Thank you for supporting my fundraising efforts.

I am running the New York City Marathon to honor my parents.

I’m taking on this challenge as a way to honor the legacy my father never got to fully live out, and the hero my mother never should have had to become. I am absolutely thrilled to have this opportunity to honor them by doing something bigger than myself.

My parents are two of the most creative, compassionate, community driven people I have ever met, and I feel like I got the best blend of the incredible humans they are. 

It has been 25 years since my father passed away suddenly, leaving behind questions that will never be answered, and leaving my mom a 40-year-old widowed mother of four teenagers. I turned 40 myself in January, and there are still plenty of days I do not feel like much of an adult. That perspective has made this milestone year even more meaningful to me.

This year is special for so many reasons, especially because there was a time when I truly did not think I would make it to 40.

Through my 20s and early 30s, I gained a tremendous amount of weight and reached nearly 500 pounds at my heaviest. I spent the better part of a decade working myself into the ground, often putting in 70 to 100 hours a week, while battling food addiction and masking it with alcohol. I struggled for years to lose the weight and regain control of my life, but I also faced many setbacks and injury after injury, including two major right hip dislocations on April 20, 2019, and January 7, 2023.

On December 29, 2022, I finally broke down and admitted I needed help again, because I truly did not believe I would see 40 otherwise. On impulse, I applied for gastric sleeve surgery in Tijuana. I chose Tijuana because the last time I tried to pursue the surgery through insurance, they told me they would rather I just died. In Tijuana, it was something I could afford to pay for myself. It was a bet I was willing to make on my own life.... I had followed a friend's journey from a facility there, which helped give me the confidence to take that leap.

I was accepted to have surgery on February 23, 2023, and that became the tool that changed everything for me. For years, I would lose weight, get hurt, and gain it all back. This surgery helped me get over the hump. More importantly, it helped me retrain my brain around food and continue building a stronger mindset around fitness, health, and functionality.

My father died at 58, and I set out on a mission to outlive him.
I had two primary goals with surgery... And this time it was through the mindset of "Just be better than before... Not Perfect." 
* Use it to help me outlive my father, and
* Be in better shape at 40 than I was at 18.

I believe I have done that. I have crushed all of my goals with getting my life back on track.. Including finally being able to define my business as the Creative Adventure Agency that I am building it to be. 

Then, in July 2024, something unexpected happened. One night, I felt called to run, and in that moment I felt that "Runner's High" including a connection to my dad that I had not felt in years. Since then, I have fallen in love with running, with the freedom it gives me, and with the incredible feeling of pushing my body toward challenges I never thought possible.

Over the last 3+ years, I have fought hard to find myself and become the most capable version of myself yet. I have lost over 200 pounds. I have lost thousands of dollars on a failed business adventure. But in the process, I found so much more: my purpose, my strength, and a way to honor my father in the most profound full-circle way possible.

* My dad was born and raised in New York and dedicated his life to serving his community and its youth, including running the community center in our hometown at the time of his death.
* He was also a teacher as well as a track and cross country coach in New Mexico before he ever met my mother.
* I was never a runner growing up, but I still remember him teaching breathing techniques to my brother and friends who were.
* Now, 25 years after his passing, this is the most connected I have felt to him.
* After spending years near 500 pounds and honestly not believing I would live to see 40, the chance to run a marathon feels almost unbelievable.
* I never dreamed of running a marathon as a kid, but I have always loved a challenge, and this is one of the most iconic challenges in the world.

In 2025, I had the honor of cheering on my friend Jay Ensor during his marathon journey in Tokyo, Boston, and New York City. In 2026, I will have the honor of running New York City alongside him.

That alone would mean the world to me.

But getting to run this race while raising money in honor of my parents, my journey, and a purpose greater than myself makes it even more meaningful.

Thank you for believing in me, supporting this journey, and helping me turn pain into purpose through my passion to help other people.

If you would like to support additionally or continue to follow along with my journey, please visit my website for updates. I also have a shirt sale going to help my fundraising efforts with $10/ shirt being donated. Thank you again so very much.  
https://goldiebearnetworking.com/