Never Give Up

LLast November, former California first lady Maria Shriver posted a powerful video on social media showing the final finishers of the New York City Marathon. She described them as “the ones who finished after most of the cameras have left, the spectators have gone home, the crowds have dispersed. These final few show so much resilience, resolve, and determination. With each cross of the finish line, it’s impossible not to feel inspired. It’s impossible not to feel moved and want to know their why, their motivation for completing the marathon.” We wanted to know, too. So a month later, on Dec. 7, we set up shop at the finish line of the California International Marathon and photographed and interviewed runners at the back of the pack—even those who kept going after the race officially ended at 1:30 p.m., including the very last competitors to complete the 26.2-mile course from Folsom to the State Capitol. Embodying perseverance and persistence, they proved once and for all that slow and steady really does “win” the race.

---

---

GRIFFIN MONTOYA

“Initially I didn’t plan to run CIM. It’s been a rough year—a lot of ups and downs. I went through a personal relationship setback, and I kind of lost myself for a little bit. In November of 2024, my fiancée decided to end our engagement. I started doing long runs, just trying to find myself again, trying to get back into having good physical and mental health.

Around mile 17, I was cramping, and I was going through the reflection of the year—that pain, revisiting the heartbreak. I talked to a pacer. [Pacers are volunteers who run at a set pace to help runners hit specific finish times.] I didn’t get her name, but she gave me a wonderful piece of advice. Along the course, there are a lot of trash cans, and she said, ‘You’ve got to throw out the negative thoughts. Leave those bad thoughts in the trash cans and [focus] on your why. Why you’re doing this race.’ I [leaned] into the love and gratitude I have for my family and friends who held me up. Feeling that love and encouragement really got me through. There were a lot of happy tears and tears of gratitude along the way. My initial goal was to just finish under the six-hour mark. I ended up finishing in five hours, 17 minutes and 59 seconds—about a 45-minute jump on my personal record. I can finally see the peak of the mountain.”

---

---

ROGER OBERHOLZER

“In 2002, I lost my sight [at the age of 30 due to a rare inflammatory disorder]. Around 2018, when I moved to Folsom, I started really getting into running with this platform called United in Stride [which pairs visually impaired runners and walkers with sighted guides]. I found my guides through that. It’s an amazing organization. In 2019, I ran my first CIM, and then I actually qualified for the 2022 Boston and New York marathons, Chicago in 2023 and then I did 2024 London. Then last year, I was able to get into Berlin. And now I’m running Tokyo in March.

I never take a finish line for granted. As a blind athlete, the people who guide you become your family. I ran with three guides this time. Paolo Taboga [pictured to his right] has run with me now for seven years. Sara Dionne came onto my team last year, and then her boyfriend, Tracy Plaster [pictured to his left]. I cannot express how important it is that we have these guides and these organizations. Actually, if I was sighted or had some sight left, and you would have asked me, ‘Do you ever want to run a marathon?’ I would have told you, ‘You’re crazy. I will never do that.’ But when you train for something that you think is impossible, you can achieve things that you think are not achievable.”

---

---

DANYA SWANSON (LEFT)

“I wanted to run the CIM at 50, and that didn’t work out. I’m 60, so it was now or never. For the past year, I worked with a personal trainer and lost 40 pounds, doing weights and steps and running. Ashlie and I met in the Fleet Feet Sacramento [running] group. I didn’t have anybody to run long miles with. We kind of adopted each other. We’ve been through this whole process together. It’s motivating doing it with someone else—the commitment to get up on Saturday morning for 18 weeks. Towards the end [of the marathon], she said she had a little strain. And I said, ‘Nope, we’re not stopping. We’re going. We can do this. We’re almost done.’ Just before I crossed, I got a little emotional. This is the marathon I’ve always wanted to do. All this work, and we did it!”

ASHLIE SIMPSON (Right)

“Every part of me hurts, but we were not going to walk across that finish line, not after 18 weeks of training. At some point [with Danya], it just became ‘All right, we’re in this together.’ It can be a lonely race. You get stuck in your head, and those aren’t always motivating thoughts. So having somebody to run with, you have somebody else to pick you up. Our goal was to finish together. And that external motivation just keeps you going.

