(AP) — A 47-year-old Mississippi woman ran a marathon through her hometown Sunday after the New York City Marathon was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tina Fritz told local news media that running the largest marathon in the world has long been a goal of hers. She trained for months, running another marathon and several half-marathons.
Although she was disappointed not to be able to run in New York, she still wanted to complete her goal. She finished the 26.2-mile run through Ocean Springs in 4.5 hours, arriving at a friend’s house for a triumphant walk under an arc of colorful balloons.
“Every step of the way, I had someone with me, talking to me and encouraging me, constantly telling me what a good job I was doing even when I felt like I was dying,” she said. “The support means everything. I think I had probably more support than if I had actually run it in person.”
Fritz was one of thousands of other runners who registered with New York Road Runners to run the New York City Marathon from home this year. Fritz said she still has plans to participate in the race in New York sometime.