Every athlete has one race
to run for someone else.
One Medal® is a program that promotes the gift of encouragement and empowerment for people who are going through what appears to be insurmountable adversity. Every athlete has one race and One Medal® to give for someone. Who are you running for?
August 10,2025
Every step tells a story. Discover the athletes running for something bigger than themselves.
There are those moments in a community when a series of events are just so shocking that it motivates citizens to action. This past October, Albuquerque had those type of events back to back. The road rage killing of four-year-old Lilly Garcia was followed, days...
This One Medal story was submitted by Colorado runner Clint Boston. About eleven years ago, I had a young lady in my American History class tell me her dad was a runner. I asked her if she was interested in running cross country for the school, and maybe her dad...
Submitted by Sydney Ayers I have been struggling to write my One Medal story for a long time; years, in fact. You see, it's not easy to write about someone who has not only had an impact on my running career but also my life. I was entering my senior year of high...
There is nothing quite like hearing about the passing of a friend moments before you board a completely full airplane. So, for the sake of my middle seat responsibilities to hold it together, let me tell you about my friend Linda Kay Jones. In her capacity as Vice...
There are friends you’ve known since high school, others since college and a number through work or jobs. Those are all great friendships don’t get me wrong. But, there is a unique kinship that develops with those whom you run. Your running friends see when you are...
Every industry has its “giants.” People who have given so much for their profession. One of these giants in the public relations industry is a man named Michael L. Herman APR, Fellow PRSA (Public Relations Society of America). The letters after his name are fitting of...
When I was born, I came out as a surprise!! I know right, a surprise?? What I mean by “surprise” is that the doctors told my parents I was going to be a baby boy. “Surprise…” you have a healthy, baby girl! My parents were ready with a name for a baby boy, but...
My name is Gwen Walker, and I'm running the Durango Double Trail and Road Half Marathons the weekend of October 11/12, for my grandma Hilde, who passed away in 2008. Grandma Hilde (Hildegarde Josephine Schmiedebusch- try to say THAT three times, fast!) is my dad's...
Jenn’s One Medal run is for her friend MJ. Here is her story: Monica (MJ) and I met during our first semester at Eastern New Mexico University in the Fall of 1998. We pledged the same woman's fraternity, Zeta Tau Alpha, and became instant friends. As things will...
How do you put everything you know about Ernie Andrus into a box? You don’t. He is 91 years old, retired from the Navy and started his journey a week after his wife was laid to rest. Ernie’s journey is to run from the coast of the Pacific Ocean to the coast of...
“You want to know how many miles it takes to get from point A to point B? Ask a runner.” Those are just some of the great words of wisdom by my friend Kent. A former runner and a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals (we can’t all be perfect), Kent is the senior pastor of a...
The 2013 Albuquerque Half Marathon included a run with a little extra step in these 50 years of life. It was a “One Medal” race for my honoree “Mr. Jack.” My connection to him is through his life partner, also my aunt, Paula. A father of twin sons and a...
An Albuquerque native, Amanda has been running for the past two years. She has about as many running routes as musical tastes, ranging from techno to rap to country and classic rock. On April 19th, Amanda will run and tackle The Albuquerque Half Marathon, her...
By Coren Anderson I have run for many different reasons and have run in honor of cancer survivors. For Rachael, a young cancer survivor who I met when someone put the crazy idea in my head that at the age of 37 it would be fun to learn to run. For my dear friend...
by Christine Ford I started running in early 2011 for myself. My life had become pretty stagnant after an unconscionable series of events took place with a bad neighbor where we were living in Peralta. My husband and I were pretty much forced to move just to keep our...
When my oldest son was in first grade, he introduced to me, through his stories, a girl in his class named Julia. I had the opportunity to see her briefly at an Open House early in the school year. Fiery red hair and a gorgeous smile, Julia lit up the room. It was...
My connections with the Gerding family stretch back to Texas Christian University. Going to school with Mike, and connected as local Young Life club leaders, he would share stores about growing up and fishing in New Mexico. When he heard that my career in...
Terri is from the San Francisco Bay Area. On June 2, 2013, she crossed the finish line of the acclaimed San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon. While she has completed half marathons and other races before, this was the first time she accomplished a full marathon. “The course...
I should have named my black lab, Pacesetter, not Pepper. That’s her pictured up top. She was my training companion for five months as I prepared for The Cutthroat Classic, a trail run in the Washington Cascade Mountains: Eleven miles and 2600 feet of climbing in...
Behind the beard and sunglasses is a determined runner who is fueled by a passion to live. But that wasn't always Terry's One Medal story. While Terry hiked for years with the New Mexico Mountain Club, and more recently with the Albuquerque Hiking and Outdoor Meetup,...
Submitted by Mari Dannenbaum Zufall My first distance run was around 3 miles, about 7 years ago. I was going through a difficult time in my life and much like Forrest Gump, I just felt like running. I was drawn to it, and felt noticeably calmer when I was finished....