BWC to NYC

By: Becca Little, Charm City Run Race Team Member

Every year, Charm City Run in partnership with New Balance accepts nominations for a female runner to experience the TCS New York City Marathon. 

This year has been a painful one. It started with the loss of my dad on January 5th to sudden cardiac arrest. It was devastating. It left my family reeling.

My mom, my sister Sarah, and I are lucky to have each other and be able to channel that loss into something which we love: movement. My sister and I run. My mom doesn’t run anymore, but she does walk fast! This year, Sarah and I planned to run the Richmond marathon together. Mom planned to do the 8K. Since the loss of my dad, my mom has decided to join us in a lot of our running adventures. Most of them are virtual, but one of them was in person. That was the Baltimore Women’s Classic.

None of us had ever done this race before. But a race where women support women? Given the year that we have had? Yes, that is very much something we wanted to do. Mom, Sarah, my friend Becky, and myself all registered to run. It was POWERFUL! After crossing the finish line, we relaxed, enjoyed time together, and waited to see who the winner of the New York City marathon bib would be. I could never in a million years have guessed it was me. It was a moment that brought me to tears.

I was already registered for marathon training for Richmond through Charm City Run. Could I do two marathons? This was a question I had. This was not a question my coach had. Yes! I can. Neither would be a PR, but both could be done. So, I got to work. The schedule was no different than the other marathon training that I had done in the past (except for more strength training). So I went. The summer was brutal, the humidity was awful, but when you have a goal you figure it out! When I hit the week of my 20 mile run, I got a nasty cold. 

I was able to take a week off. Total rest from running, just light walking, a lot of hydrating, and wishing that this would all just magically go away and I would wake up with no congestion. By the day of my 20 mile run, I wasn’t fully recovered but at about 80%. I decided to try. I had extra support. My friend Sam ran the first 5.5 miles with me. I ran the next 12 miles with my sister. The last 2.5 I walked with my mom. I did it! I took training easy for the next week just to make sure I was 100% when I hit my next hurdle: plantar fasciitis.

I had gotten new shoes for work and they irritated an old injury. Great. Just what I needed. Over the next month I rolled, stretched, got socks designed to help with PF, changed shoes again, and went to the physical therapist. Everything seemed back on track. Then the week of the race? I got sick (again). I was feeling better by Saturday morning, which was just in time to travel to New York! I picked up my packet and settled in, wondering how it was possible that the year had flown by and it was almost race day.

Sunday morning was an early start for the bus and then waiting on Staten Island. Seeing all of the runners take off across the Verrazano Narrows bridge was a sight to behold. It was a beautiful moment. When it was my time to go, I was ready. Then my race plan started to fall apart at mile 12.

The plantar fasciitis started to flare up and just kept getting worse. I chose to abandon my race plan and just enjoy the experience. I decided to stop worrying about the expectations I had put on myself and to just take everything in. I kept moving forward. Running when I could, walking when I had to. Strangers yelling my name and cheering. I had a dance party in the Bronx. I got to pet a dog in Manhattan. I embraced silence on bridges. I texted friends with updates.

In mile 18, I met a woman who had a stitch in her side. We stayed together for about 3.5 miles. She worked out her stitch and we talked about how beautiful it was that day. It was her 3rd NYC marathon. She told me about the course ahead. We enjoyed the miles and waved like we were celebrities when people yelled our names. No one knew who we were. It was just wonderful to be seen.

In mile 23 I met a man who was also having foot issues. He and I walked for about a mile. He was in pain (like we all were) but was sure he would get there.

At 25, I met another woman who was crouched down in the middle of the course. I stopped and asked if she was okay. She wasn’t. She had started having leg cramps at mile 21. I took her by the arm and said “let’s go!” I asked if she wanted to stop and when she said no, I told her we would get to the finish line and then to the medical tent. I asked her questions, starting with “Is this your first marathon?” She said yes. I shouted that to the people around us and the crowd ROARED! It was a surge of energy unlike anything else. We kept moving forward. We finished the race together. 

Nothing that has happened this year was something that I could have expected or anticipated. It has been a wild ride. New York was not a race I expected to run this year. So really, it kind of fit right in with the theme of how this year has been. I did not think that I would stand a chance to get in through BWC. I did not expect to get derailed so many times in training. I did not expect to have my plan go out the window at mile 12 of the actual race.

I am so glad all of the things that I didn’t expect happened. I met people I would not have met. I stopped and enjoyed moments I would have missed. I saw the best in people. New York is so much more than a race. It is the embodiment of what running is and what this year has been for me. Love, community, and support.