Shawndra and the Marathons
Twenty years ago, my three-year-old daughter lost her battle with cancer. Realizing she would never again get to play with kids, I decided to honor her memory by running a marathon in each of the fifty states. I call running the 26.2 miles of a marathon with thousands of other runners “playing with kids.” Shawndra was very shy. She would stand in daycare and watch the other children play all day. After coming home however, she would say, “I played with kids today!” with a big smile on her face.
I run the marathons with hundreds of other marathoners who I call “kids” because Shawndra never had the chance.
At the finish line of each marathon, I raise my hand in the air like Shawndra used to do, and I shout, “I played with kids today!”
I’m blessed to have completed a marathon in each of the 50 states in 2024, honoring Shawndra’s memory. I have begun my second round, and I plan on completing the next 50 by 2030, if not sooner.
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