Stuart Dougherty

Hometown: Roswell, GA

Races Completed: 19 half marathons

Favorite Streaker Gifts: Trucker hat, beanie

The Streak Begins: I had been running marathons pre-children, but after they were born, I switched to half marathons. The timing of the inaugural ING event came at the perfect time for me to get motivated, lose some of the baby weight and get back to running long distances.

Stronger and Better Together: I had a wonderful in-town, pre-dawn running group with whom I ran Thanksgiving, Publix and many memorable miles. When my family and I moved OTP a decade or so ago, I was worried about finding a new group of women who wanted to run before the sun came up. I was so fortunate to stumble upon an amazing running group of women who were also eager to have coveted 'me' time before dawn—women who aren't afraid of starting with headlamps, who run the extra miles when someone is training for a marathon, or who will adjust the distance/pace for a maintenance run, and who always lift one one another up. And to my absolute delight, there are two other Publix Streakers in the group! During COVID, some of us branched into trail running and even tackled ultra marathons. But no matter what adventures we plan, we always schedule any 'other' race around the Publix marathon. The Publix marathon isn't just a race—it's a homecoming, and I'm so thankful the ATC continues this beloved tradition year after year.