Schoenstein decided to relish the moment. She reflected on the road behind her, on the challenges, sweat, tears, awe, and joy that accompanied her during the journey. The deluge of rain that fell that race day morning coincided with a deluge of emotions.

“Everything I’ve collected over 100 half marathons was just like raining in the sky and I just went with it,” recalled Schoenstein.

As the finish line inched closer, Schoenstein thought of the people in her life: the doctors who said she’d never run due to her diseases, the friends and family who supported her journey, and those who had passed on, like her father Herb Schoenstein and one of her best friends Chris Knight.

“I had this moment where suddenly, I felt them with me, like part of the whole occasion, part of the whole momentous achievement,” said Schoenstein.

When she hit mile marker 12, Schoenstein flipped on the afterburners. She turned left on Napa Street from 7^th Street and charged towards the finish line in Sonoma Plaza. With tears in her eyes spurred by a confluence of emotions, Schoenstein crossed the finish line. After 1,310 miles, she finally completed her goal of running 100 half marathons.

“This was messy, it was wild, it was muddy, it was wet, and it was a hell of an adventure,’” said Schoenstein.

Overcoming a diagnosis

Though 100 half marathons are now in her rearview mirror, Schoenstein didn’t start her half marathon streak until 2010. Up until that point, she’d lived in fear and for good reason.

In 2006, Schoenstein’s immune system went haywire and started attacking her joints and lungs. After being unable to walk for six weeks, Schoenstein was hospitalized for eight days. Doctors soon diagnosed her with Sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that affects the lungs and lymph nodes. This coupled with Schoenstein’s other autoimmune disease diagnoses led the doctors to a conclusion.

“They said you’ll likely never run again,” said Schoenstein. “That fear kind of infused the next few years of my life.”

After years of playing it safe, Schoenstein decided she could no longer live in fear. “I was feeling a bit rebellious at the time, so against doctor’s orders, I decided to run a half marathon,” she said.

So Schoenstein started running and she discovered value in the training.

“I needed a goal, I needed something to train for, something to focus on,” she said. “I needed that in each day during that really tumultuous time.”

In the spring of 2010, Schoenstein completed her first half marathon in San Francisco, Calif. And despite her doctor’s lifestyle prognosis, she survived.

“That finish line, I can still feel it,” said Schoenstein. “It just felt like possibility, it felt like hope, it felt like my own little victory, which I needed at that time.”

That half marathon finish was the first of many for Schoenstein.

A dream deferred

In the years succeeding 2010, Schoeinstein racked up tens upon tens of half marathon finishes. Her most prolific year was 2019, when she ran 13 half marathons. By the end of February 2020, Schoenstein had completed 89 half marathons, but then the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on her journey to 100.

“I was supposed to run 100 in 2020 and then my dream went away because of COVID,” said Schoenstein.

For 18 months, there was no racing for Schoenstein, and with COVID-19 being a respiratory disease, she took extra precautions to maintain her health. But being derailed from her goal left Schoenstein feeling deflated.

Then in the spring of 2021, Schoenstein started seeing interviews with Olympic athletes in the news media. She recalled that many athletes spoke of the upcoming summer Olympics as a “dream deferred” due to the COVID-19 pandemic interrupting the schedule. The interviews inspired Schoenstein to lace up her running shoes again. In the four months leading up to half marathon 100, Schoenstein ran 11 half marathons.

“I felt like with each race, with each mile, I got a little piece of me back,” she said.

Whole again

At the 2021 Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon, Schoenstein was welcomed with fanfare. Race organizers asked her to share her story at the packet pickup expo, the start line, and the finish line. And before, during, and after the race, fellow runners paused for pictures and shared their congratulations with Schoenstein.

“It was this massive infusion of energy and love and enthusiasm,” recalled Schoenstein.

“It was totally magical,” she added. “More than I could have ever expected.”

The race organizers even rolled out special finish line tape for Schoenstein. It read, “Gretchen, cheers to your 100^th.” Schoenstein crossed the tape with her arms spread wide and a smile on her face.

Since starting her running journey, Schoenstein has harnessed her own story to inspire and empower others. On her @rungrateful Instagram page, she shares lessons learned, tips, and other experiences from her life as a runner with multiple autoimmune diseases. Her mantra: “Every step is a gift, every mile an accomplishment and every finish line a victory.”

Greg Watry is an editorial content writer for Road Runner Sports. Though he spent most of his life as a non-runner, he was inspired to lace up his running shoes in 2019. Since then, he’s participated in everything from fun runs to 50 milers. He loves sharing his enthusiasm for running with others. His writing has won awards from the New Jersey Press Association and the Association for Communication Excellence.