A MESSAGE FROM Cowgirl Meets Concrete Jungle: My 26.2-Mile Ride for Team for Kids
Hi y’all — I’m Kristina, a Dallas-born runner, theatre-maker, and proud member of Team for Kids training for the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon! I’m lacing up with a big goal: to raise $3,500 to help empower youth and communities to build healthy habits through the joy of running.
Running changed my life — it taught me discipline, confidence, and connection. I learned how to build a schedule that made space for both training runs and tech rehearsals, how to show up for 5 a.m. miles and 10 p.m. cues, and how to stay grounded through the chaos of chasing big dreams.
I never wanted the question,
“Will she put in the work?”
to even be on the table. So I built a rhythm — balancing rehearsals, early runs, and recovery — to prove to myself that consistency is the work.
Every mile became another rehearsal in discipline. Every finish line, another curtain call for grit.
Stories like that of Jordan Lutz, who ran a race and performed in a two-show day, remind me that our field is built on resilience — from actors to stage managers to technicians who push through exhaustion because the show must go on.
That same spirit lives in my training.
It’s the same energy I’m bringing to the 2026 NYC Marathon: showing up, even when it’s hard, because it matters.
Through Team for Kids, those same lessons reach thousands of children who might not otherwise have access to running programs, coaching, or wellness education.
👉 Together, we’re helping kids build strong bodies, resilient minds, and hopeful hearts — showing them that they, too, can create their own rhythm of perseverance and pride.
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