Ready to Run: Julia Beckley Takes Aim at the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon

Julia Beckley of Broomfield, CO, has been training for the TCS New York City Marathon since the summer of 2020. After the in-person race was canceled, she signed up to run virtually, and we reported on her training journey last August.

Julia had several surgeries in 2020 for osteonecrosis (a condition resulting in the death of bone cells) caused by the high doses of steroids required to manage several medical conditions. Despite months of training, she was unable to do a marathon last year due to this and other health issues.

This year Julia, a six-time ultramarathon competitor, is planning to take on 26.2 miles on the streets of New York. It will be her second in-person marathon—the first was in Arizona in January 2020—and her first in NYC.

Julia trains with Achilles International in Denver and with her workout partner Bennie, who is targeting New York in person in 2022. As part of our celebration of Disability Pride Month in July, we caught up with Julia as she ramps up her training while taking a careful approach this summer, as some of her health conditions can flare up in the heat.

A Year of Challenges

I could have viewed everything that happened in the past year as a setback, but it wasn’t really. Despite the health issues and surgeries, I did my first ultramarathon on September 11, when I paced a friend in a 24-hour race. We did 45 miles, then the following day I did another 17. That gave me a lot of confidence.

I also realized that our health always comes first. COVID really makes you realize that. On October 31 my training partner Bennie and I were both exposed; I never tested positive, but he did. Ultimately that contributed to our decision not to do the virtual marathon.

Throughout this past year I found my hope in running—I focused on what I could do, not what I couldn’t do. Last year we didn’t do a marathon but we had an incredible summer of training. I learned too that challenges always come up and that with my team’s support I can work through them.

As far as training, I’ve faced significant medical issues this year and as I recover from them it’s not always ideal for me to do Achilles workouts, especially in the summer. I break out in hives and start to swell up in the heat. I’ll have tune-up races but probably not until the fall when it’s cooler.

I’m also working on my chair situation—currently I don’t have a usable racing chair because it was damaged during a flight. The airlines are really good overall, but a person with a disability carries the burden of all the red tape. Everyone has their wheelchair damage story.

Onward to New York

I’ve chosen to run New York this year because I don’t know how racing will look for me in the future and I want to take advantage of opportunities I have right now. Also, with the big races I get to be in the same race as some of the best racers in the world, like Tatyana McFadden and Susannah Scaroni.

A big challenge for me in any race is having all my IV medications—it’s complicated and there’s always a lot that could happen. The logistics of New York add to the challenge. I’m super grateful to all the people who help me every time I race. My Achilles partners Amelia Dickerson and Dan Donakoff will be helping me in New York. I have an incredible family in sport. They help and support me with everything—training, knowledge, the camaraderie of being part of a team.

In New York, I’m really excited that I’m going to be with my great-uncle, who lives there. I learned to be an athlete in New York by playing tennis with him when I was a kid. He’s done marathons including New York in 1984 and 1985, and he was fast! He doesn’t really understand the times I do, but that’s okay. I’m hoping he can be there on the course.

This spring after I finished the Las Vegas Ultra despite some things going wrong, I posted on Facebook: “If there is one thing I’ve learned from having a chronic illness and rare disease . . . There are other people who are out there facing the same hills you are in some form. Find your people and don’t let someone tell you that you’re alone.”