Chip Gainesmay have just finished his second long-distance race, but he hasn’t always been in the best shape of his life.
The idea for the Silo District Marathon came when Chip met a woman named Gabriele (Gabe) who was running in Central Park with her partner Justin while visiting New York City for hisCapital Gainesbook tour.
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He explains that he attempted to strike up a conversation with the couple, asking them “how long it would take for an out-of-shape guy like me to train for a marathon.” The couple were happy to chat and Gabe told Chip he could be a qualified runner in about 4 months.
Eventually, Gaines learned that Gabe also has a rare cancer called cystic carcinoma and had started a foundation calledBrave Like Gabewith a mission to support rare cancer research and “empower cancer survivors through physical activity.”
Joanna Gaines/Instagram
Meeting her “felt like a call to action,” which is how he got the idea for the Silo District Marathon, now in its second year. However, the dad-of-five had a few hoops to jump through before he could start his own marathon, much less run one.
WATCH THIS: Chip andJoanna Gaines’s Cutest Moments
Soon, Gaines says, he actually enjoyed running and even found himself looking forward to his long distance training. However, about two months in, he suffered another setback: tendonitis in his ankle. His doctor recommended that he give up on the marathon and run the 5k instead for fear of injuring himself further.
“But I’m just not built that way,” he writes. “I committed to the marathon and I was resolved to run the distance I’d set out to accomplish.”
He remembers having to come to terms with the fact that he might not cross the finish line, as his longest training distance would have to be 15 miles — 11.2 miles less than a full marathon distance.
“This injury shook my confidence,” he writes. But he powered through, not only for himself, but for Gabe and her foundation, because nearly 6,000 runners had signed up to compete after hearing Gaines was running.
“I decided that I’d put too much emotional and physical energy into training and hosting this race to let this setback derail my goal,” he says. “Even if the reality was that I ultimately would not be able to complete the race, I was gonna give it everything I had.”
And he did just that (whilewearing a toolbelt!). He writes that after five and a half hours, he crossed the finish line with his then 8-year-old daughter Emmie Kay.
Chip Gaines running in the marathon.Joanna Gaines/Instagram
“In that moment I’ll bet I would have looked like the epitome of success — wearing a big ol’ grin and a shiny new medal,” he writes. “But had you seen what I looked like at mile 9 or mile 15 when I could barely walk, when my feet felt as if they were going to explode.”
“Or maybe around mile 21 when Jo had to get me some pickle juice to help ease my leg cramps just so I could make it to the next water station. See, failure was every bit a part of the journey.”
Magnolia Journal
This year, Chip opted for thehalf marathon, and ran 13.1 miles. When he crossed the finish line, he was pushing his 10-month-old son Crew in a stroller as his 11-year-old daughter Ella ran beside them. Joanna, of course, cheered on her family and gave out high fives to people along the course.
To read Chip’s full letter, pick up the summer “Freedom” issue ofMagnolia Journal,on newsstands now.
source: people.com