The experience of seeing the communities from Folsom all the way to downtown and having people out there, it really brings the region together. Part of it is the kindness and support that so many people along the course give to absolute strangers, knowing that those strangers are going through a hard thing. There’s a level of human compassion that comes across during that time. It really was heartwarming. There’s just no other way to put it.”

---

---

KAMI ELLIOT (LEFT)

“One day, I texted Marjory, and I said, ‘I’m thinking about running a marathon.’ And she said, ‘That’s so funny. I just bought a book on ultra-marathoning.’ We chose a six-month marathon training [program] and we followed the plan. We would run by ourselves during the week, and then we would get together on the weekend for a long run. Our relationship really deepened, and I think that was one of the best things that came from it.

The marathon hurt a lot more than I was expecting, unfortunately. I hurt my foot a couple weeks beforehand, so I struggled through the whole thing. At one point, I didn’t know if I was going to make it. My partner showed up at mile 19.4 and ran with me for 10 yards, held my hand and just told me I could do it. That really pushed me through it.

When Marjory and I finally crossed the finish line, she reached out to high-five me, and I realized we needed to hug. We embraced, and it was amazing. I was just so happy that we were able to finish it together.”

MARJORY WATKINS

“Kami and I have been friends for a really long time. For us, it was about the accomplishment. It wasn’t about time. The experience was brilliant. We were in it to the end. The fact that we were able to do it together was huge. I started to feel emotional. I remember looking at Kami and being like, ‘I think I’m crying.’ And we were laughing about that. It was an emotional release. I’m definitely glad we did it. Our friendship was always strong, but I feel like because we spent so much time together doing all of our long [training] runs, we just know so much more about each other. I wouldn’t have wanted to run the marathon with anyone else.”

---

---

PRESTIN SAETEURN (LEFT)

“This was a bucket-list thing. But I definitely didn’t train as hard as I should have. When I woke up at 3 a.m. [the day of the race], I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for an excuse so I could not run today. I was thinking, ‘Man, I hope I can finish.’ After mile 18, I was like, ‘OK, this is some new territory.’ I got really tired. My legs were just jelly. But in that last bit where you can see the finish line, I definitely got more energy. And when I finished, I was just so happy and glad it was over. I looked over to my side and saw [Jehremy]. He was just finishing as well. I don’t know him at all. But in that moment, I felt like we were two strangers who just experienced something really difficult, and I decided, ‘Hey, come here. Let’s celebrate.’ ”

JEHREMY HAGARDORN (Right)

“I’ve been extremely tested this year, going through a divorce while maintaining quality time with my son. But I saw an Instagram reel that said, ‘Do one amazing thing a year.’ This was my one amazing thing.

I definitely hit a wall at mile 20. My whole mantra was just ‘Forward, forward, forward. Don’t stop moving forward.’ I would start thinking about one person and everything that they bring to my life, and then think about the next person, and just how thankful I am. In September, my girlfriend was diagnosed with some pretty serious health issues. She always remained super supportive, so a lot of this was definitely dedicated to her. And I saw my son—he’s 5—at mile 25. I pulled over, and that was super emotional. I hugged him and, I couldn’t help it, I had tears. It was just a very emotionally overwhelming experience.”

---

---

UPENDER RAO

“My wife does the braiding. Normally I don’t braid my beard—without the braid, I look like Santa Claus. While running, based on the weather, if it’s really cold, I don’t braid my beard because it keeps my neck warm. But [race day] was not too cold, and that’s why I braided it. It looks good, and doesn’t make my neck hot. So many people say they like it. That’s nice.

When I turned 60 two years back, I did my first full marathon, and now I’m hooked on it. This is my fifth. I’ll see how long I can carry on. I did New Jersey, I did the Irving Marathon, which is local [to the Dallas area, where I live]. I did the New York Marathon. But folks told me, if you go run somewhere, California is really nice and has good scenic views.

