“Growing up, I was always involved in multiple sports, but when I was in 11th grade I picked up marathon running. I was never a star athlete; I just played sports because I could. But with marathon running, I felt like I could really do something that was impressive to myself and every time I ran a marathon, I was competing against myself, which I had never done before. That changed my whole exercise experience, and I’ve stuck with that in college. Last spring, I did a marathon with an organization called myTEAM TRIUMPH. My friend works with a young boy with Cerebral palsy and she reached out, and got it all set up, so I volunteered to help push him through the half marathon. It’s humbling to run for someone else and understand that the pain we felt during the race would never compare to the pain that he has felt. Running is such a unique sport. It can be something you do for yourself, but it can also be something you do for someone else. It took me a while to find ways to use it to reach others, but now I love that I’m able to. I always say I run because I can. There are so many people who would love to run but can’t, so I feel lucky that I’m able to. I love working with myTEAM TRIUMPH because I get to help others achieve their goals. It’s a whole different feeling when you’re running for someone else. Throughout the race, we would talk to him, and ask him how he was doing. The love and support the crowd gave him was so much more inspiring than getting the support for myself. It was amazing to see him feel like he was flying. Recently, I had actually taken a break from marathons because I was kind of burnt out, but myTEAM TRIUMPH has really helped redefine why I’m running. Giving back to others is infinitely more rewarding to me than doing something that’s self fulfilling.”