Grayce Quigley does a 5K/month and Gildan Esprit de She Westminster is definitely one of her favorites

Can you imagine running a 5K a month, every month? Grayce Quigley can and does. Come September 9, her 5K of choice will be the Gildan Esprit de She Westminster 5K/10K, which kicks off at the Life Time Fitness Westminster.

Grayce didn’t start out as a 5K aficionado. In fact, her monthly 5K routine started with a marathon. The Chicago Marathon in 2014 through a charity partnership with the American Cancer Society, where she raised about $2,620 for the organization. Prior to hitting the pavement in Chicago, she knew the marathon was going to be tough so she had 26 names on her arms of people she knew who had battled cancer. And, pulling up her sleeves a few times as a reminder of who each mile was for--and why she should keep going--gave her the motivation she needed to run on. As she neared the finish line, though proud of her accomplishment, she knew it would be a one and done. However, she wanted to keep going with something. As the sweat poured and the adrenalin surged, a crazy thought crossed her mind … what if she ran a 5K a month … for a year.

It was been almost 3 years now and she’s still going strong, sometimes on her own, and sometimes with friends. In fact, she and her friend Amanda even have been running buddies for Girls on the Run a few times to add the important element of giving back to their 5K fun.

As a runner who does a lot of 5Ks, she came across the Gildan Esprit de She Westminster in 2015. Immediately, she loved it--especially the women supporting women aspect and sharing the post-race toast. To train, Grayce participates in fitness classes three times a week and walks, runs, or hikes 29 miles a month. On September 9, for the Gildan Esprit de She Westminster, her goal is simply to finish, support other women, and have fun.

“Running makes me beyond thankful to have the ability to run. There are days that I just want to be lazy but once I get moving, I remember how lucky I am to have the ability to run and I never want to take that for granted,” said Grayce. “I really got serious about running five years ago when I was training for a Tough Mudder. Up until that point, I absolutely hated to run. However, I was suffering from some bad depression and anxiety at that time and I quickly realized that working out--running specifically--made my depression and anxiety more manageable. Five years later, I still use working out/running as my anti-anxiety.”

It’s not too late to grab your mother, sisters, cousins and friends to register for the Gildan Esprit de She Westminster 5K/10K happening Saturday, September 9, 2017 from 7am-noon at the Life Time Fitness Westminster. For women of all ages, this designer race experience includes 5K/10K walk, jog and run options, high value participant gear, Lifestyle Market including the post-race Bubbly Bar and more! To register: http://espritdeshe.com/westminster/register/