Marathon Moment, continued.

This was more than just finishing a marathon.

This was history.

Dannielle broke down in tears after she realized she had just broken the three hour mark in Chicago.

Only 30 other American born Black women had ever done that.

Dannielle was the 31st.

She knew the race was going to hurt. And it did. But she powered through the last 5k with the help of her teammate and sheer determination.

“This photo captures pure unadulterated shock and happiness,” Dannielle said. “I did not expect to cry, but all those feeling overwhelmed me and I had to express it with tears of joy.”

For 26.2 miles, Julian (left) ran with a secret.

Tucked away in his running belt, was an engagement ring. And tucked away in his mind, was the question he was going to ask when he made it to the finish line.

Julian and Shannon (right) have been dating for three years and from the beginning, running has always been something they do together. On one of their first dates, the two went for one of those casual runs around a lake. The run left Julian exhausted, embarassed and out of shape. When Shannon asked Julian if he needed to take a break, it lit a fire. From then on, the two ran local 5ks to half marathons and finally a full marathon - together.

The Twin Cities Marathon was all going according to plan, with that ring safely tucked away, when Julian had to take a bathroom break about halfway through the race.

Shannon ran on ahead.

Knowing he needed to catch up, Julian kicked it into high gear.

Eventually, he caught up and the pair crossed the finish line, just like they start and finish every race - together.

They shared a kiss and moments later, on the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol building, Julian reached into running belt, got down on one knee, and asked Shannon to marry him.

And… she said yes.

This is the tale of two runners.

That’s John on the left, sprinting toward the finish line of the Illinois Marathon.

And that’s Brian on the right pointing at him, running with a little less urgency.

This was John’s first marathon and he knew he had a little gas left in his tank, so he went full throttle to the finish line. “Running at full speed, max effort through the finish line was an important goal of mine going into the race and this moment was that goal coming to fruition,” said John.

Meantime, Brian had slowed down. He realized halfway through the race that his goal of getting a BQ wasn’t going to happen. So, he opted to enjoy the race: high-fiving spectators along the route, taking orange slices when they were handed to him and chatting with strangers as he ran.

When he neared the finish line he sensed John coming up behind him.

“I pointed toward his direction sort of just taking in the surprise and respect that another runner was pushing toward his own goals in that moment,” Brian said. “This race was not my fastest race, but it just might be one of the most impactful runs I’ve done in my life so far.”

Moments after he crossed the finish line of the Flying Pig Marathon, Max looked to the sky, covered his eyes and then looked to the ground.

On his left shoe, he saw the letters “RYW,” an acronym for Remember Your Why.

On his right shoe, the words “Make ‘em proud.” He had written those letters and words of encouragement a few weeks before he lined up at the start of his very first marathon.

The meaning behind the words reveals years of hardship.

Max was just seven years old when he was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia, a very rare form of leukemia. He spent eight weeks in the hospital and eventually had to have a bone marrow transplant. His younger sister Ellee who was just a year old at the time, was his donor, and saved his life.

“It taught me a lot about perseverance,” Max said. ”I have been through some really tough points and they've taught me how to overcome even more difficult things.”

Max started running as a way to challenge himself, as if he hadn’t faced enough challenges.

The Flying Pig Marathon was his first marathon and when he wrote those words on his shoes he did so knowing he’d need the extra boost.

RYW. Remember Your Why. Max’s “why” revolves around his friends and family - including Ellee - who stood in the rain all morning and watched as her older brother crossed the finish line. His “why” is also to prove to anyone who’s ever heard his story to know that anything is possible.

“For me that ‘why’ was everything I had faced in life,” Max said.

Make ‘em Proud. Those words brought Max to tears. He knew he made his family proud as he crossed the finish line, a feat that seemed out of reach not so long ago.

On the sides his shoes, Max wrote #relentless, a word he pulled from a book with the same title. “This is a big inspiration for me as it challenges everything you think you know about yourself. If you’re relentless you can do anything.”

And Max IS relentless. The Cincinnati native happens to be the student manager of the Xavier men’s basketball team and he plans to continue his running journey. The Flying Pig was just the start.

His next goal: to run all six major marathons around the world.

And when he needs some encouragement all he has to do is look down at his shoes, then look up and see what surrounds him: the love and support of an entire running community.

As the finish line operations manager for the @chimarathon, Michael has a front row seat to all kinds of personal triumph.

And this year, was no exception.

As his friend Erica crossed the line, he was there to greet her. The two were doctoral students at the University of Lousiville and Michael’s love of running rubbed off.

“As the Finish Line Manager, I was so honored to be the first person to congratulate her when she crossed the line and present her with her first (of many) marathon medals,” Michael said. “The smile on my face exuded the pride I felt in my heart for my friend who achieved her goal that day.”

Erica immediately started crying when she saw Michael.

“Knowing Michael was going to be at the finish line was such a huge motivator and a big reason as to why I kept going no matter what,” she said.

Age is just a number, right?

John Ouweleen started running in his mid-60s, in an effort to lose weight and he hasn't slowed down yet.

