I remember a quote that was told to me growing up- “Shoot for the moon; even if you miss you’ll land among the stars”. At Grandma’s Marathon 2025 I shot for the moon. My mission was to PR by a large portion and finish my 8th marathon with my dad as he crossed the Grandma’s Marathon finish line for the 25th time. I set this goal in October 2024 and worked at it tirelessly. I trained harder than I have in a very long time. I found the time to stay consistent when that has repeatedly been an obstacle for me. I met with a dietician who helped me focus my nutrition on marathon training. I focused on hydration and sleep. I was blessed to be able to run several long runs with my dad on Saturday mornings. Did I have some lapses along the way? Absolutely! But I went into race weekend feeling confident and excited to see what my body and mind could do.
Fast forward to June 2025, I knew very early on in the race- as I watched the pacer we were aiming to stay with fade away in the distance- that I was not going to meet my goals. Early on in the race I was defeated. I was incredibly close to dropping out at the halfway point as I could not cool myself off and was going to cross the finish line well over an hour after I had hoped to. My dad said something to me while I was contemplating dropping out that will stick with me forever. He said, “If you decide to drop out, I respect it. That is a veteran marathoner mindset. You have nothing to prove. But if you decide to stay in it, I’ll be with you until the end”. My dad easily could have finished that race hours before me, but he stuck with me. We (slowly) dredged on and crossed that marathon finish line together. My 6th Grandma’s Marathon finish and my dad’s 25th Grandma’s Marathon finish. I am forever blessed by the miles of training and the 26.2 miles I got to share with my dad that day.
After the excitement and the pride of crossing the finish line wore off, I was met with emotions I have never experienced in running. Days later I was embarrassed, ashamed, disappointed, and frustrated. I was mourning the goal that my dad and I made 8 months before Grandma’s 2025. The goal that I was excited for, promoted to my family and friends (and many strangers), and the goal I worked very hard for. It all slipped away on the race course that day. I didn’t land on the moon or among the stars. Am I proud I finished? ABSOLUTELY! I will NEVER not be proud of a marathon finish. But I know I have more in me.
I took a few weeks to feel bad for myself and then realized, I want more. I want to hit my goals. I want to work hard to achieve them. I want redemption. And that is what I have my sights set on for Grandma’s 2026. This is my redemption race. My time to show that the goals that I made last year were not as far fetched as they seemed after the race. My time to prove to myself that I CAN do hard things. My time to shoot for the moon and if I don’t reach it, hopefully land among the stars.
This year, leading up to Grandma’s I hope to double my efforts in every aspect of training- mental, physical, and emotional. I am excited, and admittedly nervous, to see what I can do this year. I am using my emotions from last year to propel my training. The months leading up to June will go fast, as they always do, but I am counting down the days until I get to be back out there fighting for my goals. I’ll be sharing this journey every step of the way, and I’d love to share it with you.
Rachel Barger
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Favorite Grandma’s Marathon Memory: I have far too many Grandma’s Marathon memories to choose just one! My first ever 5K, half marathon, and full marathon were all at Grandma’s. Along with joining several family members in 2016 when we revived our family running club that started with our dads, uncles, and cousins in the 80s, running my husband’s first half marathon with him in 2018, getting to experience the first race back after COVID in 2021. Most recently, I had the great honor of running 26.2 miles with my dad and crossing the finish line with him for his 25th Grandma’s Marathon in 2025. All of these are memories that I will never forget and I look forward to adding to this list every year.
Song that must be on your running playlist: The Rocky theme song… every version from every movie. I will sometimes hear that song 6 times during my long runs haha!
Running Superstition: I always say the same little prayer as I cross the starting line and finish line. I also run all of my races on the far left side of the course- a superstition that was started at Grandma’s so I could be closest to Lake Superior.
Advice to other runners: Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, you’ll get there eventually. AND if it takes you longer than you wanted it to, just remember you are still putting in the same amount of miles as the person who came in first!
2026 Running Goals: Redemption! I had huge goals for 2025, which unfortunately were not met on race day. I am excited to continue the fight and hopefully hit my goals in 2026! Throughout my training process, I hope to post a new PR at every distance.