To Celebrate 50, Jen Neary Runs a Marathon

To celebrate her 50th birthday, Jen Neary ran her first marathon on a day and course designed just for her.

She asked nearly 100 people to run a mile with her, from childhood neighbors to present-day best friends. To her surprise, nearly everyone said they wanted to help, including the employees at Fleet Feet in Elk Grove in Cali., who only heard about Neary's plan because she came into the store looking for shoes. Only Fleet Feet had a different plan.

The store purchased Neary’s shoes and helped her plan the marathon course, a series of two-mile out-and-backs to a common hub where supporters could station themselves throughout the day.

Neary, who doesn’t like the spotlight, had to commit. After all, the whole community was watching. But it wouldn't be easy.

And so, Neary got to training. Free time was scarce for the California office technician and mother of three, but she kept at it, often alone and when it worked for her schedule. When her long run reached 16 miles, unbearable hip pain threatened to derail everything. “I got eight miles out and had to walk home bent in half,” she says.

To quell the pain in her hip, she sought physical therapy, got sports massages and practiced deep breathing. Her husband even suggested she call off the run. She briefly considered a taco party alternative. Why did she want to do this anyway?

Because. She committed.

After three weeks of recovery, she ran six miles without pain. That, she decided, was the green light she needed.

Birthday race morning, she felt calm and ready. She took off at 5:30 a.m. with two friends at her side. Each return to the hub was a mixed bag. “I would stop for a minute or two, and things would just hurt,” Neary says. Every time, she felt like she could quit.

She persisted. One foot in front of the other.