Michele Russell
Hometown: Decatur, GA
Races Completed: 19 marathons
Favorite Memory: In 2007, my son was 2 1/2 years old. He's now 21. Until he went away to college, he was with my husband cheering me on. Once he was old enough (in elementary school) he would hop in and run a block or two with me in the final mile or two. I have many pics from over the years of him running with me, every year he's a bit bigger---I get teary just thinking about it!
Looking Back: Running a marathon had been on my bucket list for some time. I'd been a runner for years and wanted to challenge myself to the distance at least once. While training for the first Georgia Marathon (as it was called then), a friend said "wouldn't it be cool to run a marathon every year?!" I thought that was a crazy idea. I ended up qualifying for the Boston Marathon on that first marathon so, I had to keep going! Now, I've run 29 marathons (including 5 Boston Marathon, 9 Majors, 4 stars), with at least one marathon/year. So many memories---storms with tornadoes, heat, driving rain, Atlanta Motor Speedway, disintegrating bibs, friends and family members participating and/or cheering.
Most Difficult Obstacle: In July 2022, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I needed two major surgeries: double mastectomy then reconstruction with at least 12 weeks between them. I told the surgeons the importance of my running and my Atlanta Marathon streak. My reconstructive surgeon had run it one time so he got it! I had the first surgery at the end of August and ran the PNC Atlanta 10 Miler two months later. I had the second surgery in late November and begged for medical clearance to run the 2023 Marathon. I was undertrained but I ran, determined to finish no matter my time. My cousin came up from FL to run the first half with me. A friend and her daughter took turns running parts of the second half with me. All three of them plus my husband joined me in the final few blocks. It was a tearful, joyous occasion! I have frequently placed in the top three of my age group but knew that wouldn't happen that year. Can you believe that, even though I ran it 30 minutes slower than the previous year, I got first place in my age group?! It felt like the universe was giving me a win! My cancer has been declared cured and I'm back to running my old times (-ish). In fact, my 2024 finish time was under two minutes slower than my 2007 finish time.
