{"id":42855,"date":"2026-03-11T00:01:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T04:01:05","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-08-04T15:40:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T19:40:02","slug":"super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Super Mario: The Running Coach Who Bolstered Her Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"

I strode onto the Staten Island side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that November morning. I was at the starting line of the New York City Marathon, the largest and most prestigious one in the world. Runners were everywhere, stretching, jogging in place, tightening shoelaces. They looked so confident, as if they knew exactly what they were doing.<\/p>\n

I sure didn\u2019t feel that way. And I was about to run this race!<\/p>\n

I was 49 years old, a longtime couch potato who\u2019d only taken up running<\/a> three years before. My six-foot frame was 80 pounds lighter than when I\u2019d started but nowhere close to the skinny, muscled bodies surrounding me. A few weeks earlier, I\u2019d fallen on a training run and twisted my ankle.<\/p>\n

For most of my life, exercise meant walking from the couch to the fridge. I blogged about sports, and I\u2019d always yearned to be athletic. But God makes some people athletes, and I wasn\u2019t one of them. I was what they call a back-of-the-packer\u2014always at the back of the pack in any race. I was no marathoner.<\/p>\n

So why was I here? The reason was Mario, my coach. Picture Joe Pesci\u2019s character in My Cousin Vinny, <\/em>only as a great runner. Mario was a top runner in the Staten Island Athletic Club, an area running club I\u2019d joined in a bid to lose weight. For some reason, he\u2019d taken me under his wing and trained me for this marathon. He did the same for a few other runners in our club, but I thought he was crazy to work with me more than anyone else.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have what it takes,\u201d he told me.<\/p>\n

What did that mean? Standing here at the start of the race, I wished I knew.<\/p>\n

Mario and I had met during the 2014 Staten Island Memorial Day 4 Mile Run. For once, he was in the back of the pack\u2014he was recovering from an injury. To my amazement, he congratulated me for my tenacity after the race.<\/p>\n

A few months later, Mario invited a group of us from the club out to dinner to talk about our running goals for the year. I had no idea why he included me. After all, I was just a couch potato trying to lose some weight. But I agreed to go. I was flattered. And there was something I hadn\u2019t told Mario. Or anyone else for that matter.<\/p>\n

I actually did want to be a real runner. I hated being a back-of-the-packer. I wanted to go to races and talk about my \u201cpersonal best\u201d time without being pitied. I hardly dared to say it, but I even wanted to run a marathon. All my life, I\u2019d been embarrassed by my physical shortcomings. If I could run a marathon, I would no longer have to feel ashamed.<\/p>\n

Of course, that was totally out of my league\u2014something Mario didn\u2019t seem to grasp. At the dinner, I mumbled something about a half marathon coming up in the spring and Mario pounced.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s an excellent goal,\u201d he said. \u201cWhy don\u2019t you come out tomorrow morning to run with the club? We\u2019re doing nine miles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nine miles! \u201cI\u2019ve never run more than seven,\u201d I protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem,\u201d Mario said. \u201cSee you tomorrow morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

I barely did six miles, huffing and puffing all the way. What a disaster!<\/p>\n

When I got home, I was surprised to see an e-mail from Mario with the subject line, Your half marathon training program. <\/em>Inside was a detailed plan.<\/p>\n

What? <\/em>I hadn\u2019t even finished the run that morning. I thought he\u2019d leave me alone after that. But, no, Mario convinced me to join the club\u2019s weekly track workouts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you helping me?\u201d I asked Mario after one of them. \u201cI love helping runners,\u201d he said. \u201cPlus, I can tell you have the right mind-set. That\u2019s what counts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, if someone like Mario thought I could do it, I might as well try. Soon I was training nearly every day, following his plan. Light cycling on Monday. Running with the club on Tuesday. Progressively longer runs on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Mario convinced me to join the club\u2019s weekly track workouts. He challenged me to stop taking walk breaks. I broke the six-mile mark on the long runs and worked my way up past 10.<\/p>\n

No one was more surprised than me when, three months later, I finished the half marathon in 3 hours, 11 minutes.<\/p>\n

At our club\u2019s annual award dinner, Mario presented me with the Most Improved Female Runner award. It was just a little award. To me, it felt like a gold medal.<\/p>\n

