NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — At least 55,000 people from 137 different countries completed the New York City Marathon on Nov. 3.
After six years of unsuccessful lottery attempts, one Bentonville teacher finally got to lace up her running shoes.
Margaret Griffing teaches math at Lincoln Junior High School. She was one of 50 teachers selected to run the marathon on Team TCS Teachers.
Griffing said she was waking up at 3 a.m. and running 65 to 70 miles a week in preparation for the big day.
She said her students, who were cheering her on from Arkansas, are proud of the work she has put in.
"I even had one of the cross country girls tell me the other day, she said, 'I want to be like you when I grow up,'" Griffing said.
Balancing being a mom of four with a full-time job can be challenging, but Griffing said doing something this hard is worth it.
"[My students] know that they have to work hard in my class because they see me working hard as a runner but also a teacher," she said.
The NYC Marathon was Griffing's 20th marathon, and it doesn't stop there for her. She said she's already signed up for both the Boston and Chicago Marathon in 2025.
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