Emily Venters’ Chicago Marathon: A Story of Grit and Unwavering Determination
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Meta Description: Discover the unbelievable story of Emily Venters’ challenging debut at the 2025 Chicago Marathon,a testament to perseverance in the face of adversity.
Two days before tackling the Bank of America chicago Marathon, Emily Venters admitted to feeling nervous. The 26-year-old, a former University of Utah track and field star and Salt Lake City resident, had good reason to be. Having recently clocked a blazing 14:58.77 in the 5,000 meters indoors – the 76th-fastest time globally in 2025 – Venters possessed undeniable speed.However, the leap to 26.2 miles presented a different kind of challenge.
Venters entered the race with a strong recent record, including a fifth-place finish at the U.S. half Marathon championships in March (1 hour, 8 minutes, and 48 seconds, 98th-best globally) and an eighth-place showing at the U.S. 10-mile Championships in April (52 mi
She added, “As I know the person who finishes on their absolute worst days is the one who becomes the strongest.”
Venters officially finished the marathon in 3 hours, 26 minutes, and 32 seconds, placing her 2,479th among women and 11,098th overall. While a respectable time for many, it was a significant deviation from expectations for the multiple-time NCAA first-team All-American. She had started strong, initially maintaining a pace of 5:27 per mile, with a 16-minute, 54-second split for 5,000 meters.
Things began to unravel after the halfway mark, reached in 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 46 seconds – a time that initially suggested a potential sub-2:30 marathon debut. “I stopped at medical at 15 (miles) for 20 minutes because I felt super dizzy and lightheaded,” Venters explained to media afterward. Medical personnel discovered low sodium levels and administered gatorade.
the Power of Perseverance
Historically, many professional runners in similar situations would have withdrawn from the race. Facing such significant obstacles, it’s often deemed wiser to conserve energy for future competitions. But Venters refused to concede. “I begged to keep going,” she stated.
Though, the challenges continued to mount. After a 43-minute split over the next 5,000 meters, Venters found herself navigating a crowded field of runners. Unlike elite athletes who benefit from dedicated corrals and personal aid stations, she discovered her fluids and gels were gone when she reached her designated spot. “I had no fluids or gels,” she recounted.
Undeterred, Venters pressed on, covering the remaining 15,000 meters with remarkable resilience.At one point, she resorted to grabbing a Coke “because I needed something bad.” Despite the setbacks, she maintained a pace no slower than 6:12 per mile. Yet, misfortune continued to plague her. Biofreeze sprayed by a fellow runner entered her eye, and less than two miles from the finish, she experienced heart palpitations and severe cramping.
Despite it all, Venters refused to quit, even managing to dip back down to a pace of 5:57 at mile 23 and 5:50 at mile 25. “I was going to do anything to finish,” she said.
A Forgettable Time,A Memorable Lesson
Finishing in just over 3 hours and 20 minutes,Venters completed her first marathon not with a top-10 finish,but among the general field of runners – the heart and soul of any marathon.While her official time was 3:26:32,her moving time,discounting the time spent at the medical tent,was actually 2:31:35.
On Tuesday, after processing the experience, Venters shared her thoughts on Instagram: “Here’s to the new racer in me who decides that no matter what, you never fu* quit.” Her Chicago Marathon debut may have been forgettable in terms of results, but it was undeniably memorable as a testament to her unwavering spirit and determination.
