The Gratitude Marathons: Why This Runner is Running 26.2 Every Weekend

The Fleet Feet Blog is full of helpful (and sometimes tasty!) information! In this blog, you will meet Amy Colombo. From her 39th birthday in November 2021 to her 40th in 2022, she’ll run 26.2 miles every weekend to raise money for the Herren Project, a non-profit organization providing recovery services to those struggling with addiction. She calls this challenge “The Gratitude Marathons.”

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If you’ve run a trail race in South Florida, you’ve likely seen Amy Colombo standing on the podium. With her friendly face and booming Boston accent, she’s hard to miss and is usually among the top female finishers.

Last year, Colombo won the 2021 Hellcat 50K in Green Cove Springs, Florida, and the 2021 Trident Maraton de las Muertas in Jupiter, Florida.

But her life wasn’t always this way.

Colombo struggled with a debilitating drug addiction from the time she was 12 years old, often having no food to eat and no place to sleep. She didn’t get clean until she was incarcerated in a state prison at 27. Once she was released to a lower security facility, she began working out at a gym.

“Eventually I got into MMA and CrossFit. When I moved to Florida, someone came to my CrossFit gym and asked me if I wanted to join a Women for Tri program,” says Colombo. “I had no idea what a triathlon was. Of course, I said yes because that's just who I am.”

Colombo jumped into triathlon training, and quickly realized that running was her favorite part.

“I initially started working out for the same reason everyone else does: to stay in shape. But it’s become so much more for me. I run because it brings me so much peace. It's a lifestyle, and it’s a big part of how I cope,” she says.

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