Starting [in the foothills] and coming down all the way, I felt that [the CIM] may be a little bit easy. I was mistaken. Those rolling hills really hit me. But I never felt like, ‘I’m done, I have to give up.’ You look around and see the crowd. Or you can look at the folks who are running along with you and take some encouragement. What I also do is encourage them. I say, “You know what? We can do it. You can do it!” As you encourage them, it gives you some more motivation to finish the race. Then it’s done and you earn your bragging rights. That’s the fun part of it.”

---

---

AURELIA MCALISTER

“I have been a runner on and off [over the years]. My first marathon was the L.A. Marathon in 2024. But I’ve always lived in a place where [the CIM] blocked me going anywhere. So I was like, ‘I might as well run it instead of watching it.’

Between the L.A. Marathon and now, I was admitted to the hospital. I deal with anemia. I’d done a long run [while training for the CIM], and I could just feel my body giving out in ways it hadn’t before. They had to give me a transfusion, and they said, ‘We really need you to take a break from running.’ I had to stop running for four or five months. So when I started to train again for this marathon, I got in my head and was like, ‘Will my body be OK?’ But I knew deep down that I could, and I did not want to let anything stop me.

It was definitely hard. Once I hit the halfway point, my right leg just lit up. I was really considering quitting. I called my sister and I told her, ‘Hey, I don’t know if I can finish.’ And she went, ‘No, you’re going to finish. Whether you have to walk or run, you are going to finish this marathon.’ After I talked with my sister, I called my mom. She told me how much she believed in me. She knew how hard I’d trained for this, and she knew that I could finish. I think the fact that she believed in me so much was what really kept me going. I couldn’t let her down.

I am so glad that I finished, that I was able to find that inner strength. I started crying as soon as I [crossed] that finish line—the emotions just hit me. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. But I did it.”

---

---

USHASWINI VEMULAKONDA

“I’m from India. In 2014, I had recently come to the States and I saw people running everywhere. I was like, ‘Let me try it out.’ I couldn’t even run a mile. I realized it was something I had to build, and I got into it. I feel really happy when I run, so it stayed with me.

I did the CIM last year too. Last year, I did it in six hours, 14 minutes, and I did not finish in time [to make the 1:30 p.m. finish line cutoff]. This year I did it in 5:48 [hours], which is incredible. I love the CIM. The first U.S. city I lived in was Folsom, for eight years. I trained better this time, so the first 15 miles was a breeze. After that, it was just push, push, push. I had amazing pacers [volunteers who help runners maintain a steady pace]: Steph [Dunlap] and Dorothy [Leo]. I cannot thank them enough. They pushed me through the tough miles. From mile 23 to 24, my legs were tired, and I really wanted to just walk and not make it. But Steph was like, ‘I see you, Usha! Keep going. I’m proud of you, girl.’ I think she has [special] powers or something. Every time she would say that, I’d push myself a little further and get through those miles.

I was really proud of myself. I have come a long way from not finishing in time. It was pure joy—well, pain and joy and everything mixed together. I was crying my eyes out.”

---

---

ALLYSON BEEM

“I’ve lived in the Sacramento area all my life. These are streets and people that I recognize. I ran the Disney half marathon earlier in the year, and I felt more magic running this marathon. With magic, I think of community togetherness, just being surrounded by all of these amazing people, people pushing themselves to their limit. We’ve all had different journeys. We’ve all had different goals. We’re all at different paces. But we are all together doing this, and we’re going to do it because we worked so hard to get to where we are.

Unfortunately, I got a cold five or six days before the race. I had to take a lot of walking breaks, and I was worried I wasn’t going to make it. But I had a lot of my cousins and my partner who came and they met me at miles 6, 13 and 19. They had signs, they had a microphone. They were telling me not to cry, which made me cry. When I crossed that finish line, I realized that all of this time I put into training, all of the sacrifices my friends had to make to accommodate me, was worth it. I did something that I never thought I would do.

You’ll hear it a lot, but they say that less than 1% of the world’s population will finish a marathon in their lifetime, and it’s insane to think about how little that is, but also to know that there are hundreds of thousands of people all over the world who run a marathon. It makes me realize how small we actually are, yet we’re doing something so big.”

