Meet Jill Wartner, who’s running the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon to honor her mom, Terese Morgan. Terese started her health journey later in life, running her first marathon at 58 and making Grandma’s Marathon weekend a yearly tradition. Jill and her daughter used to place medals on finishers at the line—and every year, they got to medal Terese themselves. When Terese passed away unexpectedly in 2022, she was already registered to run in 2023. So Jill and her family picked up where she left off. “It took us 4 hours, 8 minutes, and a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears!” Now, it’s a yearly tradition. Jill and her brother are back for 2025, determined to carry on their mom’s legacy. “My favorite part is the people—the volunteers, the supporters, the runners. Everyone is so kind. It keeps you going when your body wants to give up.” (fb)

THOUGHT THURSDAY: The race is the end goal, but there's plenty of smaller goals along the way. (fb)