Worth the wait

Guest blog by Amy Tegge, Community First Fox Cities Marathon participant

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.”- Walter Elliot

My name is Amy Tegge. This year my mom, Katie Tegge and I will be running in our first ever, in-person full marathon in September.

Crossing the finish line at the Community First Fox Cities Marathon Presented by Miron Construction has been a highly anticipated feat for my mom and I for over two years now. Back in 2019, I somehow convinced my mom to agree to run i

n that year’s Community First Fox Cities Marathon, however mother nature had other plans and the race ended up being canceled due to lightning. Although the race was never rescheduled, it was reimagined as a virtual run.

Because my mom and I had already put in all the training, we decided to participate in the virtual run offering, and I am so glad we did. Friends and family surprised us and cheered us on, strangers motivated us, and my dad even cut up bananas for us to eat because he knew how much I looked forward to enjoying those at the marathon. While it was not what I originally envisioned, it was perfect.

The 2019 Community First Fox Cities Marathon did not go as planned, much like life. And if I have learned anything from life, it is that the only certain thing in life is uncertainty. The pandemic we are all currently experiencing makes that very clear.

In the beginning of the pandemic when the world seemed to end, so did my running. Life changed drastically in those early months and my mom and I were not able to run together much, if at all for a good portion of last year.

However, it allowed us the opportunity to learn, grow and persevere. So that’s just what my mom and I did. We have been training for this year’s Community First Fox Cities Marathon since late March now and I could not be more excited to experience the community’s energy at this year’s race and run my first in-person full-marathon. My mom says this will be her last marathon, but I plan to continue running for many years to come and it all started with the Fox Cities Marathon.

For mom and I, we have trained. We have waited. We have persevered, and now the time is here.

I just know it was all worth the wait.