For most of her life, Patti Whiteye believed she wasn’t a runner. She thought she was too slow, not athletic enough, or that running just simply wasn’t for her. Then, in 2023, when she was 55, her husband suffered two heart attacks, prompting her to take her health and fitness more seriously.
She started walking 10,000 steps a day, and four months later, a casual conversation with her husband about an upcoming marathon turned into an impromptu decision to run it themselves. With just six months to prepare for the 26.2-mile race, Whiteye had a lot of work ahead of her. On her first day of training, she couldn’t run more than 100 steps.
Then she discovered the run/walk method, alternating short running intervals with timed walking breaks, and something clicked. For the first time, she realized that instead of struggling to run continuously, she could build endurance at her own pace. Little by little, mile after mile, the woman who spent decades convinced she wasn’t a runner began to see herself becoming a marathoner.
Then, in October 2025 at the Marine Corps Marathon—at 56 years old—she did just that. Crossing the finish line “changed my life in a way that’s hard to put into words,” says Whiteye. Whiteye completed her second marathon last April and is now training for another later this fall.
At 54, Vanessa Lindley is returning to the New York City Marathon after walking her first in 2024 for charity, with no formal training and one simple goal: to cross the finish line. This time, Lindley is taking a more intentional approach, following a structured training plan she found online that includes three days of shorter run/walk workouts and one day dedicated to a longer session. By gradually incorporating more running into her routine, she hopes to improve her race pace while still embracing the experience.
Still, for these two women, the marathon journey is about more than reaching the finish line; it’s also about discovering what’s possible when they challenge their own expectations. Mildred Baker, at 80 years old, is preparing to run her very first marathon, using the same run/walk method that helped Whiteye and Lindley find their stride. Baker’s running journey began in 2023, when she joined New York Road Runner Striders, a walking group for older adults, and found a community that encouraged her to push beyond what she thought was possible.
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