Meaghan Murray-Neuberger

I ran my first marathon in 2012. I signed up a few weeks beforehand never having run more than 10 miles and did a very untraditional-shortened-no-taper “training block”. I knew nothing about marathoning. No one in my family ran. None of my friends ran. I drove myself to the start and back home afterwards. I took one pack of Gatorade blocks halfway through the race. I was told that “a sub 4 hour marathon would be an amazing goal.” I ran 3:56. It was simultaneously the most anticlimactic and life changing day I can remember. The naivety really shined when I moved out of my 2-story apartment the very next day. 

This past weekend I ran my 30th marathon and completed my 6th star. I spent 5 days in Berlin with some of my favorite people in the running community. We hosted a shakeout run in another country and hundreds of people showed up (really, truly grateful for all of you). It feels like a total 180 from that cold day in Baltimore 12 years ago and it’s really fun to look back at how far we’ve come — but I can’t deny that there’s still an itch for more. 

“How do you feel about your race?” was a popular question on Sunday, and the answer comes with a mixture of emotions. After being hyper-focused on time goals last year, it’s been nice to run and race mostly by effort, but I’d be lying if I said it’s been just as satisfying. We’ve got a lot of great events planned for the remainder of 2024 (Chicago and NYC to name a couple), but I’m already daydreaming about fast days next year… 

I’m also really, really proud of the @believeintherun team: @aubrey.running finishing his first marathon with a pacing assist from @tfneuberger, @karlfernz racing well despite a tough day, @normcorerunner snagging a perfectly executed PR, and @featherstonenutrition for continuing to prove she’s got a higher pain tolerance and more grit than anyone I know. 

And a big thanks to the @adidasrunning family for taking the best care of us all weekend long. These are some core memories. ❤️