Allison Juda woke to the sound of her ringing alarm. Rolling over, she reached for her phone, the bright screen illuminated with the date: Sunday, October 1, 2023. The Twin Cities Marathon race day. 

A text notification popped up from one of Allison’s Girls on the Run co-coaches, Karen Fanning: “I’m so sorry the race was canceled, but you still did an incredible thing training for this, and we’re all out for you.” 

Allison froze. 

Canceled? 

Canceled. The Minneapolis-St. Paul forecast had predicted record-breaking heat with highs of 91 degrees Fahrenheit and heavy humidity, creating a brutal running environment. The night before, Twin Cities in Motion race officials had sent out an email confirming that the race would go on as planned but warning any participant with health conditions against toeing the start line. Still, the forecast conditions worsened overnight, and Twin Cities in Motion opted to cancel the race completely for the safety of the participants and medical responders. 

Reality began to sink in for Allison, who like the other 20,000 would-be participants, had been fully prepared to run the 26.2-mile race. She’d suffered through relentless heat and humidity during the months of summer training. She’d spent time, money and energy preparing her mind and body. She’d even set out her running gear and pre-race meal the night before just to make sure that everything went well on race morning. 

Canceled. 

Allison, who had already completed five marathons, knew one thing for certain: she needed to go for a run anyway – if not for a medal, then to help make sense of all of the emotions swirling around in her head. She donned her race kit and prepared to head out as texts from her co-coaches and friends continued to flood in. 

As she began her run, two things became clear. 

1. Twin Cities in Motion had been right to cancel the race – it was sweltering. 

2. She was going to run the Twin Cities Marathon in 2024, and she would do it as a Girls on the Run Solemate – a runner raising funds for the program.

“Before I even got the official news, I had support coming in,” Allison said. “That morning, I decided I was going to do the 2024 Twin Cities Marathon, and I was going to do it for Girls on the Run.”

The support and encouragement Allison had received in the early hours of the day from her Girls on the Run community had been overwhelming, and it pushed her to remember why she liked to run in the first place. While out for her run, she practiced the methods she’d learned while coaching Girls on the Run to help process her emotions and practice gratitude. At the first practice after the canceled race, many of the girls on her team came up to console and congratulate her in spite of the setback.

“A bunch of [the girls] came up to me and immediately showed me that empathy,” she said. “It was kind of that ‘aha!’ moment of like, this is the reason I run… this is the community that helps me get by.” 

Stepping into the Solemate role both excited and scared Allison, but she was determined to give back to the program that had provided so much support and love for her in a time of need. To her surprise, fundraising went much more smoothly than she had imagined, and donations and encouragement began to pour in from the people in her life. 

“I was a little bit intimidated to come into a position where I was asking others to give on my behalf,” Allison said. “But when I expressed how important it was to me and also to the kiddos across Minnesota that get to participate… it felt like people immediately knew how special it was.” 

Allison was more than willing to cover any additional funds for the Solemate if she had not been able to raise enough, but to her surprise, she ended up surpassing and raising her fundraising goal – twice. Her first goal had been $750, which she then raised to $1,000, then $2,000. In the end, she raised just over $2,100 for Girls on the Run. A significant portion of the funds came from people with ties to Girls on the Run, including family members who had participated and coaching friends from previous seasons. 

“I had just some amazing, incredible support from people across my life,” she said. “I really appreciate it.”

When it came to training, the Girls on the Run program continued to sustain her as she often reminded herself that she was working towards a bigger goal than just getting through the run, trying to look past the discomfort towards the program she was supporting. 

“I dedicated each of my long runs to one of my seasons of coaching,” she said. “I wrote in Sharpie on my arm a highlight of that season… connecting with a broader community or seeing growth, seeing friendships developing… I did try to situate those lessons when I was having to dig deep for those long training runs.” 

The Girls on the Run curriculum proved beneficial for her as well, and she often utilized techniques she’d learned in practice to help get through challenging training runs.

“When I first started coaching and came across the lessons, I realized that a lot of the things we teach are something that intrinsically you know… but [don’t] always remember to put into practice in my daily life,” she said. “Having to teach it totally puts it in your mind like ‘Oh, that’s right, this is something that I should also be doing.” 

On October 6, 2024, Allison completed the Twin Cities Marathon as a Girls on the Run Solemate for the first time, raising thousands of dollars for the program she loves so dearly. 

“I was so grateful for everyone who donated to my Solemate campaign, but also [for] just all of the kids I’ve coached over the years, all the families that I’ve gotten to meet through coaching over the years,” she said. “[It’s been] such an integral part of my personal journey as a runner, and I am just so grateful for Girls on the Run and being a Solemate.” 

You can learn more about becoming a SoleMate for a running event, another athletic event or any life milestone right here.