FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Tens of thousands of people are headed to “The Big Apple” this weekend for the New York City Marathon.
Among them will be a Central Valley woman who hopes to be an inspiration to others.
The lights are on at the Clovis East track, but it’s not Friday night, and the stands aren’t packed with fans.
Instead, it’s just a few friends in the early morning darkness chasing their dreams.
“I have been training really hard. It’s six days a week. I’m out here running speed workouts. I’m at the track running early in the morning,” Francine Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez found running as something that rescued her from a bad breakup in her 20s.
“It just healed me and then I kept running into my 30s, my 40s, and here I am in my 50s still running,” Rodriguez said.
She ran through three pregnancies and ran as she raised three boys.
“It’s my passion. I love it. It’s just part of my lifestyle. It’s just what I do,” Rodriguez said.
Now, she’s running to conquer the seven Abbot World Marathon Majors.
That includes Tokyo, Boston, Sydney, Berlin, London, Chicago and New York.
Last year, she qualified for the Boston Marathon and will run it in the spring.
Her race time allowed her to enter the lottery for the New York City Marathon, and she was chosen to take part.
“It’s the first time I applied. I was super excited. I literally was crying when I read the email that I got in,” Rodriguez said.
This Sunday, she’ll be among tens of thousands of runners making their way through the five boroughs and across the finish line.
The shirt she’ll be wearing on race day is a special tribute to her late Physical Therapist, Paul Strambi.
“He got me ready for every race — um… I’m going to get emotional talking about it,” Rodriguez said as she fought back tears.
Strambi passed away last year, but his larger-than-life personality lives on.
“He would always say, you know, ‘More reps are more fun. More weights are more fun.’ And then we started saying, ‘More miles are more fun.’ So this is my way of honoring him,” Rodriguez said. “I know he’ll be watching me from up above and looking down on me.”
As she heads to The Big Apple for the first time ever, Francine says she’s not putting pressure on herself to beat a certain time.
She just wants to represent Latina women and women who are still running in their 50s.
“I want to take pictures. I want to record. I just want to enjoy the whole moment,” Rodriguez said. “I’m just going to do my best and have fun.”
Francine says two of her girlfriends decided to join her for her trip to New York City — so they’re going to try to squeeze in as much sightseeing as possible.
You can follow Francine’s journey on Instagram by clicking here.
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