---

---

SILVANA SANCHEZ

“It’s going to be my 59th birthday in two weeks. And I said, ‘It’s my birthday present [to run the CIM], because I want to know how strong I am mentally and how far I can go.’ My [goal] was doing it in six hours. I made it in five hours, 59 minutes and 54 seconds.

I’m from Santa Fe, but I love California. I was checking out a lot of different marathons. I have some Sacramento friends, and they said, ‘This is the best one.’ A lot of people from Mexico and other countries come to run this marathon to qualify for Boston. People of different nationalities, the diversity—it is amazing. That’s why I decided to do it. There was a lot of support. It surprised me. Everybody was very friendly—other racers and even the people who are not running. Everybody’s cheering and going, ‘Go on! Go on! Run! You’re almost done!’ When I was running in mile 21, I was behind my pace. But I said, ‘No, I have to complete it.’ I was thinking of my family, my kids, and my high school students. I’m a Spanish teacher. I want to teach my students that if I can do it, they can do it.

I just feel grateful to God and [proud of] myself because I was able to do my best. It’s an extraordinary thing to run 26 miles. It’s an accomplishment. I want to be a good role model for women my age, because we struggle with a lot of change, like menopause. Running a marathon is not easy. But you know what? We can do it.”

---

---

KATHLEEN SNIPES

“I’ve run many marathons and I run ultra-marathons as well. I ran [the CIM] one time before, in 2021. I tore my hamstring two years ago, so I just started my recovery running in February [2025]. I really wanted to finish in my past times, which were between 5:20 [hours] and 5:30. However, it didn’t go as well this year because my stomach was very upset the first 15 miles. I usually eat gluten-free oatmeal about an hour before I run. But I had those egg whites from Starbucks because I was in a hurry, and I probably shouldn’t have done that. I was so worried that with my GI distress, I wasn’t going to make the [1:30 p.m.] cutoff. But I was like, ‘I’ve never not finished a race. So I am finishing no matter what.’

The community surrounding CIM is very warm and friendly. Everybody comes out in every neighborhood to cheer people on. Around Carmichael, one of the signs I saw said, ‘Hi, stranger, I don’t know you, but you’re doing great.’ It was very helpful and motivating. And the best part is that my daughter showed up at mile 24.5. I broke down a little bit, because I was so close to the end and because it was hard for me to realize that I wasn’t making my time goal. But as soon as I saw her, I screamed and got a little teary. I knew that I had to hurry up and finish so that I could see her at the end. I thought, ‘My daughter. That’s  the motivation I need to finish.’ And that was my prize, to spend time with my daughter.”

---

---

LUCY LIU

“This is my 15th marathon, but my first CIM. I ran my first marathon in 2012 in Honolulu because there’s no time limit [for that race], so I knew I could finish. And I thought I would just be one and done. But it’s such a great feeling to finish a marathon, I’ve chased that feeling ever since.

[CIM] is well known in the running community for being a great course. But I’m just so impressed with how great the community is. I’ve run races like Chicago and New York and Berlin, and I didn’t know what CIM would bring. And truly, it was so special. The community really came out in a big way. You could tell that these people know exactly what you need. It is so powerful. Somewhere around miles 15 through 19, I had one guy who ran right up next to me and said, ‘Who’s finishing a marathon today?’ And I nearly cried. I said, ‘It’s me!’ Such a simple thing. Person after person, that was my experience every mile. That’s not something you get at other races.

My goal every race is just to finish. I’m a slower runner. With the cutoff being at 1:30 [p.m.], I remember thinking, ‘I don’t know if I can bump my time down.’ Right up until I turned that [final] corner, I wasn’t sure if I was going to make the official finish. Sophia, my college best friend, came out to support me and was right at that corner. Seeing her, and watching the clock at the same time, I dug deep. I was like, ‘You know what? You’ve come too far to only come this far.’ So I was able to really push hard and make it at the last minute. I was so proud.”

