Going the Distance: Virginia G. ’26 Completes Her First Half-Marathon

It was a formidable winter here on the hilltop, but throughout the freezing temperatures, snow, and ice, it was not uncommon to see Virginia G. ’26 out for a run. That’s because the Sixth Form student was preparing for something truly special: a half-marathon in New York City.

Virginia comes from a family of runners, but she’d never tried running herself until she came to Canterbury. “When I first joined cross country, I thought it would be easy because running felt familiar,” she explains. “But I realized quickly that it’s not easy at all—it’s a very tough sport and I fell in love with it.”

She first began thinking about running a half-marathon last year, but her commitment to the Swim team left her without time to properly train. This year, she knew she wanted to do everything she could to make it work.

After a successful cross country season, she spoke with Rob Morris, Director of Athletics and Co-Curriculars, to obtain special permission to use the winter sports season to train for a half-marathon in February. Her cross country coach, Tracy Garcia LaVigne P ’14, ’16, ’17, ’20, ’23, and Misi Babington, Director of Athletic Training, worked with Virginia to create a plan, and she was (literally) off to the races.

When race day arrived, Virginia was expecting a large crowd, but soon found that there weren’t too many people willing to run on a frigid day in New York. She observed that she was the only person her age in the competition.

“It was a very small race,” she explains. “All the half-marathon runners went in the first wave—about ten people total. When I crossed the finish line, I felt really happy, especially because people I love were there—my parents and my boyfriend were cheering for me.”

Virginia finished her race, 13.1 miles, in under 2 hours. The experience has inspired her to keep going. She’s already planning another half-marathon this summer, this time with her father. But in some ways, she says, the race is secondary to the journey a runner takes to get there.

“They say that with long races, the race itself is just the final step—you’ve already run it in your training,” Virginia observes. “Every time I go out, it’s just me—my body, my mind, my spirit—and it started here at Canterbury. I’m so proud that I was able to do this, especially as a senior.”

Canterbury is proud of you, too, Virginia!