Running for Team Citizens: How Caroline turned obstacles into growth

Jean Chatzky, Founder & CEO of HerMoney Media

Imagine experiencing a divorce, the pandemic, and job loss all at the same time. You probably would have wanted to hide away from the world for a while. For Caroline Canning, a 36-year-old Rhode Island native now living in San Francisco, California, that was actually the case — she filed for divorce and got laid off from her job in early 2020 and, all the while, had to weather the challenges of COVID-19.

But instead of letting setback after setback get her down Caroline used these obstacles as a springboard to some major life changes. "It was a forced way to kind of step back and think about what's important to me, really reminding myself of what are those goals that I want to be working towards?" shares Canning.

And one of those goals? Running a marathon.

Years ago, Caroline developed a love of running, but like so many of us, life led her away from it. The forced reset she experienced in 2020 gave her the bandwidth to reignite that passion and link it with a big goal: Running a marathon. But she didn't stop there. What started as a simple, contained goal to run just one marathon has turned into running the World Marathon Majors, a series of six of the largest marathons taking place around the globe.

How it started: An early start dabbling in running

In November, Caroline will hit the pavement in the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon as part of Team Citizens, marking her second of the series of six marathons she's committed to completing. Running with Citizens represents somewhat of a full-circle moment for Caroline, who opened her first bank account with Citizens in high school. Even though she's moved across the country, Citizens is still her go-to. "I have no need to change because I'm able to do whatever I need to do directly from my phone," she says, joking that "Citizens green" is her favorite color.

Caroline's love of running began when she was a cash-strapped college grad looking to save a few bucks. "I couldn't afford a gym membership," she recalls. "And I was like, you know, what's more affordable than a membership? Sneakers." Lacing up her new kicks, Caroline hit the road and found she actually enjoyed running.

In 2012, she decided to train for and complete the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. After that though, her sneakers stayed tucked away in the closet for eight months until she signed up for her next marathon in Chicago. As she describes it, she was a "rinse and repeat" runner, training for and taking part in marathons, but never making running a part of her regular routine when she wasn't training for a big race.

That changed when Caroline set a goal of completing the World Marathon Majors, starting with the Berlin Marathon in 2016. "I've since adjusted my running patterns, and I have been more consistent and not taking eight months off in between," she notes.

How it’s going: Empowerment and growth through her running journey

Life's ups and downs have helped Caroline truly lean into the idea of always working on a new goal. This, she says, has benefitted her both personally and professionally. "It could be something small, or it could be something bigger, like running the World Majors. That requires a little bit more preparation and planning, [which are] things I'm not inherently super fond of. It also forces me to work on that type of skill set, too."

When she heads to the starting line of the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon, finishing ahead of other runners won't be Canning's focus. "It's less about being competitive with others and more about that mindset of continuous improvement and trying to always provide a challenge for myself," she says.

Additional perks and benefits of running

While training for a marathon might seem like a lot of hours to be left alone with one's thoughts, for Caroline, it's a chance to marry up two of her life's passions — running and reading, logging miles while listening to audiobooks. Lately, her runs have been filled with lighthearted beach reads, but as she's trained for the New York City Marathon, memoirs have been at the top of her "must-read" list, too.

One of the other big benefits of running (and especially running marathons) is honing her habit-building skills. As research shows, when we break big goals down into smaller, more achievable chunks, we're more successful. That has been true for Caroline — chipping away at her big goal of running the World Marathon Majors, marathon by marathon.

You’re made for every moment and mile

Citizens is committed to helping New York's residents, small businesses and neighborhoods thrive. As the Official Bank of New York Road Runners (NYRR), we are excited for this year's race. Read more below to explore how Citizens can help you thrive financially.