Better by the Mile: Massachusetts mom takes on extreme global marathon challenge
By Erika Tarantal
Click here for updates on this story
LEXINGTON, Massachusetts (WCVB) — For most people, taking on a marathon is challenging enough. Now imagine lacing up for 26.2 miles not once — but seven times in just one week.
“We literally went around the world running on each continent,” said Lexington mom Cathy Gill, who completed that challenge in November.
It’s called “The Great World Race” — an event that takes a group of dedicated runners on a mission across the globe.
That includes a marathon in Antarctica where they battled the race and the elements.
“It was standing temperature of 10 with a wind chill factor of -22 Fahrenheit with no coverage, and you’re sort of running on this ice course,” Gill said. “Protect yourself from hypothermia. Don’t look at the sun or the snow without polarized glasses because you have a risk of snow blindness.”
Then they faced the other extreme in Perth, Australia.
“The weather was tough — 96 degrees. We were literally sticking our bodies in these ice buckets,” she said.
But there were also poignant and sweet moments when the race arrived in Portugal.
“They brought out 100 school children, and they were wearing Great World Race shirts, and they were cheering for us as we ran by,” Gill said with a smile.
Gill and dozens of other runners pushed themselves to the limit that week. As for why she decided to take this on, the answer is powerfully simple.
“My daughter, Courtney, lost her life to an accidental overdose before her 30th birthday,” she explained. “Since that time, our family has really devoted a lot of energy to sharing our story and fundraising for Shatterproof.”
Shatterproof is a nonprofit dedicated to both helping families get through addiction and ending the stigma that too often prevents people from getting the help they need.
Gill’s mission and her daughter’s memory kept her going every single day of this challenge.
“It was hard, but not nearly as hard as the struggles and challenges my daughter faced when she was working on her recovery,” she said.
It was a strength that carried Gill all the way to the final finish line in Miami.
“That moment crossing the finish line was just a remarkable feeling,” she said. “It was a remarkable experience, and it was over. And there was a piece of me that was really sad. If there was only an eighth continent, I would have put on my shoes the next day and done it all again.”
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.