Brynn Colwell ‘19 had been playing club soccer for seven years, and tennis for her first two years at LT, when she decided to completely devote herself to a new goal: running the Chicago Marathon. Whereas most high school students were resistant to running the mile in gym class, Colwell gave up aspects of her social life to run three to eight miles a day.

“In the moment I would be sad about missing social events, but I realized it did not matter in the bigger picture,” Colwell said.

Colwell found a mentor and running partner in her father, Mike Colwell. Last year he ran his 20th marathon alongside Brynn who at the time was running her first.

“She was not attending football games on Friday nights to get to bed early so she could get up early on Saturday morning to go on long runs with me,” he said.

Along with the support of her father, the rest of Brynn’s family has also been very supportive. On weekends, Brynn’s brother and mother, Braeden and Kim, adjusted their plans to allow Brynn and her father to go to bed earlier.

“ [Brynn ran the Chicago marathon] because she enjoys setting very high goals for herself and she has always been exposed to it because of her dad,” Kim said.

In 2017 the hot and sunny weather at the marathon proved difficult to race in, but this year they were glad to see weather forecasts of rain and low 60s.

“My one concern was that she would go out way too fast and lose pace or end up going slower,” Kim said.

Brynn began training for this years marathon in early June, whereas previously in 2017 she began her regimen in mid-July. In addition to her delayed start, she was sidelined in September for two weeks with a stress fracture in her foot. The race was only four weeks away and she was not able to train as frequently due to her injury.

“My goal for this race is to beat my time from last year: of five hours and 18 minutes,” Brynn said before the race. “ I have trained a lot harder and it will be great to see my family and friends at the finish and have that feeling of accomplishment.”

At the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 7, Brynn finished in four hours and 50 minutes, 28 minutes faster than her previous time.

“I liked being able to run with her and really it is just making memories,” her dad said.

For Brynn, another marathon is not on the horizon for next few years as she shifts her priorities towards her college years, but running will always be a part of her life.

“The fact that she decided to do this not once, but twice still amazes me and I always thought she would do a marathon but never at this age,” Kim said. “I have complete faith that whatever she decides to do in the future she can make it happen.”