---

---

GEORGE KARGBO

“I went to school at Sac State, and I still have friends in Sacramento I visit often. I heard my best friend, Julian, and his girlfriend talking about potentially running the marathon. I like challenges. Life is short. So when I heard that there was a marathon later on in the year, I was like, ‘Why not try it? Let’s go for it.’ That same day, I signed up.

In high school, I ran track, but I’ve always been a short-distance runner. So I was really nervous to do the marathon. I was aiming to be done by the six-hour mark, but I was cramping for most of the race. I told myself, ‘As long as you finish, no one can take that away from you. Just keep going.’ The human body can do a lot. There’s training involved, but you can really push your body to the limit and you can still succeed. I took the time factor out and just told myself, ‘As long as you get through the finish line, that’s fine. You can try again next year.’ I’ve played sports, so I have the athlete mentality. Sometimes it’s tough, the pain will be there, but it’s not a forever thing. If you really want something in life, you’ve got to fight for it.

And then my friends at the end, they helped me. I told them I was going to do it—that I had people relying on me. That’s why I was doing it. The guy who helped me was Julian [pictured], and his girlfriend Yulissa [who ran the marathon too and is also pictured] was the one who had the flowers. It was a surreal moment. I actually ran a marathon.”

---

---

JESSICA WARREN

“This was a comeback run for me. I trained for the Surf City Marathon [in Huntington Beach] a few years ago, but I injured myself. And in between injuring myself and now, I became a mother of two, so my life is in a completely different phase. But running a marathon was still on my bucket list.

I haven’t really recovered to my original pace. I hit a wall around the half- way point, and really had to push through. I was like, ‘I just want to finish. If I can physically do it and I have the opportunity to do it right now, I shouldn’t waste this opportunity.’ So that’s what pushed me through. And just thinking about my girls. They’re 3 and 1. Finishing this was my way of saying, ‘Hey, Mommy’s doing something hard. So you can too.’ And honestly, I put it on my Christmas card already—that was another motivator.

Even though it was extremely tough, it’s something that no one can take away from me. It’s something I trained for and made sacrifices for. Just to finish something like that, I feel really grateful. I actually didn’t realize I finished, because I was so delirious. I was really happy to get the medal. Even if you feel like you’re the last person out there, just remember you’re doing it for yourself, and don’t stop.”

---

---

LLOYD ROBINSON

“It’s amazing how many people you meet that you otherwise never would have. You form friendships along the way in 26.2 miles. It inspires you to keep going. It’s nice, especially near the end, meeting people like [Alexiss]. She was hurting and she wanted to go home. I convinced her to go with me, and we finished the [last] six miles together.

Sometimes you have good [running] days and bad days, and today wasn’t a good day. It was just hard. My goal was to finish in five and a half hours. It doesn’t always work out as planned. We’re dead last. But I was in the Air Force for 25 years, so I can’t quit. It isn’t in me. If I went home and waited another year for this, it would eat me up. I’ve done about 35 marathons. Twelve years ago, I set a goal for myself for 25 [CIM finishes] and this is No. 11. I’m 56 years old—as long as I can still do it, I’ll do it. Even though I finished late, I don’t care. I finished.”

ALEXISS CERVERA

“Everything hurts, but I’m really proud of myself. It’s a life goal to be able to call myself a marathon runner. I played soccer for a really long time and ran cross-country when I was younger. About two years ago, my daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and a diabetes [organization] was doing a challenge to run 100 miles in a month. So I picked up running again. But with motherhood, running my businesses and going to school for my master’s, run- ning long distances was the last thing on my mind. So unfortunately, my body had just not been exposed to that distance. I really wanted to finish, but my muscles felt like they were going to pull and snap. I was going to throw in the towel at mile 20. I had already called my cousin to come pick me up. But Lloyd was walking past me and told me, ‘Hey, let’s go. If you don’t finish, you’re going to regret it.’ It really helped me believe in myself. I no longer thought about how long it took me. I did not quit. If I can do this hard thing, I can do other types of hard things. I definitely want to come back to try again next year.”