For decades, T. J. Bryan devoted herself to her profession, rising upward constantly. Suddenly, after reaching the pinnacle of her career, she was pushed from her lofty position. To save herself from despair, she, at age 64, impulsively decided to become a distance runner. Up to this point, her only athletic success revolved around aerobics classes when she was in her 40s and early 50s. When she became a runner, she competed in races of varying distances and developed a love of marathons although, as an African-American woman, she encountered few women of her age and even fewer women of her race competing at this distance. In ten years of running and racing, she discovered much about herself and joined a family that supported and encouraged her. Occasionally gritty and at times magical, her story is inspirational.