Choosing Myself Again — Training for my First Ultramarathon as a Mom

My name is Kara Marino and I am a PNW native, lover of the outdoors, mom of two,
and first-time ultra runner in the making. I have a 4-year-old daughter, Hallie, and my
son, Dane, is almost 2. With young children at home, our days are filled with adventure,
fun, messes, tears, laughs, and chaos. No two days are the same, but the one thing that
is always a constant is bedtime stories every night. It’s a cherished routine after our long
busy days, and over time I have realized that my kids aren’t the only ones benefitting
from the messages that their books are sharing. They see the fun pictures and hear the
words, but after I tuck them into bed I realize that the deeper meaning still sits with me.

Clydeo Takes a Bite Out of Life by Jennifer Aniston is one of my daughter’s favorites. In
the story, Clydeo feels like everyone in his family has their ‘thing’. They all have different
passions and hobbies that spark joy, and Clydeo worries he may never find his. The
story is about Clydeo’s journey towards discovering what makes him light up, and in the
end, he is overjoyed when he finally finds his ‘thing’.

I love what this book teaches my children about resilience, not giving up, and pursuing your passions. After reading this story many, many times, I realized that while I was encouraging my kids to follow this message and pursue what they love, I had given up on following that advice myself.

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The First 50k Sisterhood is a cohort of 15 women running their first ultramarathon at Wild Woman Trail Runs in June 2026. They’ll share their stories through training, racing, fueling and beyond, all while fundraising $15,000+ for future outdoor sports scholarships for girls and women.

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Where It All Began

Running has always been my ‘thing’. I grew up playing soccer, and in high school and I
developed a love for running. I ran my first half marathon when I was 17, and after
crossing the finish line I was hooked. I loved the feeling of empowerment knowing I had
done something that months prior I didn’t think was possible. I had put in the work,
trained hard, and accomplished a big goal just for myself. I had never been the star
soccer athlete, nor the fastest runner, but finishing that first half marathon showed me
that in running everyone is welcome and the only requirement is being brave enough to
show up and try. More than anything, the mental benefits of running far outweigh the
physical ones.

In my twenties I went on to compete in a few more half marathons and I ran my first full
marathon in 2015. It was another big goal I initially did not think was possible, and as I
crossed the finish line two thoughts ran through my head, “Wow I’m so glad that’s over”
and “I can’t wait for the next one.” A few years later I completed the Bend Marathon- a
course that has trail sections sprinkled along the way, and running those trails sparked
something in me. I was having so much fun soaking in the views, cruising along the river, skipping over rocks and weaving in between the trees. It showed me a more adventurous side of running and ignited my desire to try out more trail running. Just as that spark was ignited, life shifted in the best way, and my next greatest adventure would be starting our family.

My Greatest Adventure Yet

My daughter was born in 2021. It’s hard to truly put into words how becoming a mother
changed me, but the best way to put it is that when my daughter was born, so was I. We
were both starting a new journey together- her as a newborn baby, and me as a first
time mom. That first year of her life brought the greatest joy, pure exhaustion, the
highest highs, and some tough lows. I experienced postpartum anxiety, and I knew that
I needed to start taking care of myself again.

Running has always been a mental outlet for me, but I had no idea how to return to running postpartum. I was living in an entirely new body. I was dealing with pelvic floor issues, still breastfeeding, and had the worst mom guilt–something I know many moms can relate to. Slowly but surely, I started running again. It wasn’t easy, but over time the joy of running came back, and I realized that desire to explore trail running was still there. I wanted a goal to work towards so I signed up for my first trail half marathon- the Haulin Aspen, a trail race that takes place near Bend, Oregon.

Lessons from the Trail

This trail race shifted everything and taught me a LOT of lessons. I had a really difficult
time balancing training with motherhood. For me, motherhood has been a constant
balancing act between taking care of my children, myself, quality time with my husband,
friendships, family relationships, house chores, life, and work, and I was putting myself
at the bottom of that list. I had a hard time navigating this while training for the Haulin
Aspen race and as a result I didn’t train properly. And it definitely showed. While it
wasn’t my best race day, I still crossed the finish line feeling proud that I showed up for
myself, and now I had an even greater desire to learn from my mistakes and redeem
myself. This silver lining is that this race further deepened my connection to trail
running. I’ve loved the outdoors my entire life- growing up camping, backpacking, and
seeking adventure and trail running feels like the perfect intersection of it all.

