Who would have thought that this local periodontist would train for and enter into her first women's marathon at age 52? Well, I did! My name is Dr. Julie Swift and I own Topeka Periodontics at 3100 SW Huntoon St # 103.
On November 16th of last year, I lined up with 7,000+ people at Every Woman’s Marathon in Savannah, Georgia. Excitement was in the air, and I was energized to be surrounded by runners who, like me, had spent several months training. We shared a common goal, to be able to run 26.2 miles. The day before, we had picked up colored name tags that designated our previous number of marathons. Mine was hot pink, so immediately others recognized me as a “first-timer” and wished me luck. One woman passed out friendship bracelets as if we were waiting outside a Taylor Swift concert.
As we inched closer to the starting line, my anticipation began to build. Finally, we were let loose on the course which included closed streets with Georgia State Troopers ensuring our safety. Before we reached the mile one signage, we could hear motorcycle engines revving. As we crested the hill of the bridge, we saw bikers cheering for us. The race organizers had told us we would have “entertainment” at each mile, ranging from the bikers to high school bands playing for us, Girl Scouts handing out cookies, DJs, and, of course, designated cheer stations where we could see family or friends.
My parents had driven from Kansas to Georgia earlier in the week, and my husband arrived two nights before the race. On race day, I even had friends surprise me at mile 9, as they had driven from South Carolina, to see me. I stopped, hugged them and chatted for only a few minutes, as I knew one of my earlier porta-potty breaks had set me back on time.
As I was about to round the corner at mile 10, I was told I would need to stop running. I had missed the first time cutoff. I knew I wasn’t the fastest runner, but I never dreamed I wouldn’t be allowed to finish. As I fought back tears, I asked the race official, “So can I not finish? Or get my medal?” She calmly said “Yes, you can do both, you just need to loop back and follow the other runners to the finish line.”
Previously, that abrupt change in plans would have ruined the rest of the day, but I didn’t allow that to happen. I had come too far and learned too much during my training to let this one set back ruin everything. I immediately called my husband and asked him to let my friends and parents know I was heading to the finish line and would meet them there. We visited for more than an hour before heading back to the hotel for a nice warm shower. As I lay down for a nap, I exclaimed to my husband, “It’s only 12:30 p.m.! I would still be running if they hadn’t made me turn around.” He smiled and reminded me how proud he was of me.
When I returned to work, one of my hygienists asked if I was really OK or only “social media OK.” I laughed and reassured her that while I had been disappointed, I was really OK. I was proud of myself for even trying something new, and for having ran, jogged, or walked 600+ training miles since the end of March 2024. I was uninjured and physically feeling good. And I was thankful to be surrounded by people who loved and supported me even when I fell short of my goals.
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I was thankful to be surrounded by people who loved and supported me even when I fell short of my goals.