Just this year, 2024, Sarah Pardus realized a goal that she'd been aiming toward for a decade: she ran the Boston Marathon. While her road to that finish line was full of twists and turns, it was also a full-circle moment. It both begins and ends with the terrific organization Girls on the Run (GOTR). Sarah's first organized run training came at a young age, through being a part of GOTR. Throughout high school and into college, Sarah was a highly competitive swimming, and running helped her stay fit. And when an injury ultimately ended her swimming career part-way through college, Sarah returned to running. Intertwined in her athletic journey, Sarah developed an eating disorder. Over the years, as she mindfully surrounded herself with healthy role models and a strong support system, Sarah was able to establish a healthy relationship with her nutrition. As part of her adult running life, Sarah reignited her involvement with GOTR, now as a volunteer. For her own running goals, Sarah found great joy in running longer distances on the road and set her sights on qualifying to run the Boston Marathon. Sarah both qualified for Boston and ran to support GOTR, the organization that first got her into the sport. Hear the whole story of how it all came together in this episode. A special thank you to Rochelle Solomon and Kate Yenrick for bringing me this story. Keep Up with Sarah Pardus Instagram: @sarahpardus X: @sarahpardus Girls On the Run, Boston Instagram: @gotrboston Facebook: facebook.com/GirlsontheRunGreaterBoston Website: girlsontherunboston.org WRS Roads to Boston series, featuring Rochelle Solomon womensrunningstories.com/home-2/roads-to-boston-9-runners-1-finish-line To support WRS, please rate and review the show iTunes/Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/womens-running-stories/id1495427631 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4F8Hr2RysbV4fdwNhiMAXc?si=1c5e18155b4b44fa Music Credits Cormac O'Regan, of Playtoh Coma-Media, via Pixabay RoyaltyFreeMusic, via Pixabay Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories Instagram: @womensrunningstories Instagram: @over50sub20_5k_project Facebook: facebook.com/WomensRunningStories Website: womensrunningstories.com Email host Cherie: clouiseturner@gmail.com Women's Running Stories is a proud member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices