I have never run a marathon.
I have no intention of running a marathon. It isn’t on my bucket list. I don’t get a tinge of envy when I see the 26.2 bumper sticker proudly emblazoning the back of the car in front of me at a stoplight. I’m, personally, good. That said, I do love staggering feats of human endurance when other people accomplish them.
Thus, I was fascinated when a friend sent me a TikTok of two women arriving at the 2024 Chicago Marathon with—as the text overlaid on the video explains—“no training, no breakfast, no sleep, no headphones, no battery, and no sense.”
I sat rapt for over five minutes, watching Jaryn Garner and Paula Hughes check in mile after mile, their legs flagging but somehow still smiling, laughing, and cracking jokes deep into the back half of the marathon.
@pjpaula044 my legs are still humming 😂 #chicagomarathon #chicago #marathon #pov #firsttiktok #runner #athlete #nike #@Jaryn Garner ♬ original sound – pjpaula04
The major headline of this year’s Chicago Marathon was Ruth Chepngetich’s dizzyingly fast new women’s record of 2:09:56. The…
