# 139: A Joyful First Marathon: Running Chicago w/ Sierra Wehrenberg

An episode of [My First Marathon](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1740805607), 24 Aug 2026, 46 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/audioboom.com/posts/8944435.mp3?modified=1787515779&sid=5128391&source=rss

Sierra grew up in a running family and found her own love for the sport through a middle school team in Georgia. She ran through high school and rediscovered it years later during a hard stretch in college, but just as she was building back toward a half marathon, her body threw her a curveball. A case of long COVID sent her heart rate soaring to 175 just from walking, and running immediately had to take a back seat. It took her two years to feel like herself again, and by no means was that comeback easy. When she finally toed the line in Chicago, she went in with a mindset rooted in joy rather than performance, and it shaped everything about how her race day unfolded. Follow along with Sierra: @sierra.von Follow along with the show: 👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays 🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod 📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast 🌐 Website & extras: myfirstmarathon.co & myfirstmarathon.co/resources Book a free 1:1 Coaching Call with me! - https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=37408473&appointmentType=85354440 Join the First Marathoner Community! - https://www.skool.com/myfirstmarathon/about

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