Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Rae Mohrmann thought she would remarry. She thought she would have more kids. She hoped it all would happen not long after her divorce at the age of 25. But when 30 rolled around, and those goals seemed as distant as ever, Mohrmann began to wonder: Who am I, and who do I want to be?
One night in 1978, guided by the soft glow of her television set, Mohrmann found her path. While flipping through the channels, she settled on a program that told the story of Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. As a little girl, Mohrmann loved to run—she even set a 50-yard-dash record at Bel-Nor School. But as a single mother, she had drifted away from the hobby while working toward a graduate degree and beginning a teaching career in the Normandy School District. Switzer’s story was just the inspiration she needed to get back on track.
“There’s a big difference between getting married and having more children, and running,” Mohrmann says. “But I thought that those were things that I obviously wouldn’t be able to do. Running was something I knew I could do.”
So Mohrmann took off, building endurance by running circles around her apartment building. One mile became two, then three, and before long, Mohrmann was running 5K races. Those were enough until New Year’s Day in 1996. While walking with friends, the conversation turned to marathons. Mohrmann had never trained for one, but she was eager to try. After all, the past 18 years had taught Mohrmann a valuable lesson: When she sets a goal, she often meets it. True to form, Mohrmann completed her first marathon in October 1996.
Now, the 74-year-old has amassed a running résumé that reads like a tome. She has completed 101 full marathons, including one in every state. That includes the prestigious Boston Marathon, which she’s finished multiple times. This past November, she checked off another milestone: 75 half marathons. For Mohrmann, life is best lived in pursuit of a finish line.
Photography by Michael Blann / via Getty Images
“I think it’s important for everybody to have goals and to have a purpose in life,” Mohrmann says. “I think that makes one much happier.”
It’s not merely the running that makes Mohrmann happy. She’s found joy from helping St. Louisans become the best versions of themselves, both during her career as a reading specialist in Normandy schools and in retirement as a fitness instructor at University of Missouri–St. Louis. Mohrmann finds it funny to think about how her life has unfolded. Her second career as an aerobics guru may never have happened if she had landed the school principal job she chased in 1996. Instead, she racked up certification after certification, teaching group and water exercise classes, among others. “I just kept falling into things,” Mohrmann says. “I am so blessed.”
All the while, she never stopped running. After running her first marathon in October 1996, she ran her second in Las Vegas mere days before her 50th birthday in February 1998. Two months later, she ran her third marathon—the Boston Marathon, which is notoriously difficult to qualify for. And yet, Boston became an annual event for her. After her sixth consecutive Boston Marathon, Mohrmann remembers sitting in a restaurant with a couple of friends who wanted to know exactly how many marathons Mohrmann had completed. Mohrmann didn’t know the number off the top of her head, so they scribbled names on a napkin before counting the final tally: 32.
“I was like, Wow! I had no idea!” Mohrmann says. “Then, in my little brain, I had the thought that maybe I could do one in every state.”
Like most objectives Mohrmann set, she has met this one, too. The accomplishment earned her a spotlight on local television in 2010. KSDK Channel 5’s Frank Cusumano featured Mohrmann on a broadcast, and at the end of the interview, the sportscaster asked her what she planned to do next. “I didn’t want to look stupid and say, Oh, I don’t know,” Mohrmann says. “But right then, the idea popped into my head: 75 marathons by the time I’m 75.”
Mohrmann hit the milestone with ease. The goal then became 100 marathons. Indeed, she crossed off that one, too. After her 101st marathon, a back injury forced her to stop running for two months. Upon recovery, she couldn’t stretch herself more than 16 miles. Her marathon days were done. That’s when she revisited her spur-of-the-moment idea from 2010. Mohrmann made it her mission to run 75 half marathons before she turned 75. On November 6, 2022, she completed a 13.1-mile course for the 75th time. Another goal met.
During these long runs, Mohrmann is propelled by thoughts of loved ones—family members and friends, including many of whom she’s lost. The milestone marathons, Nos. 75 and 100 among them, were dedicated to her parents, Gilbert and Jeanne. After a close friend died last spring, Mohrmann ran her next marathon in her friend’s honor. To keep her pace, Mohrmann often meditates on songs that remind her of those she loves. “Sometimes, I think of the hymns that we sang at a particular person’s funeral, or uplifting songs like ‘Here I Am, Lord,’” Mohrmann says. “I’ve had so many people in my life who were very encouraging and supportive.”
As much a teacher as a runner, Mohrmann wants to encourage and support others in turn. Her accomplishments hold lessons, like how a setback can be a starting line for an unexpected yet meaningful journey.
“Since I’ve been doing marathons, I have often wondered: Does marathoning prepare you for life? Or does life prepare you for marathons?” Mohrmann says. “I think I’ve learned it’s a little bit of both. You just have to do your best.”
