Jennifer Smith always said if she was the last person to finish a race, she’d quit. For most of the ones she’s run in her life, she’s always been in the back—though never actually last— but on July 11, she was finally bringing up the rear.
This was her first marathon, something Smith long wanted to tackle, but never expected to do so soon. She had only raced 5Ks at that point, and the farthest she’d ever run before that was eight miles. Yet, before she knew it, the gun had gone off, and she quickly found herself behind everyone else.
At 346 pounds when she weighed in before the race, she didn’t expect to finish with a good time—she just wanted to finish.
Completing a full marathon would be huge for her as she strived to find a path to better health. Smith had struggled with her weight for years, and reached a high of 380 pounds after an accident left her unable to move around.
“I had two surgeries and I couldn’t walk or put my foot down for three months after a roller derby injury in July 2013,” Smith, 33, told Runner’s World. “That’s when I realized I was taking life for granted. I had put on more weight sitting around for three months, so I decided to start walking and do 5Ks.”
When Smith first took up the sport, she struggled. She wanted to go faster, but her body wouldn’t let her. Her first 5K took 90 minutes, but she did it. And each time she lined up for another, her times dropped closer and closer to the hour mark. She was even able to incorporate intermediate running with her walking.
Her biggest milestone came in 2018 when she finally broke the hour mark in the 5K. But what motivated her the most was the impact she had on other people. People would see her in a race, and they didn’t stare or make fun of her. Instead, they were inspired. Smith has gotten other plus-sized runners out the door with her running, and even has gotten family members to join her on runs.
She especially appreciated the way her dad felt about it all.
“My dad was always so supportive of my running,” Smith said. “He always told me that I could do anything I set my mind to, and that if I ran a marathon, he’d try to be there if he could to see it. I promised him I would do it one day.”
Smith was intrigued by the challenge, but finding a marathon would prove difficult. Most marathons have a time requirement—often around seven hours—which Smith would not have been able to meet. She needed a leave-no-man-behind event. Though rare, they are out there, and Smith found one that was happening near her home in the Quad Cities: the fifth day of the Mainly Marathons Heartland Series in Clinton, Iowa.
Planning began a year ahead. Smith didn’t want to just run for herself. She wanted to run for anyone who thought they couldn’t do it—especially those who felt constrained by their weight. So, at 380 pounds at the time, she signed up and immediately reached out to Guinness World Records to see if she would qualify for the heaviest woman to complete a marathon record, which is currently held by Ragen Chastain, who completed the Mainly Marathons at 288 pounds in May 2017.
Once she got approval—from Guinness and her doctors—the countdown to race day began, but it was a tough year leading into it.
This past September, Smith’s father died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Though hard to cope with, Smith used it as motivation to make good on the promise she made to her father.
It was with that in mind that Smith found herself at the starting line at 4 a.m. on July 11 surrounded by a crowd of 80 runners all amped to get started. Smith, on the other hand, was not as confident.
“Training hadn’t gone as planned, as I took on coaching two softball teams this summer, and the longest I was able to run in one go was 8 miles,” Smith said. “All I had on my mind at the start was, ‘I’m crazy. Why am I doing this?’”
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Those thoughts subsided once the race started. The marathon consisted of a 12-lap course where runners picked up a rubber band each time they finished a lap. Smith started in the back, average a 21- to 22-minute mile and was consistent through mile 17. That’s when she slowed down—and started to worry.
“By the time I got to mile 20, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it,” Smith said. “The blisters were hurting and I didn’t know if I was going to keep going. But then I thought of my dad. He showed me I can do anything I put my mind to, so I looked up to the few clouds in the sky and I knew he was watching, so I couldn’t let him down. I couldn’t disappoint him.”
The last six miles are always the toughest, and Smith battled through them like so many runners had done before. When she came around the final bend on lap 12, and saw the finish line, she took off on a slow jog to the finish.
“At the end of the race, they have a bell you have to ring,” Smith said. “I was so tired, I couldn’t do it at first. When I did, I was ecstatic. I wasn’t in pain. I was just so excited. So many people I know doubted me, and here I am. I did it.”
Smith’s final time was 11:50:36. With her increase in physical activity during her training, Smith dropped almost 40 pounds, weighing in at 346. When she crossed the line, not only did she complete her first marathon, but she also unofficially became the heaviest woman ever to finish 26.2.
Though the record is not official until it is verified by Guinness, Smith gathered all of the required evidence—videos, witness statements, start and end weights, and race director’s contact info—and is preparing to send it in for verification.
This isn’t the end of running for Smith, who wants to keep inspiring anyone of any size to keep racing. During the marathon, she learned that a 50K is only five more miles than a marathon. It was a joke at first, but about a week out, her and a co-worker are looking at completing one in 2020.
“I don’t know what I just signed myself up for,” Smith said. “But doing all of this makes me want to be a role model and be a face out there that encourages people to get moving. People tell me they can’t do a 5K. They say it’s too much. I started at an hour and a half going three miles. If I can do it, so can you.”
Drew covers a variety of subjects for Runner’s World and Bicycling, and he specializes in writing and editing human interest pieces while also covering health, wellness, gear, and fitness for the brand. His work has previously been published in Men’s Health.
