Unstoppable and Unafraid
“I need my carbs,” said Sylvia Reyes de Treviño, 52, from Monterrey, Mexico, as she glanced over the menu at Sarabeth’s on Central Park South on Friday morning. “Preparing for a marathon; it’s a ritual,” she said.
She has developed her marathons rituals for the last 15 years and on Sunday morning the ritual work as she ran a personal best of four hours and two minutes. “It’s the crown’s jewels! The cherry on top! If a runner does not run New York, then they’re not marathoner,” she said.
Crossing the Central Park finish line, she checked the New York City marathon off her bucket list. Before Sunday’s race, she ran Chicago in 2014, Berlin in 2015, Toronto in 2016, and Boston in April this year. She’s planning on running Paris on April 2018.
Two weeks ago it seemed like she might not have made it. Reyes de Treviño was sick with typhoid fever and had a thigh muscle contracture. However, “I have never stopped in a marathon, I’m like Forrest Gump! I just keep on running!” she said.
Reyes de Treviño started running in 2002. “I got sick of gyms and aerobics,” she said, so she joined a group of runner friends. Reyes de Treviño initially refused to run on Saturdays and Sundays. “Back then, they were holy. No training, no running. Just my husband, kids, and I.”
In 2013, her husband, Francisco, also started running. When he signed up for a 10-kilometer race – on a Sunday – Reyes de Treviño couldn’t take it. “I was shocked! A Sunday! For me that was a crime. Besides, I was the runner in the family, so if he ran races, then so would I.”
They both first ran only 10-kilometer races, then increased the distance on October 2013, when they signed up for a 21k in San Antonio, Texas. Since then, they’ve both participated in marathons together, except for this time. “I’ve been training all year,” said Reyes de Treviño, thinking back to this year’s Boston marathon and how she has not stopped training since.
Although it does not always go smoothly, from packing the wrong equipment, knee injuries, blisters and nail damage, to hitting “the runner’s wall, “positivity is key,” she said. A runner friend suggested Reyes de Treviño practice “structured spirituality” when running. “In each mile, I give thanks for something and pray for something.” She’s approached marathons as a spiritual experience, “always thanking God for being healthy and present.” So far it’s always worked for her. Nice
Sunday, with temperatures in the high fifties, the weather was on Reyes Treviño’s side although the route was “tough and steep.” She’s used to running in hot, dry temperatures, so the cold breeze was a plus. At the end, she did not know where she got energy from, “I just wanted to cross the finish line, those last 4 kilometers were horrible.” Good!
However, she’s ready for Paris 2018, “but I’ll think about it in January, it’s now time to rest.” Tonight, she’ll enjoy another marathon post-race ritual: a well-deserved glass of good wine.
