The Vermont City Marathon was a memorable adventure. I told Kim it wasn’t a good idea to run another marathon so soon after completing a 50-miler. As usual, his response was, “It will be an adventure.” So off we went.
We stayed at a hotel in South Burlington, which made logistics easy since they offered a shuttle to the race. Before the start, we connected with the "Marathon Maniacs," as Kim and I were now members thanks to our three marathons in three weeks across different states. We joined their group photo and met some amazing people. One standout moment for me was meeting Karen Murray. Every time I meet someone named Karen, it feels like a sign that my sister, Karen, who passed away, is with me. I shared this with her, and it added a personal and touching moment to the day.

The course itself was relatively forgiving with the infamous hill at mile 16. Thankfully, there was incredible crowd support to help push us up the incline. After conquering the hill, we entered neighborhoods where residents compete to put on the best displays. One section stood out the most: a family dressed like rockstars, complete with wigs, jamming on guitars. Their energy was contagious.
It was around this point that I met Suzy, a local runner who had participated in the marathon multiple times. She seemed to know everyone and shared great insights about what to expect on various sections of the course. Her friendliness and knowledge made the experience even better.
The final stretch took us onto a bike path with just a few miles to go. At that point, I looked at Kim and said, “My legs have had it.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me along, helping me stay close to him. Every time he let go, I would fade back, so he kept holding on. At one point, a runner passed us and jokingly said, “Hey, that’s cheating.” I shot back, “FU, pal, I just ran a 50-mile race last weekend.” He quickly apologized, and we all started laughing. That little interaction broke the tension, and we even exchanged contact information at the finish line.
As we crossed the finish line, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of exhaustion and triumph. We also made sure to keep in touch with Suzy, who had been such a bright spot during the race. Both Kim and I knew we’d definitely be back next year to run it again. The Vermont City Marathon had officially won us over.
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