“Great part of my life” – Erin McGuire enjoys running marathons

MADISON – Erin McGuire has it plain and simple when she said, “I don’t make excuses in life as I’m tough with no excuses.”

The soon to be (October) 76year old mother to two daughters and with four grandchildren has always been true to form with very little gray areas in life, family or career. She uses that same mentality to be able to have ran a marathon in 50 states across our fair land. With 101 marathons to her credit, five of those in the annual Rocket City Marathon, Mc-Guire has set foot in some interesting spots within the United States with her running shoes and her “no quit” attitude.

“One time at a marathon race in Nashville, Ind., where some of the course was through thick wooded areas, I got lost as I missed the direction signs and took a wrong turn and soon I didn’t know where I was,” said McGuire, of her first race after the COVID era. “The official cutoff of the race was eight hours and I kept hunting for my way back to the course, which I finally did. Upon arriving at the finish line, I saw they had taken down the official clock and finish line reception. My time was somewhere around the eight and half-hour mark. After some lengthy discussions with race officials, I did receive my medal for finishing the race.”

The former guidance counselor in the same high school she attended while living in Panama City, Fla. and retired after 30 years of service to the local schools, McGuire and her husband, Herb, who taught college for 38 years, decided to pack their bags and moved to a ponderosa of 150 acres in Fayetteville, Tenn. and then to a smaller homestead of 50 acres in nearby Pulaski, Tenn., before McGuire settled in Madison, after the death of Herb four years ago after 48 years of marriage.

The loss of her precious mate was devastating. She thought she would die without her mate, as she was suddenly alone, lost, not knowing what to do, though both of her daughters, Julie Randolph, 54, and Jane Reneau, 45, both live in the area of Madison. Her husband was more than just a family man. He was the kindest, most loving man she has known. He was her companion on most of her trips across America so she could participate in the sport of her choice, which began just after her second daughter was born.

“I felt I had gained too much weight so I went to Herb and told him I couldn’t carry this weight any longer,” said Mc-Guire, of the beginning in her quest to lose weight and to run. “I went outside and ran past the first two mail boxes in our neighborhood. I walked the rest of the way. After several more tries, I told Herb I couldn’t run as I couldn’t breathe, even at age 30. Herb chuckled at me. That’s all I need as an inspiration to begin running.”

Her first race at age 30 was a 5K (3-miles) thanks to a friend who suggested she try the race. “I didn’t even know what a 5K was,” said McGuire, with a laugh of her memory of the event. “It was fun and I was happy I did it.”

Since that faithful day and huge turn of events in her life, McGuire and her husband drove the roads of America hitting the 26.2-mile events in every state including Alaska and Hawaii. She clearly remembers her first marathon at Walt Disney World where she suffered severe blisters on her feet, but somehow completed the course for her first cross of a marathon finish line. She added, “The next day we walked among Epcot Center and I told Herb I needed to do another one and I soon decided to compete in a marathon once a year for the first three years. A group I ran with decided we should do a marathon in all states. After six races, they dropped out, but my personality is such I keep up with details and never give up. I never traveled in my life, so we used marathons to travel the country and I’m so glad we did.”

Her personal best of 4-hours, 37-minutes, 50-seconds came in her second attempt at a marathon at the Blue Angel Marathon in Pensacola, Fla. Today, some of her efforts take several more hours to complete, but all along the way she loves the fact she gets to meet some of the nicest people she has had the chance to come across.

McGuire grew up from a family where her parents divorced leaving her to growing up living with her grandparents. Her family was poor and she did not participate in sports, so the move to running was another way she has used her no excuses attitude to live her life.

“I try and eat right as I’ve never been sick and I’ve been injury free,” said McGuire. “I eat a banana every morning and an apple each evening, and for the last 45 years, drink apple cider daily. I try and only eat things that are good for me.”

A room in her Madison home is filled with 30 years of running memorabilia, including medallions and ribbons she has earned from all the races she has had a chance to participate in and help make what one day will be a part of her legacy. She’s also a keeper of her efforts with race and result details. Through her training and races since 1990, McGuire has accumulated a total of 58,372 miles, which is equal to twice around the earth at the equator.

McGuire still trains when she can and will usually take walk breaks when needed. Her next scheduled competitive race is this Saturday, Sept. 26 in Fayetteville in the town’s 5K race. A distance where it all began, just after passing the first two mailboxes on her way across the country, offering no excuses all along the way.