ORA Physical Therapist, Keeley Knobloch, wraps up her lessons learned on her Chicago Marathon journey she completed on Sunday, October 13, 2024. A lifelong runner and alumna of the St. Ambrose Cross Country Team and PT graduate, Keeley joined thousands of avid runners, from teens to seniors, who ran the race. In her last segment, Keeley shares her grief of losing her marathon supporter and fan, her Uncle Seamus Ahern, just before the race.
Segment 4: The Marathon is the Metaphor for Life - Expect the Unexpected
I have a lot to reflect on in my post marathon blog.
Just before I was set to run the Chicago Marathon, my family endured an unthinkable tragedy with the passing of my Uncle Seamus Ahern, Bettendorf, IA. He was my running mentor, cheerleader and very best friend. He biked next to me on so many training runs to make sure I was safe in the early hours of training these past 10 months.
To say I was heart-broken would be an understatement. We started this Chicago journey together and I was bound and determined to race on that day to honor him. I had to go back to the drawing board a bit and refigure what “success” would look like on that day. As much as I would love to achieve a time goal, success was having the courage to step on that line and finish the job.
My friends and family rallied around me, and I’ve felt more love the past few days than ever. My uncle Bob had spent the day with me at the event expo and packet pickup. My brother and his wife drove me into the city and made sure I had a good meal the night before. My best friend stayed with me in the hotel and walked me to the start line. My aunt screamed and cheered at every checkpoint. My sisters were there to give me the biggest hug ever at the finish.
I’ve always used mantras and this day was about telling myself: duty, honor, purpose. Uncle Seamus was a United States Marine and this is how I would run this race. Perhaps the greatest lesson in this journey is that the marathon is the perfect metaphor for life: You can do all the “right things” (fueling, sleep, training regimine, strength programming, etc.)
But, just because you think you deserve a good race doesn’t mean one will be handed to you. More often than not, you are going to be put in a place you’ve never gone and you have to problem-solve your way out of it. As expected, the race did get hard at mile 19. My calves cramped and slowed me down to where I was just praying I didn’t have to walk. I was able to find something in the final 2 miles to power home and walk away with a Boston qualifying time.
Running has broken my heart more times than I can count, and yet it’s the thing that I keep coming back to with joy. I don’t know what the next day or weeks will look like for my family, yet I know I can count on the fact that I will lace up my shoes and keep showing up. All we can do is put one foot in front of the other. Running is medicine. Running is life altering.
Thank you for sticking with me to follow this journey. I’ll see you in Boston 2026. – Keeley
Keeley with her Uncle Seamus
Race Expo and Packet Pick-up
Feeling the love on race day!
Whether you enjoy jogging around the Quad Cities or aspire to compete in marathons like Keeley, the Running Program at ORA Physical Therapy has been designed to help runners manage injuries and prevent future ones. Our program breaks down appropriate techniques, improves a runner’s skill set, and provides education on injury and sport.
If you have a new or chronic running injury or simply looking to reach a higher level of running potential, schedule an appointment with a running specialist today at 309-767-0866 or visit qcora.com/physical-therapy.