Her husband died running a half marathon. 5 years later, she's running it in his honour

A runner's first half-marathon is a big accomplishment.

But when Jessica Foley competes in the Ottawa Half Marathon this weekend, she'll be completing the race for someone who never got to cross the finish line.

Foley's husband, Steven Trickett of Harbour Grace, N.L., competed in the race in 2019.

Minutes from the finish line, Trickett collapsed and died. He was 35.

Foley was watching his progress through a tracking app at home in St. John's, watching over her daughter while pregnant with their second child.

She remembers watching his progress halt.

"My first thought was, 'Oh, he's going to be so mad. His time is going to be off.'… And then the next thing I know, I got a phone call and the rest of the day unfolded, not like I'd imagined it would," Foley told CBC News. 

"It just went from a really great day to the worst day of my life."

She described Trickett as a kind and genuine soul with the ability to connect with people and a love for being a father.

Now, five years later, Foley is taking on that same race herself.

"I thought it's time that I change my relationship with this weekend and with the race," she said.

That hasn't come without struggles, however. Foley said even thinking about the race is difficult, and seeing other people running was initially triggering for her.

Then she came across a CBC documentary about Mike Dawe, a Newfoundlander who has finished Ironman triathlons through a battle with cancer.

"I watched the part in the documentary where he crossed the finish line, and something just switched in my head. And I said, 'I want that feeling.' I think it's time for me to do it," Foley said.

"I want [my daughters] to see that we can still do really hard things. It's been a really challenging five years, and I want them to see that I can still do hard things in the face of everything we've been through."

Comfort in a 'pace bunny'

Trickett's memory isn't the only cause Foley is running for.

She's also doing the race to raise funds for Playful Mindset, an outdoor, play-based grief support group she and her children found support in after Trickett's death.

Playful Mindset's executive director, Marnie Power, is also from Newfoundland.

But, in what seems like divine intervention, that isn't Foley and Power's only connection.

"Her and I had the intake call, and I'm sharing the story about Steven," Foley said.

"And she stops and says, 'I have to tell you something, and I don't know if it's OK or not, but I was with Steven when he died.'"

"Of course I was in complete shock. But she said, 'You know, we ran more than half that race right next to each other. We never spoke, but we were each other's unofficial pace bunnies, and I was there when he died.' Both of us are still trying to reconcile how this comes full circle almost five years later."

Foley said she isn't entirely sure what to expect when she crosses the finish line but she thinks she'll feel waves of accomplishment and pride, among other feelings.

"Grief is a really long journey, and I think a lot of our society doesn't see that," she said.

"I might be the last person to cross the finish line, but I'm just looking forward to crossing it."

The Ottawa Half Marathon is set to begin on Sunday.

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