In her 28 years in the classroom teaching chemistry, Gina Woiak has learned a thing or two about grit. “Teaching can be an endurance sport as well. You got to have a plan,” Woiak said.Woiak, a teacher at Catonsville High School in Maryland, takes those skills outside of the classroom every time she runs a marathon. She started running marathons after a student at one of her past schools died on the athletic field. “It inspired me to think about what things he probably had as goals in his life and was not able to meet those. So, I thought about something I always had wanted to do but maybe have not been confident enough to try, and for some reason, running a marathon came to my head and that’s how it started,” Woiak said. What started with one marathon turned into a goal to run 50 marathons, one in each state. “It’s crazy,” Woiak said. “First of all, I never thought I would visit every state in the country, so that’s been incredible. Every one of them has kind of had a different feeling at the end but it’s always a good feeling.”She ran in the Boston Marathon and placed second overall at a marathon in Maui, but she’s saving the best for last. Woiak will check off her 50th marathon in her 50th state when she crosses the finish line at the Baltimore Marathon.”I literally get chills thinking about it,” Woiak said. “It’s been such a journey. When I cross the finish line, it’s going to be a little bit of relief (to) think that I actually made it, and I think it’s going to be an incredible celebration. We are having a big party, finish line party, and then back-at-the-house party.”Once Woiak completes this 50th marathon, she is setting her sights on the World Marathon Majors. She hopes to run marathons in Boston, Chicago, New York, London, Tokyo and Berlin to complete that goal. She already qualified to run the Boston Marathon again in 2024.
In her 28 years in the classroom teaching chemistry, Gina Woiak has learned a thing or two about grit.
“Teaching can be an endurance sport as well. You got to have a plan,” Woiak said.
Woiak, a teacher at Catonsville High School in Maryland, takes those skills outside of the classroom every time she runs a marathon. She started running marathons after a student at one of her past schools died on the athletic field.
“It inspired me to think about what things he probably had as goals in his life and was not able to meet those. So, I thought about something I always had wanted to do but maybe have not been confident enough to try, and for some reason, running a marathon came to my head and that’s how it started,” Woiak said.
What started with one marathon turned into a goal to run 50 marathons, one in each state.
“It’s crazy,” Woiak said. “First of all, I never thought I would visit every state in the country, so that’s been incredible. Every one of them has kind of had a different feeling at the end but it’s always a good feeling.”
She ran in the Boston Marathon and placed second overall at a marathon in Maui, but she’s saving the best for last. Woiak will check off her 50th marathon in her 50th state when she crosses the finish line at the Baltimore Marathon.
“I literally get chills thinking about it,” Woiak said. “It’s been such a journey. When I cross the finish line, it’s going to be a little bit of relief (to) think that I actually made it, and I think it’s going to be an incredible celebration. We are having a big party, finish line party, and then back-at-the-house party.”
Once Woiak completes this 50th marathon, she is setting her sights on the World Marathon Majors. She hopes to run marathons in Boston, Chicago, New York, London, Tokyo and Berlin to complete that goal. She already qualified to run the Boston Marathon again in 2024.
