Growing up as the child of a single mother in Richmond, Virginia, Sarah Franklin learned to embrace a few simple philosophies: you have to go for things if you want them, and you can\u2019t let fear guide your decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat, and the idea that you can fix anything with a smile,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s that kind of optimism and enthusiasm that, at the start of 2020, compelled Franklin to set a significant goal: run 2,020 miles before the year was out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wanted to prove that it couldn\u2019t crush me,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every morning, Franklin put on her headphones, hit play on her favorite Beastie Boys album, and placed one foot in front of the other. It was here, on these daily runs set to songs like \u201cIt Takes Time to Build,\u201d where Franklin found the clarity and peace of mind to power through a particularly difficult chapter \u2014 the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By year\u2019s end, Franklin tallied 2,162 miles. She crushed her goal, in fact, running the extra mile not once, but 162 times over. In the process, she ran a distance equivalent to a road trip from San Francisco to Chicago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n