Finding Strength on Highway 1: Catherine O’Connor’s Big Sur Journey with Team Still I Run

At 26 years old, Catherine O’Connor has learned something important about herself: she needs a goal to work toward. Without one, it’s easy to feel stuck. With one, she feels grounded, motivated, and connected to herself in a healthier way.

That mindset is what led her to the starting line of the Big Sur 11-Miler with Team Still I Run.

Catherine grew up in the Boston area and still lives there today with her older sister and her Great Dane, who she lovingly calls “the center of my universe.” Professionally, she works as a marketing consultant for robotics companies, and recently completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training. But over the past few years, running has also become an important part of how she cares for her mental health.

Her relationship with running has never been perfectly linear. She first started getting into it in 2022, and describes her running journey as something that “ebbs and flows.” She’ll train for a race, complete it, take time away from running, and then eventually find herself signing up for another goal that pulls her back in.

“I find that I need that firm deadline to actually train and stay motivated,” she shared.

After completing a half marathon in 2024, Catherine realized how much she appreciated the structure that came with following a training plan and preparing for something meaningful. Around the same time, her sister was going through a difficult season of life. Catherine encouraged her to focus on finding a goal, knowing firsthand how much movement and purpose could help during hard moments. Together, they decided to sign up for the Big Sur race weekend and turn it into a trip together.

While searching for a charity team for the race, Catherine came across Team Still I Run.

Training through a Boston winter wasn’t always easy. Like many people living in colder climates, she knows how quickly the winter blues can settle in.

“Boston can be super depressing in the winter,” she said. “It’s really easy to not take care of yourself during that timeframe.”

Having the goal of traveling across the country in April gave her something positive to focus on. Even on the days she didn’t necessarily love running in the moment, she kept coming back to the feeling waiting for her afterward.

“The feeling of accomplishment and how proud you are of yourself just makes up for everything,” she said.

For Catherine, movement has become deeply tied to her mental health journey.

She grew up in what she describes as a very traditional Irish Catholic family where mental health struggles simply weren’t talked about openly.

“If you have problems, you keep it to yourself,” she said.

Both of her parents struggled with mental illness, and over time, Catherine began recognizing some of those same struggles in her own life. It wasn’t until after moving out of her childhood home that she really began addressing her mental health through therapy, medication, nutrition, and learning how to prioritize herself.

“It’s a day-to-day struggle,” she said. “Some days can be so good, and other days you can just feel absolutely awful.”

Exercise, especially running, became one of the few things that helped quiet the constant noise in her mind.

“If exercise isn’t in my routine, I’ll begin to spiral,” she shared. “I have to be moving my body or pushing myself in some capacity. It’s the only thing that makes my mind shut down for a period of time.”

Running gives her something immediate and grounding to focus on.

“How do my legs feel? How’s my breath? How much longer do I have to go?” she explained. “It’s a relief to not have all the other thoughts of life playing through your mind. It’s just being in the moment in your body.”

That feeling became especially powerful during the Big Sur race itself.

Catherine described Big Sur as one of her favorite places in the world. Running along Highway 1, surrounded by ocean views and rugged California coastline, felt almost surreal.

“You’re just solo in your own beautiful little world,” she said.

The course was challenging, especially the constant slant of the roads that she hadn’t anticipated, but the scenery carried her through the hard moments.

“The scenery really gets people through the run,” she said. “You pause and look around and it’s absolutely beautiful.”

Along the course, seeing other runners wearing Team Still I Run jerseys gave her an extra sense of connection.

“You know you’re on the same team,” she said. “That definitely helped me push myself during hard times.”

The experience extended beyond race day itself. Catherine spoke highly of the Team Still I Run community and the support she received throughout the process, especially from Allie, who leads the team experience.

“The group meetings were super helpful,” she said. “It was motivating to have the training and keep going through it during hard work times and hard life times.”

She also found the fundraising aspect unexpectedly meaningful.

“This provided me an outlet to not get caught up in the childhood mentality of not talking about your problems,” she said. “Everyone struggles with mental health.”

As donations came in, many people shared stories about loved ones they had lost or their own personal mental health journeys. Those conversations stayed with her.

“It was really powerful to me and opened up conversations to talk about mental health and break down the stigma,” she said.

For Catherine, that may have been one of the most important parts of the entire experience.

“Whatever we can do to break that stigma and provide a safe space for people to talk about mental health and relate to it, you don’t feel so alone,” she said. “Which is really nice.”