Good Sports: Atwater native runs New York City Marathon to honor brother

ATWATER, Calif. (KFSN) -- Growing up in Atwater, Jessica Vera has always loved running.

"At the time, I was only running track, so I was doing sprints," she said.

Throughout her time at Atwater High, Vera ran in the 100 and 200-meter sprints.

That was until she made a change after graduating from Fresno State.

"I didn't get into long distance running until about last year, actually," she said.

After watching her friend Alycia complete a half marathon, Vera signed up for her first race.

"I went into the half marathon with absolutely no training, and I completed it," Vera said.

Crossing the finish line, the two got an idea.

"From there, we were like, 'We need to start a run club.'"

Last summer, the Valley Girls Run Club was born.

"It's been really cool to see it grow and the impact that it's had on other people," Alycia Gonzales said.

After a year of running with girls up and down the Valley, Vera set her sights on of the world's most famous races.

"I just thought the New York City Marathon would be the perfect marathon," she said.

With a less than 5% acceptance rate, Vera's name didn't make it through the lottery process.

"That's when I decided to apply with a charity, which is the James Blake Foundation," she said.

Started by former professional tennis star James Blake, the foundation works to fund early detection treatments for cancer.

It's a mission personal to Vera.

"I was trying to figure out how to navigate grief, and I think running really helped me with that," she said.

In 2018, Vera's older brother victor was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.

He passed away just months later, only a day after his 34th birthday.

"I guess it was just nice to run those long miles, be alone and think about things, think about him," Vera said.

With her application to the marathon accepted through the foundation, Vera would have to run without her friend by her side.

"I was running the Two Cities and she was in New York, so it felt weird to not be together that day," Gonzales said.

Motivated by the 55,000 runners surrounding her, a new world record for competitors, Vera pushed through the city's five boroughs.

"Being able to remember why I was running, it was just easier to get through times where there was a lot of discomfort," Vera said.

26.2 miles later, Vera had run the race of her life.

"It was kind of more of a celebration of resilience," she said. "Getting to run in honor of my brother was just something that was incredible. Being able to raise money for other people, that's what was really getting me through."

With her marathon medal in hand, Vera hopes to bring her brother's memory to every race.

"I think he would be really proud of me," she said.

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