Ep182: Holly Visser on benchmark races, running as therapy + this year's Gazelle Girl races in Grand Rapids

“If there ever was a time or an opportunity where I get to speak to the truth of what Gazelle Girl is, or who it is for, and how we’ve really chosen to set this one up as a way of a life, not just necessarily as a one-and-done race … in the perils of life and the celebrations of life, I can say as the race director that I have done that.”

Holly Visser, a Grand Rapids, Mich. marathoner, yogi, mom, and race co-director of the Gazelle Girl Half Marathon, 10K & 5K, shares an honest account of how her life changed in significant ways recently and how training for last fall’s New York City Marathon led to a renewed relationship with her running and commitment to health and wellness. 

“It was one of those things—it was so bittersweet,” Holly says. “Crossing that finish line … that will be one of my benchmark races in my life. It was more than just 26.2 miles—it was. I stayed true to the training and it’s what got me through. And I am healthier for it, I am more level-headed for it. I am stronger for it. I can stand on my own two feet and I can say that I did that. And anybody can do that.”

This year’s Gazelle Girl races are set for Sunday, April 19 in Grand Rapids. Now in its 8th year, the event is an annual tradition for women across Michigan (and beyond). Mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, granddaughters—women of all ages and in all different stages of life and running take part in this race weekend, which kicks off Friday, April 17. MRG will again be at the expo and the races—we can’t wait to see everyone!

Holly and her fellow race organizers have quite a weekend planned for everyone. She shares all the details of this year’s event, which kicks off with special Friday evening events like fitness classes, happy hour gathering, and a City Lights Walking Tour.

Race organizers are calling it the Weekend Experience—”a whole new way to experience Gazelle Girl weekend!” Fitness classes, walking tours, tastings and more will show you some of the best of what Grand Rapids has to offer. Plus, there’s a special Finisher’s Finale! See the full rundown for all the awesome details. Learn more about this year’s event at gazellegirlhalfmarathon.com

This year’s charity partners: Gazelle Sports Foundation, Girls on the Run, YWCA West Central Michigan, and Sole Sisters.