Guest Blog Post Written by: Chelsea Curry
Last Sunday, October 9, 2011, I ran my first marathon: the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and I ran it with the American Cancer Society’s charity team: DetermiNation. I’ve been a (not so serious) runner for about five years now, and for a while have wanted to run a marathon. I decided to run my first marathon in Chicago, as I figured it would mean the most to me having grown up in the Chicago suburbs. I joined the DetermiNation team after a friend suggested I do so in order to gain access to coaches, support systems, and an automatic running group. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take full advantage of what DetermiNation had to offer as I moved to Baltimore, MD for a job almost immediately after signing up for the marathon. Even so, I’m incredibly grateful I ran with DetermiNation. Throughout my move and since, DetermiNation supported my efforts long distance. The charity team sent me emails asking how I was doing, how my training was going, and if I needed any extra tips on how to fundraise. They even set me up with a running group here in Baltimore so I would be ready to run in October.
Race day was unbelievable. Waking up at 4:30 AM the morning of, I couldn’t believe that it was here. This was the culmination of not only the past four years of training, but the past five years that I had spent enjoying running as my favorite pastime. I arrived at the DetermiNation tent around 6:00 AM after having just met a new friend (and fellow DetermiNation runner), Sara Burg. Immediately I was glad I decided to run with ACS. The tent was a great, safe place to store my things during the race, and it was a practical (though a bit far after having run 26.2 miles… 
) place to meet up with friends and family afterwards for food and free massages!
But it was during the race itself where I was most appreciative of the support that DetermiNation provided. As this was my first marathon, I went out extra slow, making sure to save my energy for the last half of the race when I knew I would really need it. The start of the race through the downtown Loop was pure excitement, and I quickly learned to look for blue jerseys and listen for cowbells – both indicators that DetermiNation volunteers were not far from sight.
The first 13.1 miles went well. I felt good, excited that the race was finally here, and distracted at everything there was to look at. Around mile 14 was where things started to feel a little more difficult, when each mile marker didn’t seem to be any closer to the end than the last. Luckily the crowd support was distracting enough to get me through this tough set of miles. It was mainly miles 22-23 when I really started to worry: my legs were sore, my right hip was killing me…where was Michigan Avenue?! And then, almost as if in answer, we made a left turn and there was the Willis Tower. A lump formed in my throat: I did it, I thought.
From there, the last three miles were a blur. I felt strong, picking up the speed but making sure to enjoy every stride. With a mile to go, a DetermiNation volunteer ran up to me,
“How are you doing?” He asked. I smiled and yelled “Awesome!”
“You’re doing great. You’re almost there!” He called back to me, and headed off to cheer on someone else.
After running a marathon with ACS DetermiNation, I won’t run another without the group. The support before and during race day, encouraging emails, and support of other DetermiNation runners made the Chicago Marathon more than a race: it was a four-month event. I’m looking forward to running many more marathons with DetermiNation in the future.
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5 comments
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Emily Phillips says:
October 18, 2011 at 1:08 pm (UTC -5 )
What a great write-up Chelsea. I’m so glad you had such an amazing race weekend experience. Thank you for all that you do for our organization!
Nancy Cook says:
October 18, 2011 at 2:26 pm (UTC -5 )
Yay Chelsea! Great job in Chicago! So proud of your accomplishment and it is so good to hear of your great experience with DetermiNation participants, coaches, and all that it brings! I love DNation too — I love all the people I meet — because they are people like YOU !! So thank you from the bottom of my heart as a cancer survivor and fellow DNation runner!
dpittman says:
October 18, 2011 at 3:02 pm (UTC -5 )
CONGRATULATIONS, Chelsea! Whoo hoo!!
I’m so glad I had the chance to meet you in person, even if it was only briefly. I got to the tent late and was rushing around frantically. I hope we get to be on a team again for another marathon!
Congratulations too on your fund-raising. I know that was a small concern at first, but you knocked it out of the park!
So … what’s next on your race calendar?
Manuel Haro says:
October 18, 2011 at 4:07 pm (UTC -5 )
Sara Thank You for sharing! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Chelsea on running your first marathon. Thank You for running for DetermiNation and making a difference in the fight against cancer. We may have run into each other because I was a mile 11.9 Course Coach. This was my first time being a course coach and it was and honor and privilege to be out there as a course coach and you and the rest of the athletes inspired me tremendously. Keep doing what you are doing and I look forward to reading about your future races. Go D-Nation!!!
Ed Schober says:
October 18, 2011 at 9:27 pm (UTC -5 )
Chelsea…THANK YOU for sharing and joining our great DetermiNation team. Thank also for your fundraising and your commitment to helping stop cancer.
You are now a marathoner! Sounds cool right?
Recaps Around the Web for the 2011 Chicago Marathon | Markemmanuel says:
October 18, 2011 at 4:07 pm (UTC -5 )
[...] DetermiNators.org – “Chelsea’s Experience with DetermiNation“ [...]