Many runners shared their inspirations after the Little Rock marathon this week. Among them Nancy Gifford, a thyroid cancer survivor, finished the race. Keep reading to learn more about her story, or click here to read more about each participant.
Running a marathon certainly seems challenging. Even though many races are held in efforts to support a cause or a charitable organization, many people’s first question for a runner is “why?” Finishers from the Little Rock marathon had many different answers.
For some it was about the medal: the rewards, the accomplishment.
An interesting looking award drew their attention. It made them consider the significance of this particular course and event. For others the idea of a challenge motivated them. Returning to training after a few years off, and finding ways to juggle the training with new responsibilities creates a challenge of its own even before the race. It both cases, the rewards are all the sweeter for finishing.
Others ran for the sheer fun of it. Or perhaps for a sense of excitement.
Some were disappointed and slowed by the rain. For some this would be their last race – due to both personal reasons, missions completed, and sports-related injuries. One runner even proposed after finishing the race.
Another runner, described her motivations as continuing a streak of events. Blair Dean has participated in every Little Rock marathon since its inception. The most recent one completes her 16th Little Rock marathon.
Personal records often serve as huge motivators. Another participant at the Little Rock marathon marked it as her fifth completed marathon in five different states.
Nancy Gifford is not only a competitor and a runner, but a survivor. She’s battled and defeated thyroid cancer on three separate occasions.
Her other marathons took place in Arizona, Colorado, Tennessee, and her native Utah.
Running, however, is more than just a sport to 46-year-old Nancy Gifford. Running provides Mrs. Gifford with an outlet. “Running is my therapy,” Gifford says. During her second struggle against cancer, back in 2015, Gifford lost her husband, Randy, to a heart attack. Mrs. Gifford set a goal to run a marathon in every state. “It takes away my pain,” she says. Her next marathon takes place in Nevada this April.
