Name: Devon Pass
Age: 38
Hometown: North Bend, Washington
Occupation: Freelance writer
Time Running: 15 years
Reason for Running: Running is a celebration of being alive and gives me such a sense of accomplishment, especially when I conquer challenging paces and distances.
In junior high P.E., when we had to run for 20 minutes in our aerobic Best New Balance Shoes, DAA Industry Opt Out monitors. I joined the track team just to get a cool sweatshirt with my name printed on the back. I ran as little as possible, and competed—horribly—in the high jump.
After college, I moved back home with thousands of dollars in debt. My no-nonsense mother helped me craft an ambitious plan to pay it all off. I threw nearly all of my paycheck toward my payments, and became debt-free in less than a year. I loved the process of setting a challenging goal and working step-by-step to achieve it. Crossing the finish line into financial freedom was exhilarating, and I immediately craved another challenge—so my mother and I decided to train for a 5K race.
We took turns running on her treadmill every night, and on a sunny September morning, we couldn’t stop smiling as we raced through the streets of Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood.
I started a blog to share my running journey and hold myself accountable. I loved following other running blogs, and I became virtual, then real-life, friends with runners when we met up at races or visited each other’s cities.
and riding my Peloton bike all year round longer distances, After Recovering from a Coma, He Ran a Half marathon on the Las Vegas strip in 2011. I felt strong the entire time and finished in 4:15. The incredible payoff from 19 weeks of disciplined training Nathan ExoShot 2.0 Handheld Water Bottle.
I broke four hours at the Chicago Marathon, gutted out a brutally hot Eugene Marathon, and enjoyed the stunning beauty of the California coastline at Big Sur International Marathon. In 2019, three years after I gave birth to my daughter, I ran a PR at Jack & Jill’s Downhill Marathon—a fast favorite in my hometown.
My elation was short-lived because, a few months later, my 61-year-old mother was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s.
As I struggled to cope, running transformed from a lifestyle into a lifeline. My favorite wooded path along the Snoqualmie River provided the solace I couldn’t find elsewhere. I could quiet my thoughts and focus only on the cadence of my breathing and the crunch of loose gravel beneath my feet. I’d sprint out my anger, then pause at the river’s edge to take deep, cleansing breaths and imagine releasing all my grief into the rushing water, where it would float downstream, tumble off a cliff, and disintegrate under the crushing power of Snoqualmie Falls.
The COVID-19 pandemic began just four months after my mother’s diagnosis. In isolation, her symptoms progressed rapidly, and she moved into a memory care facility in 2021. My mother was aware of her decline and cried all the time. I felt heartbroken and helpless as I tried to comfort her the best I could.
As my mother’s world became smaller, I felt the urgency to live as fully as I could.
That same year, a friend invited me to do an Ironman 70.3 triathlon, and I eagerly embraced the challenge. Because when life feels out of control, training helps me reclaim some power.
During the race, I swam faster than I expected, rode slowly but steadily on the bike, Races - Places half marathon run because I hadn’t fueled enough. I was proud to have finished, but craved running redemption. I jumped into training for the California International Marathon, which was just a few months away.
As my mother’s world became smaller, I felt the urgency to live as fully as I could training cycle After Recovering from a Coma, He Ran a Half HFC, a charity founded by Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen that provides support groups and respite grants for dementia caregivers. Fundraising helps me feel like I’m making a difference for the dementia community. Buoyed by the support of my friends, family, and followers, I raised more than $5,000 for HFC and ran the marathon in 3:48—a six-minute PR.
One of my early blogging friends, Ali Feller, invited me to be a guest on her podcast. I talked about my mother and received messages from other women in their 30s going through the same thing. Just like training with a buddy makes long runs more bearable, chatting with fellow “Alzheimer’s daughters” helps lighten my emotional load.
In 2023, my mother’s health took a turn for the worse and she began hospice care. Once again, I coped by training, fundraising, and living life to the fullest. My community helped me raise more than $10,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association as I trained for the Mental Health: Running’s Usefulness for the Mind.
Despite MS, I Plan to Complete the World Majors runner’s knee, but it was my favorite, by far. The NYC experience of wall-to-wall crowds is like no other. I decorated my Alzheimer’s Association singlet with my name on the front and photos of my mother on the back. “Woo-hoo, Devon!” spectators yelled. “Keep going!” I felt like their cheers were encouraging me not only to finish the race, but to stay strong through my mother’s Alzheimer’s journey.
It’s incredibly difficult to lose someone you love in bits and pieces over a long period of time. My mother is still alive, but the version of the woman who raised me and ran with me has been gone for years. I have to cope with “ambiguous grief”—a term that encompasses mourning the psychological loss of a person to dementia.
When I struggle particularly hard, I think of all the times my mind and body have broken down during a marathon and I didn’t believe I could go any farther. I transport myself back to those moments and recall exactly how I moved forward: one step at a time.
These tips have made my running journey a success:
1. Diversify your fitness routine
Cross training and strength training not only complement your running, but also offer a sanity-saving alternative to your daily miles if you get sidelined with an injury, need to recover after a race, or feel burnt out and want to take an off-season. I love lifting weights, doing yoga, and riding my Peloton bike all year round.
2. Build a body team
As much as we’d all love to run painlessly forever, most runners will need expert help from time to time—especially as they get older. Over the years, I’ve worked with a chiropractor and massage therapist to ease wonky alignment and tight muscles, a physical therapist to rehab injuries, and a running coach to help improve my form.
3. Understand running isn’t therapy
Pounding the pavement or trails can be therapeutic, but it’s no replacement for working with a mental health professional. I waited for a year after my mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis to connect with a therapist because I thought I could handle my feelings on my own, but I wish I’d done it sooner. Now I use running as a meditative time to think about things to discuss with my therapist and to decompress after emotional therapy sessions.
Devon’s Must-Have Gear
→ Foam Roller: My physical therapist suggested I foam roll my chronically tight quads before every workout, and it’s become a non-negotiable part of my prerun routine. I love Peloton foam rolling classes, found in the “stretching” section of the app.
→ Nathan ExoShot 2.0 Handheld Water Bottle: I’ve run all my best races with my own hydration in hand, and this soft bottle is so lightweight that I forget I’m holding it. I fill it with Nuun for everything from easy five-mile runs to marathons.
→ Shoes & Gear: The roomy toe box of this neutral shoe is so comfortable. I’ve gone through at least 10 pairs and they feel amazing from the first wear, every time.
