Maine moms running first Maine Marathon together
Moms running Maine Marathon to show themselves, kids they can do it
Moms running Maine Marathon to show themselves, kids they can do it
Moms running Maine Marathon to show themselves, kids they can do it
Runners are in their final days ahead of the Maine Marathon this weekend.
For two of those athletes, this is their first marathon and they are running it together.
It's been hard work and dedication for Falmouth's Kristy Perkowski and Erin Wolf to get ready for the Maine Marathon.
"As a working mom, it's really hard to find the time to do things that matter to you. So this was a really big deal trying to prioritize the marathon and reaching this goal," Wolf says.
In January, they started training for their first 26.2 mile race.
"We both realized we have this lifetime goal of running a marathon and we said, 'We are going to do it together,'" Perkowski says.
"The biggest thing we do together is our long run. We always do that on Fridays. And we make it happen no matter what. Whether it's raining or if we have to hire a babysitter for all 6 of our children to get it done," Wolf says.
The moms have kept the miles fun — with matching outfits.
"When we are out running on the roads, people wave, people honk and people cheer us on. Everywhere I go people ask me, 'How much longer 'till the marathon?' cause they're so supportive," Perkowski says.
Running hundreds of miles over 9 months has made them stronger runners — and stronger friends.
"I sort of always thought of running as a more individual sport, but that really changed for me when we started running together. It really does feel like a team sport now," Wolf said.
"To train together, we have spent hours and hours and hours out on the road together. And sometimes we save things to talk about for our long runs. I'll see Erin around town and say, 'I have something to tell you. But, we're going to save it for our long run on Friday.' And I know we have three plus hours together on a run," Perkowski says.
The Falmouth moms say they are excited to cross the finish line and show their kids that moms can do hard things.
"The commitment that was made to train for this, the time we put in, the hot days, the cold days, the raining days, all of the miles, all of the ups and downs; They'll see what it means to set a goal and go out and achieve it," Perkowski says.
The Maine Marathon is Sunday in Portland. WMTW News 8 is a proud sponsor. We'll have live coverage from the race starting early Sunday morning.