12 STARTING LINESeveryday runnerSarah Greim returned to running in
a way that is familiar to many people
in their mid-30s. She spent her teens
and early 20s active in sports, includ-
ing hopping into a few races with her
mother. However, as she got older, life
got in the way of athletic goals. So after
the birth of her son, Greim signed up
for a couch-to-5K program.
But she wasn’t content to just run
one 5K. Along with her mother and her
best running friend, Greim set a goal
to run 14 5Ks in 2014.
“We actually did 25 5Ks,” she says.
“But then it just kind of snowballed
from there.”
Greim, 38, who lives in Davenport,
Iowa, has since turned to longer
distances, completing 10 half mar-
athons and one full marathon.
She has her sights set on
five more 13.1s this year.
Throughout those races,
Greim’s positivity and
determined attitude has
allowed her to connect
with fellow runners.
During her first half mar-
athon, Greim met a new friend
at mile 1. Over the course of the race,
they shared life stories, pushed each
other and crossed the finish line with
arms overhead.
Before Greim’s first marathon—last
year’s Haunted Hustle in Wisconsin—
her training partner backed out of the
race. That’s when a group of friends she
met through the organization Fellow
Flowers came together to support her.
Greim dressed as a “Runaway Bride”
with a special shirt and white tutu.
Her friends threw a pre-race party,
wore matching bridesmaids shirts and
jumped in at various parts of the race
to give her a boost. The hilly course was
tough and Greim was the last person to
cross the finish line. However it madeInspIratIon statIon
When one woman goes race crazy, everyone rallies around her.
By Kristan Dietzher realize how many people wanted
her succeed.
“It was the worst run experience
I’ve ever had because the course and
how grueling it was,” recounts Greim.
“But at the same time, it was the best
because of the people supporting me
through it.”
As much as running has given to
Greim, she pays it forward as a chapter
leader for a Moms Run This Town
group. She is a mentor for new runners
at her local Fleet Feet. Recently, she
made a deal with her stepsister: Greim
would pay the race entry if she joined
the couch-to-5K group. They trained
and ran a Race for the Cure.
Greim has countless friends who
have told her that she has inspired
them to become runners.
“I would get messages like
‘Sarah, you really inspired
me. Now I’m doing
couch-to-5K.’ And for a
long time that was really
hard for me,” says Greim.
“But in the last few years, I
started to own it.”
As she continues to complete
her own racing goals while motivating
others, she wants to set the example
that anybody can be a runner.
“I am a slow runner. I am not an elite
runner. I am not fast,” she says. “As
much as I try to be fast, I am still a solid
12-to-14-minute-per-mile runner. That
shows people you don’t have to be
some super-fast elite runner to run a
half marathon or run a full marathon.”
Greim has a busy race schedule for
the second half of 2017. She is running
the Remix Challenge at Rock ’n’ Roll
Chicago, the Madison Mini Half, the
Quad City half marathon and the
Detroit International half marathon.
And she still has her eye on a few
more races.tip for new runners
Find a training group, says Greim.
“It’s the accountability of other
people. They know what your goals
are and they are not going to let
you back down. If you have enough
people in your corner, you can’t use
it as an excuse not to do it.”What Happens When You
Finish Last?
Despite being the final finisher in
her first marathon, Greim is already
thinking about another—mainly
because of her amazing support
group. “This time we’re going to do
it together,” she says.Why parents should run
Her advice for busy parents worried
about their schedule is to just do it.
“It doesn’t matter how old your child
is. They are always watching you
and always learning from you.”CM0817_FOB_SL.indd 12 7/12/17 4:54 PM