And that made me think of real medals. The kind you get when you finish the New York City Marathon. I had applied for a scholarship on a whim. When I heard I\u2019d won free entry to the race, Mario was the first person I told.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think I could ever run a marathon<\/a>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course!\u201d Mario said. \u201cExpect my training plan in your in-box.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll start by training for the Brooklyn Half Marathon in May, then focus on your speed and endurance,\u201d Mario said when we sat down to go over his 18-week training plan. \u201cWe also need to get you cross training, so your body is prepared for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at the schedule, my heart sinking. I would be running more than 40 miles per week and a half marathon or more every Sunday.<\/p>\n

The marathon was in the fall, which meant I had to do most of my training at the peak of summer. As the runs got longer, the weather got warmer. New York weather. Sticky, humid, hot.<\/p>\n

Mario was an attentive coach. He emailed devotions. Lectured me about eating healthily and drinking enough water. Called out my negative attitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I can do this!\u201d I shouted at him over the phone after a particularly grueling run.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine with you yelling at me,\u201d he said, a grin in his voice. \u201cYou can yell at me all the way to the finish line!\u201d<\/p>\n

How could I argue with that?<\/p>\n

In mid-October, I had a 23-miler to run. Mario happened to be getting married that weekend, which meant we would miss our post-run check-in. I tried to tell myself it was no big deal.<\/p>\n

I was nearing 13 miles when I tripped. Bam! <\/em>I face-planted into concrete. My glasses snapped. My nose felt broken. My ankle twisted. Blood poured from my mouth. I\u2019d chipped a tooth.<\/p>\n

I hauled myself into a sitting position and began to cry. My ankle was probably sprained. I felt dizzy. Dehydrated.<\/p>\n

And demoralized. Why did I ever think I could do something like this? Mario was wrong about me. I was a back-of-the-packer and always would be.<\/p>\n

I got checked out at a hospital\u2014my ankle was strained, not sprained, amazingly\u2014and had my dentist fix my tooth. I took a week off from running, then tried a short run.<\/p>\n

The ankle felt okay, but I assumed when Mario got back from his honeymoon he\u2019d tell me the race was off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry about your fall,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you\u2019re still going to run the race<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou tested your ankle, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you can run on it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes….\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood. Then you\u2019re running,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t care how long it takes you to finish. You\u2019re going to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

So now I was at the marathon\u2019s starting line, about to do it. Or fail trying.<\/p>\n

I stared at the Manhattan skyline in the distance\u2014I had to run all that way, through Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. I thought about the quote Mario had e-mailed me the previous night: \u201cWhere does the strength come from to finish the race? The strength comes from within. Jesus said, \u2018The Kingdom of God is within you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The quote was from Eric Liddell, the runner and Christian missionary whose story was told in the movie Chariots of Fire. <\/em>\u201cWhen it comes down to it, it\u2019s just you and the Lord, baby,\u201d Mario wrote. \u201cI have every confidence you will cross that finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did I have that kind of confidence?<\/p>\n

The cannon sounded and we were off, more than 50,000 of us. I got goose bumps. Tears clouded my vision. I tried to remember Mario\u2019s plan: Conserve energy for the first miles, then dig deep to make it through to the end.<\/p>\n

People lined the streets of Brooklyn for the first 12 miles. Friends of mine had stationed themselves at different points along the route, shouting out their encouragement.<\/p>\n

I kept waiting to trip. Or hit \u201cthe wall.\u201d Or for my ankle to flare up. But when I ran over the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan and saw the 16-mile mark, all I thought was, Only 10.2 miles to go!<\/em><\/p>\n

Before I knew it, I was turning into Central Park and running through a storm of cheering. \u201cWelcome to the finish line!\u201d an announcer\u2019s voice boomed out.<\/p>\n

Someone draped a medal around my neck. I shuffled through an area for race finishers.<\/p>\n

Finishers!<\/em><\/p>\n

I had done it. Sure, it took me 6 hours, 16 minutes and 9 seconds\u2014almost three times as long as the fastest woman\u2014but I had done it!<\/p>\n

And suddenly I realized what Mario had been trying to tell me all along. I\u2019d always been a real runner. Not because of some amazing athletic talent or even Mario\u2019s amazing coaching.<\/p>\n

The strength to run came from inside me. From that place where God was and always had been. Just me and the Lord, baby.<\/p>\n

