Running marathons around the world

Alex woman has completed 19 marathons, including runs in Tokyo, Berlin and London 

By Julie Parent

Jeanne Barlage of Alexandria has run 19 marathons worldwide in the last 15 years. She plans to complete her 20th marathon this April when she runs the Boston Marathon for the fifth time.

Despite working as a nurse in various settings and being a mother of three, Jeanne didn’t really think about her own health for approximately 20 years. In fact, she was a smoker who didn’t exercise. Ironically, when she decided to start riding a bike, she got hit by a car and fractured her shoulder.

After watching her adult daughter run the Twin Cities Marathon, Jeanne thought, “I could do that,” too. Since her extended family medical history included heart attacks and debilitating strokes, she hoped running would help her live well and longer. She also thought it would be a good way to spend more time with her only daughter.

Jeanne began her journey by running to a light pole. Then, she walked to the next one. Without a coach, she figured out how to start training seriously for a marathon. When she was 50 years old, Jeanne ran the Twin Cities Marathon for the first time. Since she finished running 26.2 miles in three hours and 52 minutes, she qualified to run the 2013 Boston Marathon.

Jeanne completed the Boston Marathon in three hours and 58 minutes. Shortly afterward, she was walking to a bus to get her personal items, when she heard and felt two sonic booms and saw debris flying. People in police uniforms were running toward the area. She assumed it was a marathon celebration. However, her friend had a feeling something was wrong. Jeanne and her husband Mark found each other at their designated meeting place. All the subways had been shut down, so they walked about three miles to get to their hotel. That was when they started hearing people talk about the bombs that had been detonated near the end of the marathon route.

After completing her second marathon, Jeanne was hooked. She started looking for marathons in interesting places so she and her husband could spend time sightseeing after each race.

There are six marathons in the Abbott World Marathon Majors. They are held in New York, Chicago, Boston, London, Berlin, and Tokyo. Since she already had three of those marathons under her belt, she thought it would be cool to run the other three. By the time Jeanne was standing in the starting line at the Tokyo marathon, she had completed five of the six major marathons, which a lot of people do not get the opportunity to do.

Everyone who is running their sixth major marathon is given a special bib to wear on their back indicating their status. As they run the course at their own pace, the people who see the bib pat them on the back and cheer them on to victory. When the heavy Six Star Medal she attained was placed around her neck, a man she didn’t know offered to take a video for her to capture the memory.

Jeanne has had all six names of the major marathons tattooed on her arm. In addition to running the Twin Cities Marathon twice, the Boston Marathon four times, and the Tokyo Marathon, Jeanne has run Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth two times as well as the marathons in: Chicago, New York, London, Berlin, Brookings, Fargo, Detroit, and Des Moines. She has also run the Marine Corps Marathon. During the COVID-19 pandemic she did a virtual marathon, which means she ran on her own and recorded her time on the marathon’s website. Although she doesn’t go annually because of the traveling expenses, she has qualified for the Boston Marathon every year since she started running.

For Jeanne, each marathon has been unique and at times, an emotional experience. For example, the Detroit Marathon route takes runners across the Ambassador Bridge into Canada. At any point during the race, she could have been stopped. If she didn’t have her passport on her, she would not have been allowed to continue running. Runners re-enter America through the underground Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

Since she spent most of her career working at a Veterans Affairs Clinic, she chose to run the Marine Corps Marathon which takes place in Washington, DC and Arlington, Virginia.

She got her slowest time of four hours and 24 minutes in Tokyo because it was hot, and she stopped to help someone who had collapsed from the heat. One of the things she had to do to qualify for that marathon was write an essay.

She crossed the finish line for the New York Marathon in Central Park.

Her best time of three hours and 46 minutes was at Grandma’s Marathon. She feels Grandma’s Marathon is the easiest to run, because there are fewer entrants. She has been in some marathons with more than 40,000 people.

Her favorite marathon was in London, because it was the first time she and her husband had traveled internationally. She got into that marathon by raising funds for the children’s wheelchair charity Whizz Kidz.

Jeanne’s least favorite was the Berlin Marathon because of the lack of crowd control.

Jeanne runs races that aren’t marathons, too. One year, she ran three shorter races over a three-day period in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. This year, she plans to do the TC Loony Challenge which includes running a 10K, a 5K, and a 10-mile race in two days.

For each marathon, Jeanne trains for approximately four months. She has run two marathons in one year, but she prefers just to do one. She doesn’t like to run on her treadmill, which she calls the, “Dreadmill.” Although Minnesota weather makes it hard to train year-round, she prefers to run outside in the fresh air four to five days a week. The hardest part about training is just getting herself out the door, but she knows she will feel better if she moves. When the temperatures are below zero degrees Fahrenheit, she usually doesn’t run outside because of all the layers of clothing she has to wear -- although Jeanne has opted to run during a snowstorm. Strength training is also part of her 18-week plan. Foodwise, Jeanne can basically eat anything she wants, but she tries to stick to a balanced or high protein diet. The week before a race, she purposely loads up on carbohydrates. It is important for marathon runners to watch what they eat before a race to prevent gastrointestinal problems during the race.

Jeanne tries to do her sport as simply as possible. She does invest in support shorts, good running shoes, and portable energy gel packs to eat periodically throughout the race. Other than that, “I just run,” she said.

Jeanne does run with other people, but when she is alone, she has a lot of time to think. She likes to spend that time listening to murder podcasts or music, coming up with solutions to problems, and praying. Running clears her brain. She feels like she has become a better person since she started running because her temperament is better, she feels stronger, and she has more stamina.

After all the time and energy put into training, Jeanne’s goals are to safely finish marathons in four hours and listen to her body. She has been bothered by plantar fasciitis, minor back pain, and blisters. However, the worst thing that has ever happened was when she fell while running and knocked her two front teeth out.

Jeanne is extremely appreciative of Mark’s support. She does not take for granted that he has gotten up early to bike with her while she runs before going to work and he cooks for her. She is aware that many people do not have someone like him to help them.

In the future, Jeanne plans to switch to running half marathons, because she wants to have more time to spend with her beloved six grandchildren.