How Hanna Grant embraced the marathon challenge
Hanna Grant didn’t know what to expect when she stepped to the starting line at the Boston Marathon.
But she wanted to give it a shot nevertheless.
Grant never thought she would be a runner until her junior year when Lake Leelanau St. Mary country coach Nick Papes convinced her.
She started running and was surprisingly decent at it. Grant eventually went on to run at Aquinas for four years after graduation. Grant eventually ran her first marathon in Grand Rapids (2023) and qualified for the Boston Marathon.
“I thought I might as well run it.
Who knows, who knows if I’ll ever be able to do it again,” Grant said.
“I had no idea what to expect, to be honest, which was both good and bad,” she said.
Like any marathon runner, her training was up and down, with minor injuries and battling the northern Michigan winter.
The race was on a Monday, and Grant arrived that Saturday. She said the nervousness the day before was prevalent. By race day, that had subsided, and along with the sprint to get everything ready for the race, Grant didn’t have time to think.
“It turned into excitement as I approached; it’s unlike any race I’ve ever run,” Grant said.
Grant was on pace until halfway through the race when she felt dehydrated and began feeling the effects.
Throughout most of the race, Grant felt surreal and overwhelmed by the number of people present.
“I would like to try and hit some other big marathons like New York. I would have to run faster than my qualifying time … I could see myself being the 80-year-old woman, hopefully doing the Boston Marathon again at some point,” Grant said.
Grant, a 2018 Lake Leelanau St. Mary graduate, is now a kindergarten teacher. She uses running as an outlet for her busy days.
“You can’t ever truly control what’s going to happen in the classroom. I go on runs and let everything go … I have come to enjoy the marathon distance. It’s definitely a challenge,” Grant said.
Only 1% of the world’s population has run a marathon.
Grant definitely wishes she had performed better, but she powered through nevertheless.
Grant focused on moving one mile at a time until she made the final turn and crossed the finish line.
On the way back, they went and saw Niagara Falls.
