Watch a video about the Amish quiltsWhen Bridgett Moriarty crosses the Missoula Marathon finish line on Sunday, she will be certain of two things: She's earned the right to call herself a runner. And she's beaten her cigarette addiction.
It's taken 20 years to break the habit, and more than a few false starts. But with every mile of pavement she's pounded training for the 26.2-mile race, the 38-year-old has grown mentally and physically stronger as she's pulled further and further away from the grip of tobacco.
“I knew I would have to expend a lot of energy and find different healthy rewards if I were to quit for good,” she said. “You can do almost anything as a smoker, but you can't run. And because I smoked, I never thought I could run.”
Prompted by the telltale signs of aging - weight gain, decreased energy and an overall sense of not feeling good - Moriarty decided the time had come to make some major life changes.
The things she loved to do - walk and hike - didn't seem as fun, and she didn't bounce back as readily as she once did from extended outings.
While taking a hard look at her life, Moriarty was faced with an uncompromising truth: No matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, smoking sometimes a pack a day had taken a toll on her breathing and her health.
“I had quit for nearly a year in 2005 and then started again, and smoking after that never felt right,” Moriarty said. “I have a 13-year-old daughter and I felt badly that I had set such a bad example for her.
“I didn't feel good about it, and getting older, I realized I can't recover as quickly as I could have from doing the activities I do enjoy. It's a whole different ballgame in your 30s, and I didn't feel good and I knew I couldn't continue on that way.”
Moriarty's road to Sunday's finish line has been a long haul, one that began while hiking on Thanksgiving Day in 2006.
Talk of the inaugural Missoula Marathon was just gaining momentum in the community, and the concept caught Moriarty's imagination.
She went home to her computer and started doing research on how to train for a marathon - and learned that Run Wild Missoula, the local running club that organizes the event, was offering a training class that started just after the holiday.
“It was so exciting to find out about it, I thought, ‘That's what I need. I need people to help keep me motivated.' ”
After signing up, Moriarty was overwhelmed with insecurity about the decision.
Training and quitting smoking took commitment, but learning how to run and be comfortable doing it was something altogether different.
“I was incredibly self-conscious because when I first started running I couldn't breathe, I couldn't run that far, my face got all red when I ran and I felt stupid,” she said. “There were some moments when I had to tell myself that if I was going to do this thing, I had to let those things go and I had to decide I don't care what I look like or what people might think of me.”
Along the way, as she learned to run, she learned she was more competitive than she ever knew, and that she could stop herself from lighting up.
With a couple of small races under her belt and a whole new group of friends - friends who ran, Moriarty planned to run in Missoula's first marathon last summer, but suffered a hip injury and had to stop running for several months.
When her hip finally did heal, Moriarty began the slow climb back up the fitness ladder to run long distances.
Her last cigarette was in October 2006, and she hasn't looked back.
“I can't even imagine having a cigarette at this point - the thought of it makes me physically ill - or starting all over again like that,” Moriarty said. “I know how I felt before. When I first started running, I was coughing and I was uncomfortable and nothing about it felt natural or right.
“Now I can run and talk at the same time.”
Running has prompted better eating in her house. The result? Moriarty has dropped a pant size and has infinitely more energy because of her improved nutrition and exercise.
Her daughter, Quinn, can attest to the changes.
“She's happier now,” Quinn said. “She eats different kinds of food now and she's making me eat it, too. Like sometimes in the morning, I find half a steak for breakfast that she's ate and that's kind of weird. And Mom tries to get me to eat lots more vegetables than before.”
Quinn said she's inspired by her mom's determination to train for a marathon, but she's particularly proud that she's quit smoking.
“We spend more time together now, the time she usually used to go outside and smoke,” Quinn said.
Come Sunday, anything can happen, Moriarty said.
Her goal before was to finish, but in recent weeks, she's become acutely aware she's gotten faster and faster.
If she finds her stride, she's hoping to cross the finish line in under 3 hours and 45 minutes, the time she needs to qualify for the granddaddy of all distance races: the Boston Marathon.
No matter the outcome, Moriarty said she's found a new habit, one even her daughter approves.
“My daughter has been really supportive, saying, ‘You can do this, Mom. You can run a marathon,' ” Moriarty said. “And I'm stunned about it all, too - the mind-set that I couldn't run because I was a smoker.
“Now I think about I'll never be a fast runner, but I can do this.”
Her successes, she said, are not hers alone.
With Quinn's support, along with that of her family, friends and the cheers from Missoula's running community, the hub of which is Run Wild Missoula and Runner's Edge, Moriarty has found the endurance for her twin goals: to quit smoking and run 26.2 miles.
“They have made it possible,” she said, and the running community in particular welcomes people of all sizes, shapes and running abilities.
“I encourage anyone who is even remotely thinking about starting up running to put their fears aside and dive in,” she said.
Reporter Betsy Cohen can be reached at 523-5253 or at bcohen@missoulian.com.
Marathon set for 6 a.m. Sunday start
The second annual Missoula Marathon and the Missoula Half Marathon get under way at 6 a.m. Sunday, July 13.
The 26.2-mile marathon begins at the Clark Fork Valley Bank in Frenchtown and the 13.1-mile half-marathon begins at Alpine Physical Therapy at 5000 Blue Mountain Road.
Last year, racers finished on the Orange Street Bridge, however, the finish line has been moved to the Higgins Avenue Bridge this year. To accommodate the expected 1,300 runners, there will be a total closure of the bridge, plus the three adjoining blocks surrounding the finish area. This includes Higgins Avenue from Third Street to Main Street, Front Street east to Pattee Street, and Front west to Ryman Street. Runners will be directed to the Caras Park Pavilion along the Clark Fork River, located immediately adjacent the finish line.
Runners must pick up their race packet on Saturday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the Caras Park Pavilion, home of the Missoula Marathon Event Expo. Runners who haven't yet registered may do so on Saturday before 6 p.m.
The Missoula Marathon course will be USA Track & Field certified and, therefore, a Boston Marathon qualifier.
For more information about the marathon, go to www.missoulamarathon.com or www.runwildmissoula.org.
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