48 Hours - 147 Miles
WE DID IT!!!! In order to bring awareness to and raise money for 4those, Steph ran 147 miles (one for every day Zev was in the NICU - talk about an ultramarathon!) on September 9-10, 2023! Because of the generous support of our incredible community, we were able to raise almost $50,000(!!) for our micropreemie families through the run!
Each mile Steph set out to run represented the relentless hope she fought for and reclaimed while Zev struggled against insurmountable odds and the hopelessness that surrounded his possible medical outcomes, and how 4those is now bringing that encouragement to other families. The road may be long and sometimes feel impossible, but at 4those, we believe you can rise to meet the challenges ahead and experience the hope, healing and possibility along the hard journey.
Steph is back into training for 2024 around what we’re bringing to the public in the coming years so YOU can get in on the fund-racing action too! Check out our vision here. You can also follow Steph’s training journey on Instagram @4thoseorg, where she posts daily videos and messages about running and how it connects to the greater purpose of 4those.
This year she ran the entire 147 miles in and around Boulder, CO, solo with her incredible community acting as support, pacing, and cheering squad. In the years ahead, we will be expanding this fundraising opportunity to include equally challenging (and awesome) racing events for the public - stay tuned!
Let’s do this thing!
Run Recap
DAY 1
The morning of September 9 was clear and crisp. After only an hour of sleep the night before (oof!), I was off to the races at 3am. The owls and coyotes were up to keep me company, as were some of my amazing and supportive neighbors! By 5:30, when my first pacer arrived to pick me up, I was 13.1 miles in and ready to head out into the great unknowns of the day.
As we went along our scheduled route, friends and family were gathered at every big intersection to cheer me on. Spirits were high, body and legs felt great, pacers were incredible, and the excitement was infectious even to strangers passing by! It was amazing to see so many people come together and celebrate.
After leaving our first big stop at mile 40, the heat of the day was upon us. Lots of water breaks and ice. I could feel myself getting tired after such little sleep, but because of the encouragement from everyone around me and my pacers, I was able to come through the hottest and hardest moments to enjoy a beautiful sunset around the Boulder Reservoir and make it to nightfall as we watched the lightning from a passing thunderstorm in the distance.
At mile 68, I had come to a decision point. I knew that I needed to sleep and reset my hydration and nutrition after such a long and hot day. I didn’t plan or want to stop, but I felt that my body wouldn’t be able to continue and finish the rest of the run without a little sleep and some new strategy.
At mile 76, I slept for an hour-and-a-half in the FOX•DOG parking lot and refreshed with new clothes and some food while we replanned the day ahead after the unexpected break. I had to push through some pretty heavy nausea and mental darkness, especially when I noticed that my left Achilles tendon had swollen significantly and was causing a lot of pain. By the time my pacer showed up at 2:30am, I was in the thick of the “dark night of the ultrarunner’s soul.”
We walked for much of our time together in the night. My body hurt and my spirits were low. I had to stop to ice my swollen ankle and in that moment, after a night of fending off mental despair about how I was going to finish, I knew more than ever that I would. It was a turning point for me. Come what may ahead of me, I would dig deep and finish. By the time my morning pacer arrived at 5:30, I was ready to finish the remaining 71 miles to the end.
DAY 2
After such a challenging night, miles 83-100 were some of my best! I felt a new surge of energy watching the sun come up, the weather was overcast and cool, my pacer was blaring Taylor Swift along the trails, and people would drive by and honk and cheer as we went along. My spirits were high even though my body was tired.
At mile 120, the temperatures dropped dramatically and it started to rain and hail. The crew and I were soaking wet and starting to shiver, road conditions were harsh, and nightfall was ahead. We pivoted the plan again, and stopped at a friend’s house where I changed into dry clothes and reset our strategy for the final mileage push.
By the time we got closer to home, the weather was frigid and stormy. The streets were flooding, I was 130+ miles in and walking and forcing down food and hydration. I could feel myself sinking into the pit inside myself. Friends and family walked with me in shifts, held umbrellas and space heaters for me and each other, told stories and encouraged one another, and at times literally held me upright. But, as if by some ultra-running miracle, with five miles left to go, I came out of the inner cave and felt ready to finish this incredible journey with joy and gratitude. Hours after we had intended, soaking wet and shivering, but laughing all the same, we made it to the final stretch!
We took our final steps together as a group, and everyone ran ahead to make a tunnel to run through in our driveway. As I jogged down the street by myself, I was overwhelmed in the best ways with how epic this journey had been. From the morning Zev came into the world to crossing that finish line, life would never be the same. I thought of all of the people who had supported me and who were with me then and now carrying me throughout the long days and the hard nights in the NICU and in this run, about all the families that 4those will impact because of our collective story, and how this felt both like the end of something big and the beginning of something equally so.
I came through the tunnel to cross the finish line and was met with hugs and tears. We had done it. All 147 miles. And best of all, we had done it together.
“Nothing went exactly as we had planned, but in the most incredible ways, that is what exposed the deeper beauty of the experience – the collective heart that carries us through life’s hardest seasons, the community and the love and the hope that we all share, and the possibilities and goodness that come from surrendering the unknown, unexpected outcomes when we rise and say yes to going through the big, hard thing. ”