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All Bodies Are Runner’s Bodies – Marci Braithwaite

All Bodies Are Runner's Bodies Marci Braithwaite Run Tri Bike Magazine
Marci Braithwaite
Year started: 2009
Next race: July 15, 2022 / The Vacation Races Mount Rainier Half Marathon / Ashford, WA
Favorite gear:

Hoka Rincon Shoes / Superfit Hero and Fabletics clothing / Clif Bloks Gels

In 2009 I started running to lose weight. I have always lived in a larger body. When I started having back pain, a doctor told me I needed to lose over 100 pounds. Over that year I dropped 80 pounds. I also discovered a sport that I never imagined I could be a part of. 12 years later I’ve run over 100 races of all distances, including a marathon.

I’m training for Chicago 2022. And I still live in a larger body. A year ago I was told I should become a coach, so I took two certification courses and began focusing a business around clients in larger bodies who have never found a place for themselves in the running community. I’m building a community that can be that place for them. All bodies are runner’s bodies and those who want to run see that it is possible. This is what I’m building.

You got started because of back pain, but why running and not something else?

I started out walking every single day, and then, gradually, walking became running as I realized how good my body felt when I came back from a run. It was easy and cheap (back then, before I discovered all the gear that makes it even more fun) and made me feel amazing – and that should be the goal of movement, to feel good in your body.

What is your favorite race distance and why?

10k is probably my favorite race distance – I can do it in an hour or so and get in a fantastic workout without having to feel like my whole day was spent running or recovering from a long run. After training for a marathon I realized that 5k is too short and half marathons or longer require recovery time. 10k is work, stretch, done.

What do you hope to get out of coaching? What do you instill in the athletes you coach?

My main coaching goal is to increase visibility and inclusivity in fitness spaces for people in larger bodies. Not just the running community, but the fitness community in general. I’m currently partnering with a traditional gym and a yoga instructor to offer inclusive classes that honor all bodies and their movement,  and help athletes in larger bodies feel like they are welcome in the space. My goal for my clients is to instill self-acceptance and the understanding that movement has no qualification – all movement counts, and your body can move, no matter its size or shape.

 

For more information on Marci, her passion to prove all bodies are runner’s bodies and her coaching CLICK HERE.
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