A mile — or many — in her shoes: Marathon another hurdle for Fort Smith runner

Meredith Rice ran the 2021 Berlin Marathon, which was the first Abbott World Marathon Major open to non-elite runners since the start of the pandemic. Rice had also run the 2019 New York Marathon — the last one open up until that point.

(Courtesy photo)
Meredith Rice ran the 2021 Berlin Marathon, which was the first Abbott World Marathon Major open to non-elite runners since the start of the pandemic. Rice had also run the 2019 New York Marathon — the last one open up until that point. (Courtesy photo)

Not that long ago, Fort Smith resident Meredith Rice didn't even like running, let alone want to do it. But next Monday, she will run the Boston Marathon.

It's an intimidating race and not just because it's 26.2 miles long. It's the world's oldest annual marathon, which took place for the first time in 1897.

When they think of the Boston Marathon, many people know only that it's a hard one to get into. That's because runners have to qualify for it by proving their pace -- how fast they can get through a marathon -- in another race.

The elements of speed and time are exactly what makes it Rice's big challenge.

"The Boston ... is a big deal. Not everybody gets a chance to run it, and there's pressure with that, that's what scares me," Rice says. She will be among the non-elite runners that do the race while raising money for 261 Fearless, a nonprofit that empowers women all over the world to run no matter their life circumstances, age, pace or location. "Fearless doesn't always meant you don't have fears or you're not scared, it means that you're doing things despite those fears, doing it anyway."

261 Fearless was founded by Edith Zuschmann and the iconic Katherine Switzer, who was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon with a bib (race number). At the time that Switzer ran the Boston race for the first time, women were not allowed in. She only managed it by registering with her initials to conceal her gender. Then, during the marathon, Switzer's boyfriend tackled the race director who attempted to keep her from crossing the finish line.

Rice says when she read "Marathon Woman," Switzer's personal story, she was inspired by her ability to overcome those societal obstacles, prove others wrong and open the door for female runners.

"Other people put limits on her, saying she couldn't do it," Rice says. That's a big part of why it's so meaningful for her to run the very same race on the 50th anniversary of women being allowed into the Boston Marathon. "It's really cool to be a part of a team that's spearheaded by one of the women who fought to give us that right. I'm following in her footsteps quite literally."

Zuschmann, CEO of 261 Fearless, says she recognized the power that Katherine Switzer's story held for fellow female runners and wanted to harness it to help even more women. The two were friends who met through running. Over dinners and time spent together, Zuschmann heard many anecdotes of inspiration.

"These women would say 'Wow, 261, this is a number that means magic to me, (it makes me) feel fearless,'" Zuschmann says by Zoom from Klagenfurt, Austria. "At the same time, my passion for running was an experience I tried to share with as many women as possible."

Zuschmann says that so often, her friends and acquaintances did not feel capable. They would point out that she was super fit, whereas they might not be. They were taking the wind out of their own sails.

Since so many people found inspiration in Switzer's story, Zuschmann thought naming an organization after it could be the perfect avenue to establish a network for a safe and secure environment for women to try to run.

"We wanted to help them find self esteem," Zuschmann says. "And it worked out."

Now 261 Fearless has 20 clubs in 12 countries across five continents, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, where some women have only previously run to flee from war, Zuschmann says. 261 provides mentoring and education to develop female running coaches, who then lead a group of women runners. At least once a week they have an in-person group run, but the more important element is whole-hearted support.

"We're creating a non-judgmental, non-competitive community, a safe space to try and run," Zuschmann says. "Many women feel embarrassed. They don't feel comfortable (running) if someone is watching. But (here) they don't need to care what they wear or what they look like."

The culture surrounding the act of running is exactly what was so critical to Rice in the past.

In 2013, she had moved to Houston with her then-boyfriend. She was adjusting to a new job, didn't know anyone in the area aside from him and his parents and was struggling with her weight. When she found a personal trainer who loved running and wanted her to run also, she was reluctant because of her bad experiences with it.

"I hated running in high school," Rice says. It was a necessary part of conditioning for basketball, and when it came to timed runs, sometimes she was the token person who wouldn't finish in time -- meaning the whole team would have to do the whole drill again.

