half marathon

Despite reminding myself that my first and most recent half marathon was only 13.1 miles, I still fell into a rabbit hole on YouTube of training plans, race day vlogs and countless experienced runners telling their stories. 

From the day I found out marathon races existed, I questioned why someone would voluntarily pay to run a seemingly absurd number of miles. Standing here before you today – preparing for my first marathon – I now understand.

This is your sign to sign up for a half marathon. Run it because you love yourself. Run it to challenge yourself and build confidence. Run it to finish.

Mitch Negus was a notoriously slow athlete as a child. But Sunday, Negus, 23, earned seventh place in the annual Berkeley Half Marathon with a time of 1:15:34.