I Did It For Them

I’ve been running half marathons since my last full. My first full marathon was about 5 hours and 40 minutes. My second was 5 hours and 4 minutes. This time I wanted to come in under 5, for my sister Mishonta, and our family cousin Carol.

In 2025, my sister died from complications of an overdose. She struggled for a very long time. It seemed like forever. It hurt a lot.

I remember calling her Mom when I was a toddler. That’s an actual memory, not a story somebody told me later. I called her Mom because she was always there for me. She was so intelligent. Everything she learned as a kindergartener, she turned around and taught me.

I was lucky enough to speak to her before she passed. I saw her one day during one of my runs, and I told myself to stop, talk to her, and let her know how I felt. That was something we hardly did for each other once we got older.

I told her, “No matter what I do in life, or how much larger I get, you’re always my big sister.” I hugged her too.

She held back tears.

Also, in 2025, Carol passed away from complications from Cancer. She fought hard, she even still continued to work out as often as she felt she could, she should tremendous strength, but sometimes, it’s just your time.

What Running Does For Me

Running gets me out of the house, and it keeps me in shape. At 46, staying in shape isn’t so trivial anymore. It’s far easier to fall into bad habits, and running makes sure I don’t.

I started small after my surgery. At that time I was about 300 pounds on a 6-foot frame. I now sit around 215, and I’m healthy there. It also helps my ankle, which has been an issue since that first surgery.

Running also lets me see the city differently. And it gives me time to think about things we don’t normally give ourselves the chance to think about.

2 Half Marathons

Before this year’s marathon, I had vowed to never run a full again. At 6 feet tall and 210-plus pounds, it’s rough on the body.

Leading up to it, I had to deal with a couple of injuries. I wanted to drop down and just run the half. But I had to do the full for them. I had to do what they could no longer do.

So I set out at 5:30 AM. Things started great. I felt good, and I was happy I decided to stick with it.

Around mile 12, I started to get that feeling in my right knee. It felt all too familiar. My IT band was tightening up. I knew the rest of the race was going to be mental from that point on.

I kept pushing, but by the time I reached Golden Gate Park, around mile 14, it was hurting. I had to walk, or I wouldn’t be able to run and finish.

That’s the thing nobody tells you about a marathon. It isn’t 26.2 miles. It’s two races. The first one you run on your legs. The second one you run on something else.

So many people passing by offered to help. But I knew it wasn’t cramps. It was IT pain from constant pounding. I kept going.

As I neared the exit of Golden Gate, I saw a couple of familiar faces, Andrea and Lourdes. They gave me a bump in energy and excitement, and they reminded me that I was running this for two women who are gone but not forgotten.

Pushing Through to Finish

I kept going, running when I hit flat ground, running with a limp when I didn’t. I wasn’t the only one. There were plenty of us out there limping. I figured if they could run like that, so could I. Plus, it wasn’t for me.

The closer I got to the finish line, the more I ran, and the more I limped. Once I was within a mile, I ran most of it, if not all of it. I saw so many people struggling near the end, and I felt like if they could do it, so could I.

When the finish line came into eye line, I sprinted.

I finished in 5 hours and 40 minutes. Not the time I wanted. But I finished. They couldn’t, and I could. That made me prouder of this one than any marathon I’ve run.

Three marathons in four years. Not too bad.

| Facing Challenges – Latrelle Brown | https://www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com/en/mission |