A story to tell!

From this year’s Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon

May 5, 2026

We anticipated a great race. After all, it was the 26 th marathon, on the 26 th of April, in the year 2026, and, of course, it is a 26-mile race! And Oklahoma City came through, as always, with “A Run to Remember.”

Let me share a little history. The year was 1995, the day April 19. I stopped at a co- worker’s home to pick up the medical dictation she had typed. We shared a home business providing transcription of medical records. She ushered me to the TV where she was watching the incredible story unfolding from Oklahoma City. My husband and I had spent some wonderful years in Oklahoma City before our move to Topeka, Kansas. The news report was that Timothy McVeigh parked a rented Ryder truck in front of the Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. Inside was a powerful bomb. It consisted of agricultural fertilizer, diesel fuel, and other chemicals. He got out and locked the door. He then headed to his getaway car. At 9:02 am, the bomb exploded. The nine-story building became rubble, and other buildings were damaged or destroyed—over 300—and 168 people were killed.

Picture I took of building when we went for Kenny’s funeral

An interesting detail is that McVeigh drove a getaway car with no license plate and was later picked up for that reason. As he was being held, the policeman learned of the bombing and McVeigh was arrested by federal authorities. This bombing is the deadliest domestic terrorist attack on the U.S. government in American history.

My family was notified the next day that my cousin, Kenneth McCullough was among those killed. He was an agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration. He was 36 years of age.

Kenny’s lighted chair, one of 168

When I learned of the marathon inaugural run in 2001, I signed up. Little did I know that I would be continuing to honor Kenny year after year. Well, I missed a few years, but my total is 10—and would have been 11. As I said, I have a story to tell and it’s a good story—just unexpected.

Shirt is from the Inaugural Run

After all, I had done very well with my training and I contribute that to the training of Chris Twiggs, the Chief Training officer for the Jeff Galloway Training Program. Jeff is a much- beloved man who pioneered the run-walk-run method and inspired millions worldwide. He encouraged runners, a beginner and beyond, that they could complete road races—and enjoy it. Sadly, he passed away a month ago. I am thankful I had the opportunity to learn from him and grow to appreciate the tremendous contribution he has made to the running community. He is from my home state of Georgia and was a former Olympian.

Chris and I had weekly zoom chats as he lives in Florida. Also, I had the option to join a group chat on Tuesday evenings. With Chris’s help, I had a plan for the intervals for running and walking. I had never done a marathon using this method of planned intervals of running and walking. I have found it very helpful at this stage of my running career.

Ready to run.

I had done a training run of 24 miles, and I felt confident that I would be able to do the marathon. Of course, we can’t control the weather, and you can imagine what late April is like in Oklahoma City—think wind, heat, and humidity! One never knows and that is a part of running a race—accept what comes your way.

The day before the race, I had the wonderful experience hearing a panel discussion of Olympians—women and men. They were inspiring and humble and filled with good information. I got the advice to think through how I would respond to the weather—that running a marathon is not only physical, but it’s mental. The other piece of advice was to have fun, enjoy the experience.

We attended the sunrise service that is held yearly at the Survivor Tree, the symbol for the race because the tree amazingly endured the bombing. The resilience of the tree was emphasized by the pastor who spoke, encouraging us to have that spirit of resilience. It was a good word. As we walked to our corrals (determined by our projected finish time) for the start of the race, the guitarist sang “Amazing Grace,” another good word for the race.

The friendliness, hospitality, and fun of each neighborhood was beyond anything I’ve experienced before. Our race course took us through beautiful areas of Oklahoma City. The neighbors were out, with music and snacks, and shouts of “you can do it!” That continued for the duration of the race. Never underestimate the power of encouragement! The temperature and humidity continued to rise. A lady in one of the yards ran out to me and said: “Do you want sunscreen?” I said “yes” and she covered my arms and legs with much-needed sunscreen protection.

I felt good. I knew not to push it—my 79-year-old body speaks to me when I try to go faster than the planned run-walk intervals. My coach, Chris, had given me wise counsel about following the plan and that it has worked for thousands of runners. As I ran alongside a park , I saw the familiar speed screen that flashes how fast a car is going. It flashed 5, then 7 miles per hour for me!

I was surprised and overjoyed to see my family waiting at one point along the course. They yelled encouragement to me and Laura got a picture and ran with me a little bit.

The heat and humidity were becoming a challenge. A man at an aid station handed me water and run with me long enough to give me advice to continue to seriously hydrate. He had done the race before, he said. How kind of him!

I began to repeat: “Only God knows how this race will end.” I said it to encourage myself because I think of God as my “Race Director.” I stopped at a water stop at mile 20 and shared that thought with one of the volunteers as I took in the drinks and energy gel they had to offer.

A few feet on and I was stopped by a policeman.

“You have bad news for me, don’t you?”

“You haven’t made the time requirement for 20 miles.”

He pointed to a waiting van—which was full—so I was not alone in this experience. I learned later that a red flag warning had been issued and they were encouraging people to consider stopping due to the heat.

I felt it was a smart move on the part of the race officials to think first of safety, not just crossing the finish line. I know I recovered a lot faster than I would have if I had pushed myself to finish 26.2 miles. My wise training not only taught me how to run, but when to stop.

So, that’s my story. I met Laura at the park where the finish line party was taking place. She had finished strong! Her half-marathon was the 2 nd fastest time ever. The rest of the family was there too.

Laura asked me later: “Do you want to do the London Marathon this time next year?” There are so many who want to get in that they randomly select the names. She registered us right then and there. The chances are slim, but my Race Director knows what’s next and I trust Him to get me across the finish line!

I love the song I heard at mile 18 when I ran my first marathon at Disney World. Click below and you will hear Michael Bolton sing: “I Can Go the Distance.”

Whatever the “marathon” you may have in your life, may this encourage you to have the faith to see the path to the “finish line!”