SELF: Of all the people I’ve spoken to, you are still among the most alert and energetic, so I’m so impressed.

Graves: Yeah, I don’t know how I actually work yet (laughter). This is my fifth marathon. I have number six on December 1st in Seattle, then number seven is Eugene in April and number eight is San Francisco.

I did my fourth two weeks ago, and it was difficult. I spent a lot of time alone on the course, and this was probably the first time I really had to push myself because I lost the support of the course around mile 17.

What made you start running or taking up marathons?

Graves: My wife. Someone told her they didn’t think she could do a half marathon, and that inspired her to go for it, and I said, “Yeah, I’m going to do a half marathon.” with you. »And then we finished and I saw it was half price for the next year, so I did it again. Our first marathon was in 2022. And she was so excited to do this one this year.

What do you find rewarding about marathon running in general, as a physical or emotional achievement, or both?

Graves: Both. This shows me that I’m not giving up. It’s really hard to do some of these races, and when I’m at mile 20 and I just want to stop and say, “No, I’m done,” I show myself what I can do. And in the end, it’s definitely worth it. Once you’re done, you feel such a sense of accomplishment, a rush of endorphins. It’s incredible.