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On a Thursday morning in September, two women strapped on their CamelBaks and set out to run nearly every corner of Toledo, taking on the biggest physical challenge of their lives.
A journey of endurance and healing
Psychotherapist Andrea Bain-Frye and yoga instructor Heather Huffman weren’t training for an ordinary race. The friends, both lifelong Toledoans, were preparing for the Tampa 100 in November, a 100-mile race that winds through the Tampa Bay area and ends on the beach in St. Petersburg. To mimic race-day conditions, they decided to run 50 miles through their own city. For both women, running isn’t just about endurance; it’s a form of healing. Drawing on their backgrounds in yoga and therapy, they’ve learned to sit with discomfort, knowing, as Bain-Frye put it, that “on the other side of discomfort comes growth and healing.”
They started at sunrise in Sylvania, heading down Talmadge and Richards before cutting through Swan Creek Metropark. Their route became a moving love letter to Toledo, touching nearly every neighborhood and local landmark.
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They ran across the historic bridge into downtown Maumee, then into Perrysburg, where the women grabbed a double espresso from The Bard’s Coffee. From there, they followed River Road through downtown Rossford, passing Danny’s Café and Hollywood Casino, before crossing into East Toledo and past the towering silos covered in vivid murals.
As they crossed the High Level Bridge and made their way into Downtown Toledo, the city seemed to take notice. Drivers honked encouragement and strangers clapped from car windows. “It was apparent that we were engaging in something challenging,” Bain-Frye said. “People seemed truly excited for us.”
Inspired by the city they love
They ducked into Maumee Bay Brewing Company, where a kind bartender rushed out a club sandwich so they could keep moving. From there, they ran through Middlegrounds Metropark, by Owens Corning and along the Glass City Riverwalk.
Stopping at gas stations along the way to refuel, their route then looped back through Adams Street, past the Toledo Museum of Art and down Monroe Street, returning to Sylvania where they had started.
By the end of the night, 12 hours and 38 minutes had passed. “We were unsure we could really complete that far of a distance, but around mile 20, we decided we had to finish,” Bain-Frye said. Through it all, the two women hope to inspire others, showing that movement and connecting with nature are among the best ways to improve mental health.