Choosing Myself Again

A few short months after the Haulin’ Aspen race, we found out we were expecting our
second baby- a sweet baby boy who was born in July of 2024. Growing our family has
filled our lives with so much joy and adventure, but with all of the highs came some of
the same difficult lows I experienced postpartum after having our daughter. As I worked
my way through that season and slowly began to feel like myself again, that familiar pull
to start running had returned. But this time felt different, and I didn’t want to fall back into
putting myself last. Those quiet lessons from bedtime stories had stuck with me, a
gentle reminder to pursue what lights me up. And for me, that means lacing up my
running shoes and getting back on the trails.

It has always helped me to have a race on the calendar that holds me accountable and
gives me something to work towards. I searched for upcoming trail races and that’s
when I found the Wild Woman trail race: an all women’s trail race weekend complete
with camping, yoga, community and more. I don’t think I could have dreamt up a more
perfect environment to surround myself in. I knew I had to sign up, but I wasn’t quite
sure which distance I wanted to run yet.

50k Sisterhood

That’s when I read about The Cairn Project’s 50k Sisterhood and that they were
supporting 15 women on their journey towards completing their first ultramarathon at the
Wild Woman trail race. Something about it immediately pulled me in, and it felt like I
found this opportunity exactly when I was meant to. As quickly as the excitement came,
so did the doubt. “There’s no way I can run an ultramarathon. How would I have time to
train? I’m not fast enough.” The list goes on and on. Even with those doubts, I knew
deep down that this was an opportunity for me to reclaim a part of me that I had quietly
set aside in the midst of motherhood. With a strong nudge from my husband, who has
always been my biggest supporter, I applied.

Since then, this journey has already become so much more than just training for a race.
The connection, support, and encouragement I have received so far through the 50k
sisterhood has played a huge role in building my confidence. I feel so grateful for the
sponsors and coaches who are supporting us. I have already learned so much about
proper fueling, training, mindset and more. All of those doubts I once had are slowly
fading and they’re being replaced with a growing belief in myself

Balancing Miles and Mom Life

Slowly but surely, I am learning how to fit training into my everyday life as a mom. Some
days it’s stroller runs, treadmill runs during nap/quiet time, other days it’s a full family
effort with my husband towing the kids in the bike trailer while I run alongside. Then
there are the early mornings and long solo Saturday morning trail runs- time that is
entirely mine again. Of course training hasn’t been perfect. There’s been sickness,
missed naps, and busy days that get away from me, but I’m continuing to show up for
myself when I can. One thing that has helped during this busy training schedule is
putting my training plan on our family calendar. Each week my husband and I map out
what’s upcoming and I plan exactly when I’m going to run, which has made our weeks
feel far more organized and manageable.

From Mom Guilt to Finish Line Joy

In February I lined up for the Silver Falls Half Marathon, my first trail half since running
the Haulin Aspen, and this time was different. I committed to myself and my training
plan. Some days that meant leaving a pile of laundry that needed to be folded, dishes in
the sink, or one of many chores that needed to be done. I gave myself permission to
push aside the mom guilt and trust that taking care of myself was just as important as
taking care of everything else.

Wow, what a difference that made.

I felt so strong during that race and I genuinely had so much fun out there. But the best part of it all was running to the finish line seeing my family and both of my kiddos holding signs, jumping up and down with smiles on their faces. Tears filled my eyes and I knew at that moment I was on the right path.

I’m not the same runner I was before motherhood, and I’m learning that I don’t need to
be. But by showing up for myself and chasing goals that excite me, I hope that my kids
know they can always chase what makes them light up, in their own time and their own
way-just like Clydeo!

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The First 50k Sisterhood is a cohort of 15 women running their first ultramarathon at Wild Woman Trail Runs in June 2026. They’ll share their stories through training, racing, fueling and beyond, all while fundraising $15,000+ for future outdoor sports scholarships for girls and women.

We’re honored to have support from:

• Microcosm Coaching’s training plan and ongoing coaching
• LOWA’s high quality footwear
• Kelly Fuson’s mindset and performance coaching
• Tailwind Nutrition fuel to power the miles
• Run Slick anti-chafe to run longer without pain
• Pen and Paces custom bibs to celebrate race day