Natalie Wexler This isn’t an underdog story. Not even close. This is the story of how sometimes an idea that seems like a good one really isn’t that great by the time you notice you’re 13.1 miles into a 26.2 mile marathon. Back in October, I completed the Chicago Marathon. It was hands down one of the dumbest, most challenging, yet strangely rewarding things I have ever done. Why did I do it? It was on my bucket list and the minimum age to participate was 16, and I turned 16 one month and two days before the race. Great reasons, right? Prior to the race I didn’t do that much training because I was a naïve and clueless teenager who thought “how hard could it be?” I was planning on walking most of it anyway and wasn’t looking to place, just to finish. The morning of the race I felt confident and super excited. All of the pictures that I took before the race had captions of “first marathon!” or  “can’t wait!” or  “it’s going to be so fun!” I even kept an iPhone notes “diary” that I used voice typing to keep track of! The first few miles were great. I was feeling confident and was actually enjoying the running (please do not show this to track Coach Dan Daly). After a while I started to get tired and by the halfway point I was EXHAUSTED, my feet hurt, and I was considering quitting. When we got to the halfway point, people started throwing their hands up in the air in a celebratory manner because we were 13.1 miles in and “only” had 13.1 miles to go! (Note: A massive amount of sarcasm was utilized in the prior sentence.) The next few miles were a blur and when I got to mile 20, that’s when the course started turning towards the finish line which was “only” 6.2 miles ahead. 6.2 miles doesn’t sound like a lot, but after you’ve been up since 5 a.m. and constantly moving/standing for a number of miles, every step is painful, but every step is one step farther from the starting line and closer to the finish line. Going up hills is hard; going up a hill after walking for the last 7 hours and 14 minutes is brutal. Yes, the last 0.2 miles of the marathon took place going up a hill, and I was ready for it to all be over. They say when you think you can’t do it anymore, you can always find a little something within yourself and continue. Somehow I found it in myself to sprint 0.2 miles up that hill. I finished the marathon in seven hours and seventeen minutes with a finishers medal hanging around my neck, a check off of my bucket list, a sense of accomplishment, a new understanding of perseverance, the inability to walk, a wicked sunburn, a pretty sweet Facebook profile pic, and as one of the youngest finishers. I guess the moral of this story is that you should go out for the things you want to do because if your mind is set on a goal, you will most likely find a way to achieve it. I hate running, yet I have always wanted to do a marathon. Somehow, I finished it. Also, always wear sunscreen if you will be in the sun for prolonged periods of time or else you will get a wicked sunburn.]]>