By Morgan Macfarlane
McKenna Sloan, Megan Allen, and Marti Wile all recently ran in the Chicago Marathon on a beautiful sunny day in a race with hundreds of runners from all over the United States.
by her husband Lance
upon finishing the
grueling race.
McKenna Sloan a senior at Schoolcraft High School clocked her best time ever in 4:09:31, this was her third marathon. She was not the only seasoned runner from Schoolcraft, as Marti Wile was competing in her fifth marathon, her time was 4:42:38. For Megan Allen this was her first marathon, her time was 5:35:46.
For Allen it took four months to train. Others like Sloan and Wile, who trained together, spent about three months in serious training. Wile said the hardest part of training for her was getting up early on the weekends to run.
While running marathon, Allen remarked that, the hardest part was to convince herself that I could still run six more miles after passing the 20 mile marker.
All of the training and hard work paid off when they all crossed the finish line. Sloan said after crossing the finish line she was surprised that it was already over.
For Allen, “It was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. It made me feel like I could do anything.”
“My favorite part of a marathon is not the race itself, but the journey getting there. I know that my success, or failure, is based entirely on my own will. I know I have the strength to push my body until it has nothing left to give, and then push some more. I am self-reliable, and proud of it,” said Sloan.
“Running is mental sport. Your body is capable, you mind needs to be too,” concluded Sloan.