Running constantly for over four hours is not something many would fathom participating in, but for high school receptionist Pam Guidry, it is a sweet escape in which she takes an immense pleasure in being a part of.

On Jan. 20, Guidry ran the annual Chevron Houston Marathon, which totaled a distance of 26.20 miles. She put in loads of commitment, strength, determination, and courage which lead her to completing the marathon in just four hours, 15 minutes and 16 seconds.

“I trained for 20 weeks for this marathon,” Guidry said. “I put in anywhere from 30-40 miles per week and also cross-trained. A lot goes into getting ready to run a full marathon. You have to eat right, drink water, get lots of rest and train hard!”

Guidry’s husband and two friends also joined her in this tiring journey. The last full marathon she was active in occurred 11 years ago, so this is her second to be a part of. She has run over 20 half marathons (13.10 miles) and has also run several 5K’s and 10K’s. Her favorite distance to run is the half marathon.

“I enjoyed the entire run but my favorite part was the finish because my time of 4:14:16 qualified me to run in the Boston Marathon in 2020,” Guidry said. “My goal was to run in a 4:15:00 so I beat my goal!” 

The Chevron Houston Marathon is one of the biggest races in the USA with over 30,000 runners from all over. They collect thousands of dollars for different charities and organizations. The marathon start and finish is located in downtown Houston near the George R. Brown Convention center.

“The “Elite Professional” runners win lots of money in these big races,” Guidry said. “The regular runners receive an awesome finisher’s medal, a crystal mug and a beautiful t-shirt!”