"I was not the most popular person," she says. "I detested running and would almost make myself sick over it. I avoided it at all costs."

Since Rice lived in a small town, the school required any athlete to also run track to have enough team members. Once, she had to run the mile for her school track team on a stormy day. She hadn't trained well -- and she knew that everyone was waiting on her to finish so the boys' team could compete. After finishing either last or next to last, her coach said he'd never force her to do that again, and Rice dropped sports entirely for her senior year.

Fast forward to her adult life and the personal trainer asked her to just try running, then to set both an immediate goal for it and a longer-term goal. At first, all Rice wanted to do was run a 5K without stopping. She didn't have a clue beyond that, so she just said she wanted to run the Disney Half Marathon to placate the trainer.

That first year back to running helped her lose 75 pounds, which was motivated by fitting into her wedding dress, but after the wedding, she stopped running and the weight returned. She realized she wanted to make running a part of her lifestyle and to do that, she changed her outlook and found a supportive community.

"There are definitely days that running and I are not friends ... (but) my mantra is 'Finish lines, not finish times," Rice says. "It speaks to my running journey. I can get faster, but it's not about that for me. It's about my personal journey in those miles."

She ran her first half marathon at Disney in 2018, a particular set of events called a Fairy Tale Challenge, in which Rice ran a 5K one day, a 10K the next and on the final day, the half marathon to complete the runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend.

Suddenly running wasn't just about the weight loss. Now it could be a fun, celebratory event, and she was hooked. Rice started booking as many races as could fit in her schedule and since then has lost count of how many she's completed. She has shoe boxes full of medals from both in-person and virtual events and typically does five or six big events in a year.

Races "are the fun part and the beauty of it," she says. "No one understands you like a fellow runner. No matter the speed, they have the same nerves, we travel the same distance, and the respect is there."

Unlike her experiences with running in high school, Rice found herself in encouraging environments and in competition with herself rather than focused on competition with other people.

After experiencing Run Disney for the first time, Rice immediately started searching for a place to do her first full marathon. She chose the 2019 London Marathon since it was a meaningful place to her. It's where she studied abroad, back when she started getting to know her husband.

Since then she has run half marathons in Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New York and Kansas and hopes to complete one in each state. Of the six major world marathons Rice has run three: London, New York and Berlin. Boston will make her fourth on the way to being a six star finisher.

"I've found out a lot about myself through running," Rice says. "About my strength, my mental fortitude ... It's made me a better, stronger person, showed my perseverance, and it's definitely challenged me physically, mentally and emotionally."

Zuschmann says 261 Fearless helps women of all ages find worthwhile goals and community through running -- but most of all empowerment.

"It's not about racing or distance," Zuschmann says. "You just put one foot in front of another, feel the energy, and it gives you courage and self-esteem and self-belief to overcome other challenges in your life.

"When you start moving your body, your life starts moving as well."

FYI

Join the race

If you’d like to help Meredith Rice contribute to 261 Fearless, visit her donation page at givengain.com under “Meredith Rice Raising Funds for 261 Fearless.” For more information about the organization, visit 261fearless.org. You can also vicariously live Rice’s running journey through her YouTube channel, Rice Rice Runner.

  photo  During the Berlin Marathon, Rice ran in the traditional German dress called the dirndl. She also attempted a Guinness World Record, which she did not accomplish that time, but she hopes to try again at a local half marathon. (Courtesy photo)
 
 
  photo  Rice ran the New York City Marathon in 2019 while dressed in pearls, all black and sunglasses for an Audrey Hepburn “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” vibe. She celebrated crossing the finish line with brunch in Tiffany’s Blue Box Cafe the next day. (Courtesy photo)
 
 
  photo  Rice ran her first full marathon in London in 2019 for the nonprofit Get Kids Going while dressed as the golden snitch from Harry Potter, “in honor of everybody’s favorite (British) boy wizard,” she says. (Courtesy photo)
 
 
  photo  Rice ran her first 10k in Fort Smith at Ben Geren Regional Park during the 2017 FCA River Valley Run. (Courtesy photo)
 

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