Now, at 81, John is consistently running marathons and finishing first in his age group. He did just that at @grandmasmarathon back in June.

It's a moment John will never forget, especially since his running friends printed his Marathon Moment photo and surprised him with it. The photo now hangs in the group's favorite diner... a gathering place after those long Saturday runs.

Thanks, John for inspiring us to keep running, no matter what our age.

When King came to the United States 20 years ago, he did so with a dream of playing in the NBA. It made sense. The 6’9” athlete had a body built for basketball. He towered above his friends and teammates, making buckets look easy.

The Gambia native was well on his way to the pros when he suffered a devastating knee injury. He was lost, with his professional basketball dream - gone. Without basketball, he became inactive, gaining weight without any motivation to return to physical activity. His 9-5 job didn’t help. One visit to the doctor changed that. Tipping the scales at nearly 400 pounds, King, who was 27 at the time, was told he needed to do something, or he wouldn’t make it to his 30th birthday.

That visit to the doctor's office signaled a turning point.

It’s when King’s weight loss journey - and love affair with running - began.

He started by walking. Then slowly ramped up to running. Before he knew it, King was running half marathons and then accelerated to the full.

He’s lost a whopping 190 pounds and that dream of joining the NBA has turned to dreams of being the tallest man to run all of the major marathons around the world. He’s already crossed New York and Chicago off the list.

“I run to inspire others and to show people that no matter how you look or how big or small you are, running marathons is something everyone can do if you put your mind to it.”

In Chicago last fall, King crossed the finish line donning a shirt with the Gambian flag. His home country is never far from his mind. He’s happy to represent Gambia - and to inspire others on his journey. He feels it’s his calling. “I just want to make the world a better place and I’m doing it by running,” King says. “This is what I’m called to do. I’m a prophet in the running world and I’m spreading discernment.”

King has already signed up to run Chicago again next year. In the meantime, he’s hitting the treadmill every day and dreaming even bigger.

As her 40th birthday approached, Valerie could think of no better gift to herself than running a half marathon. She’d been a runner most of her life, but stuck to shorter distances. Her youngest child had just turned one and she thought it was the perfect time to focus on herself.

Valerie’s friend Beth encouraged her to join the Queen City running club as a way to prepare for that first half. The club is made up of hundreds of runners all working on their own personal running goals. Valerie signed up right before Christmas in 2019 and just after the new year she set out with Beth on her first night run with Queen City.

She was a mile in when she bent down to tie her shoe. She stood back up, started running again - and then collapsed. Another runner - a nurse - rushed to help. She couldn’t feel a pulse and started CPR. Valerie regained consciousness as the paramedics were lifting her into the ambulance. She spent nine days in the hospital and underwent dozens of tests. Doctors thought Valerie may have gone into cardiac arrest, had a slight stroke and tore several arteries in her neck from the fall. But otherwise, her heart was healthy. One doctor told her it was a one-off situation and would never happen again. Another doctor inserted a loop recorder to record her heart arrhythmias.

Despite the lack of true answers, Valerie started to live her life again. She went back to work and shuttled her kids to their many activities. Two months after that scary incident, she found out she was pregnant with her fourth son. She was shocked. This wasn’t in her plans. And she was scared. She worried about carrying a baby with so much uncertainty about her own health. Knox was born in December of 2020, a year after Valerie had vowed to run a half marathon. Both mom and son were healthy. A month later Valerie got the all clear to work out again, but doctors told her to limit herself to stationary workouts. She bought a Peloton and worked out five days a week. She was on a roll, until she collapsed again.

This time her nine year old son called 911.

The loop recorder that was installed months before caught a tachycardia arrhythmia. It’s when the heart beats too fast. Doctors rushed Valerie into surgery where they implanted a device that stops irregular heartbeats.

What followed was more doctor visits, more tests and even a visit to the Mayo Clinic. Finally, Valerie had an answer. Doctors diagnosed her with a heart condition that causes irregular heartbeats in otherwise healthy individuals. The condition is hereditary and because of her diagnosis, they found six other family members have the condition too, including one of her sons.

Valerie started medication to treat the condition and was eventually cleared to exercise again. Doctors even told her she could run, but she couldn’t be alone. She turned to her friend Beth, the one who encouraged her to run with Queen City Running in the first place and the two stuck together on every training run.

Valerie was admittedly scared. She worried her heart would stop. She watched her heart rate constantly and slowed down when her breathing got to be too much. It took her two months to get over that fear.

She bravely ran the Flying Pig Half with Beth right next to her. “I will never forget what she did for me,” Valerie said. “She was my biggest cheerleader. I wouldn’t have made all this happen without her.”

And something else happened as she worked her way to the finish line. She turned 40. Her goal to run a half marathon: realized.

“It’s crazy how much physical movement is taken for granted, until something happens to you and limits your activities, and limits your ability to reach your goals.” Valerie said.

“I felt like the luckiest person around, to not only still be alive, but to be able to run a half marathon when I never thought I’d be able to run again.”