Kelly Waddleton never thought she was a runner. She was the slowest kid on the team, hated conditioning, and fully stepped away from running in college. Years later, during a tough mental health season and a moment where she needed something solid to hold onto, running quietly found its way back in. What started as a scary decision to sign up for a half marathon with her dad turned into momentum, confidence, and eventually a bold goal of running 26 miles before turning 26.

In this episode, Kelly walks through her full journey to the Philadelphia Marathon, from rebuilding consistency, navigating injury and nausea, trusting her body without a rigid training plan, and leaning on family, faith, and self belief when things got hard. We talk about hitting the wall, redefining success on race day, and what it means to carry every past version of yourself across the finish line. If you’ve ever thought “maybe one day I’ll run a marathon” but weren’t sure you were capable, this one might feel uncomfortably relatable in the best way.

Follow along with Kelly on Instagram at @kellysproductions !

Follow along with the show:

 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays

 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod

 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast

 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources

Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me:

 https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440