3 Mile-Tested Lessons from 400+ Running Stories in The Rundown

When you cross the finish line of a tough race, there’s usually a brief moment of celebration...

• You’re thrilled to go the distance.
• Maybe you suffered through the last few miles and you’re just relieved it’s over.
• Maybe you felt strong or surprised yourself when that finisher’s medal went around your neck.
• You find your people. You grab some food. You replay the race in your head.

🏃‍➡️And then something else happens.
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Your mind drifts back over all the miles and months of training it took to get there. The early mornings. The long runs. The workouts that went great and the ones that didn’t.
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At some point, usually when the runner’s high fades, you start thinking:

• Is this it?
• What’s next?

That moment shows up for almost every runner, whether you just finished your first 5K, marathon, or 100-mile ultra.
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After writing and editing 400-plus articles for The Rundown over the last five years, one truth kept pushing to the front of the pack...

Those stories are also part of the reason WeeViews exists in the first place.
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WeeViews was built on the idea that runners deserve honest, real-world perspectives on shoes, gear, training, and racing. Not hype or marketing copy. Just real runners sharing what actually works for them mile after mile.
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Some of those stories grab you because they feel almost impossible, like...

• 🏃‍♂️‍➡️DJ Fox, who came back after a near-fatal bout with pneumonia and went on to tackle the 500-mile Colorado Trail. 
• 🏃‍♂️‍➡️Bill Thach, who kept running while facing cancer treatment and asked himself a harder question than any race could pose: Are you OK being uncomfortable and moving forward?

Different runners, different paths, both chasing answers to the same big question: Why do I run?
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If you focus on the right things, running can bring a lot of good into your life.
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And it’s not always about PRs, mile splits, podiums, or finisher medals. More often than not, it’s about what happens in between and how those miles shape you over time.
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If you’re wondering how to get more out of running than just a race-day T-shirt, here are three mile-tested lessons from 400-plus running stories in The Rundown.

Every running story has a beginning. Not the race-day version. The real one.
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🏃‍♀️‍➡️For Suzanne Swanson, it started with a mailbox. 

• She wasn’t thinking about miles, pace, or races. 
• She just wanted to make it to the next mailbox at the end of the street. Then the next one. 
• That simple goal turned into a run streak and a habit that helped carry her through a dark chapter of life.

🏃‍♂️‍➡️For Keith Callaway, running showed up during recovery. 

• He wasn’t using running to chase podium finishes. 
• He used it to rebuild his life, one day at a time, when everything else felt shaky. 
• The miles were less about performance and more about having something solid to hold on to.

🏃‍♂️‍➡️And for Roger Davis Jr., it started with letting go of the idea that he wasn’t a runner.  

• He didn't wait until he felt fast or confident. 
• He just went out and tried, even though it made him uncomfortable. 
• One run at a time, the story he told himself about who he was began to change.

Almost nobody starts running because they want medals or bragging rights. They start because they want something to change.
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It's the thing that really matters when training feels heavy, when motivation dips, or when a race doesn’t go the way you hoped.
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That early why is often what keeps you moving forward.
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If running has started to feel like something you have to do instead of something you get to do, that’s usually your cue to pause and ask:

• Why did I start running in the first place?

At some point, running stops being just something you do and starts becoming part of who you are.
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That is where things get interesting. Because not every runner is chasing the same thing.
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🏃‍♀️‍➡️For Sheri Gewelke, running is a way to connect faith, purpose, and movement. 

• Known to many as Jesus Runner Girl, she uses running as a way to share belief and encouragement, not to chase results. 
• The miles are her way to live out what she believes.

🏃‍♂️‍➡️For Jeff Sherrell, running is about joy and creativity.  

• He's the runner who shows up dressed as Bob Ross, complete with wig and paint palette, just to make people smile. 
• His story is a reminder that running doesn't always have to be serious to be meaningful. 
• Sometimes the best goals are the ones that make you and everyone around you smile.

🏃‍♂️‍➡️And for Aaron Clineman, running became a way to rebuild confidence and change direction.  

• He didn't use running to prove anything to the world on race day. 
• He used it to prove something to himself, one run at a time. 
• Every mile was a small vote for the kind of person he wanted to become.

Running tends to last longer in your life when you decide what it represents to you.
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When running stands for joy, belief, confidence, or connection, it has a way of sticking around even when you're not racing, getting faster or chasing PRs.
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Want to know how to tap into this kind of running mindset? Ask yourself:

• What does running mean to me right now?
• Is it fun?
• Is it grounding?
• Is it a way to connect with something bigger than myself?

Your answer doesn't have to match anyone else’s. It just has to be honest.

If there’s one thing the best running stories have in common, it’s this: They don’t end at the finish line.
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For runners who stick with it for years or decades, success isn’t defined by a single race or season. It’s defined by showing up, adapting, and finding ways to keep running part of their life.
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🏃‍♀️‍➡️For Connie Gardner, longevity is the goal.  

• She has spent decades running ultras, navigating injuries, criticism, life changes, and plenty of reasons to quit. 
• Her focusisn't squeezing every second out of a race. It's staying healthy enough to keep lining up.

🏃‍♂️‍➡️For Jeremy Pietzold, the finish line stopped being the point altogether.  

• What started as a short run streak turned into years of consistency. 
• His story isn't about racing. It's about identity and the quiet power of showing up day after day, even when the only audience is the person in the mirror.

🏃‍♂️‍➡️And for Davy Crockett, the long view is impossible to miss.  

• He's finished 100-mile races over and over, collecting belt buckles and stories along the way. 
• He stuck with running because it gave him structure, purpose, and a way to stay engaged with life as he aged. 
• Consistency over time is what carried him forward.

If you want to stay in the race, you've got to think about the big picture:

• A bad race or DNF doesn't mean running is over for you. 
• Missing a PR, doesn't mean you're a failure. 
• And the finish line is never really the end.

If you want running to be part of your life for a long time, think less about squeezing everything into one season and more about staying in the race.
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Long before you step up to the starting line, there's countless early-morning runs, hard days, missed workouts, setbacks, and small decisions you make in silence to keep going.
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Every runner has a story. Some runners chase a goal no matter what, like...

• 🏃‍♂️‍➡️Zach Hunter, who wrote “Boston” on his running shoes and kept showing up until he finally earned his place on the Boston Marathon starting line, and...
• 🏃‍♂️‍➡️Tim Hardy who has the guts to take on the Vol State 314-mile race, knowing that if things fall apart, the only option left is to keep moving forward.

After writing and editing 400+ stories for The Rundown, one thing is clear:

• The best part of running isn't what you accomplish on race day. It's who you become along the way.

So keep showing up. Lace up your favorite running shoes and go for it. Sign up for that race. Say yes to a stretch goal. And if you eat dirt, dust yourself off and keep going.
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I'll see you out there.
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-Evan