For more inspiring stories, subscribe to <\/em>Guideposts<\/strong> <\/a>magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I strode onto the Staten Island side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that November morning. I was at the starting line of the New York City Marathon, the largest and most prestigious one in the world. Runners were everywhere, stretching, jogging in place, tightening shoelaces. They looked so confident, as if they knew exactly what they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42857,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[192,341,136],"tags":[43,15,55,197],"ppma_author":[923],"class_list":["post-42855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-wellness","category-living-longer-living-better","category-positive-living","tag-confidence","tag-faith","tag-inspiration","tag-motivational-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSuper Mario: The Running Coach Who Bolstered Her Faith - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Super Mario: The Running Coach Who Bolstered Her Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I strode onto the Staten Island side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that November morning. I was at the starting line of the New York City Marathon, the largest and most prestigious one in the world. Runners were everywhere, stretching, jogging in place, tightening shoelaces. They looked so confident, as if they knew exactly what they […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Guideposts Articles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-11T04:01:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-04T19:40:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lisa_sawn.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"866\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lisa Swan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/living-longer-living-better\\\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/living-longer-living-better\\\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Neeraj Rai\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be\"},\"headline\":\"Super Mario: The Running Coach Who Bolstered Her Faith\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T04:01:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-04T19:40:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/living-longer-living-better\\\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1639,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/living-longer-living-better\\\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/lisa_sawn.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Confidence\",\"Faith\",\"Inspiration\",\"Motivational Stories\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Health and Wellness\",\"Living Longer, Living Better\",\"Positive Living\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/living-longer-living-better\\\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/living-longer-living-better\\\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\\\/\",\"name\":\"Super Mario: The Running Coach Who Bolstered Her Faith - Guideposts Articles\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/living-longer-living-better\\\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/living-longer-living-better\\\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/lisa_sawn.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T04:01:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-04T19:40:02+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/living-longer-living-better\\\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/living-longer-living-better\\\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/living-longer-living-better\\\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/lisa_sawn.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/lisa_sawn.jpg\",\"width\":1540,\"height\":866,\"caption\":\"Todd Plitt\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/living-longer-living-better\\\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Positive Living\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Health and Wellness\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Living Longer, Living Better\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/living-longer-living-better\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Super Mario: The Running Coach Who Bolstered Her Faith\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"description\":\"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"caption\":\"Guideposts Articles\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be\",\"name\":\"Neeraj Rai\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g0c0183ebd910e29ad96a4a5994cce5d4\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Neeraj Rai\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/author\\\/neeraj\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Super Mario: The Running Coach Who Bolstered Her Faith - Guideposts Articles","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Super Mario: The Running Coach Who Bolstered Her Faith","og_description":"I strode onto the Staten Island side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that November morning. I was at the starting line of the New York City Marathon, the largest and most prestigious one in the world. Runners were everywhere, stretching, jogging in place, tightening shoelaces. They looked so confident, as if they knew exactly what they […]","og_url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/","og_site_name":"Guideposts Articles","article_published_time":"2026-03-11T04:01:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-04T19:40:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1540,"height":866,"url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lisa_sawn.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lisa Swan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/"},"author":{"name":"Neeraj Rai","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be"},"headline":"Super Mario: The Running Coach Who Bolstered Her Faith","datePublished":"2026-03-11T04:01:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-04T19:40:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/"},"wordCount":1639,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lisa_sawn.jpg","keywords":["Confidence","Faith","Inspiration","Motivational Stories"],"articleSection":["Health and Wellness","Living Longer, Living Better","Positive Living"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/","url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/","name":"Super Mario: The Running Coach Who Bolstered Her Faith - Guideposts Articles","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lisa_sawn.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-11T04:01:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-04T19:40:02+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lisa_sawn.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/lisa_sawn.jpg","width":1540,"height":866,"caption":"Todd Plitt"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/super-mario-the-running-coach-who-bolstered-her-faith\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Positive Living","item":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Health and Wellness","item":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Living Longer, Living Better","item":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/living-longer-living-better\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Super Mario: The Running Coach Who Bolstered Her Faith"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","name":"Guideposts Articles","description":"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization","name":"Guideposts Articles","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","caption":"Guideposts Articles"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be","name":"Neeraj Rai","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g0c0183ebd910e29ad96a4a5994cce5d4","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","caption":"Neeraj Rai"},"url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/author\/neeraj\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":923,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"lisa-swan","display_name":"Lisa Swan","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42855"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42855\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42858,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42855\/revisions\/42858"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42855"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=42855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}