Welcome to the Allie on the Run show.

I'm your host, Allie Feller, and this is where I talk with people who are doing exciting

things on the run and beyond.

From professional athletes and celebrity runners to the everyday, amateur, and back of the

pack runner, we are here to celebrate everyone and anyone who enjoys a life on the

run. So whether you are running towards something big or away from something that's been holding

you back, I am here to hold your hand and help you pick up the pace. Today, something a little

different. We're talking, reflecting on, and learning from our first marathons.

I spend a lot of time at start and finish lines.

And at every single one, I think about the fact that if there are, say, 50,000 runners out on that course,

that means there are 50,000 stories.

50,000 reasons to run, 50,000 people who decided at some point that they wanted to run 26.2 miles.

And you know me, I am completely obsessed with those stories.

And while social media today may make it seem like completing that distance is commonplace,

statistically it's not.

I am not sure whether the 1% quote that everyone uses that only 1% of the world's population has run a marathon. I know that we are a relatively rare bunch. Training

for and running a marathon is a really big deal. It's not a defining factor. It's not the thing

that makes you a runner. If you run, you are a runner. My goodness,

we've exhausted that phrase here on the alley on the run show, but you're on board with it,

right? Good. Great. A few weeks ago, I created a Google forum and encouraged you to tell me about

your first marathons. I had to hear these stories. And I always joke, wondering who ran their first marathon because life was going well.

For so many, a marathon is the thing that helps us out of our hard time, whether it's loss or grief or a scary diagnosis or a breakup or a stressful work situation.

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