO – Laura and Heather

 

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