Finding the Beauty, One Step at a Time: Jackie Schnurr’s Journey to the Tokyo Marathon with Team Still I Run

When you talk to Jackie Schnurr, the first thing you notice is her energy. She’s warm, thoughtful, and genuinely joyful in the way she talks about running, community, and the small moments that help her keep moving forward. That sense of light doesn’t come from an easy path. It comes from choosing, again and again, to put one foot in front of the other.

This year, Jackie is running the Tokyo Marathon with Team Still I Run. It will be her first international race, and one that feels deeply aligned with who she is, both as a runner and as a person. Her journey to this starting line spans decades, profound loss, and a powerful reconnection to running as a form of care.

From Soccer Fields to the Sidewalks of Central New York

Jackie spent 20 years as a biology professor at a small liberal arts college in central New York. Science, ecology, and understanding how living systems connect have always been part of her worldview. As a kid, she played soccer and stayed active, but like many people, running didn’t become a consistent part of her life until adulthood.

Eleven years ago, when her son was five, Jackie decided she wanted something that was just hers. She started running half marathons, simply as a way to move her body and do something outside of being a mom. Running quickly became more than exercise.

“It’s so good for your mental health and your brain,” she shared. Over time, it became essential. When Jackie has a problem, she goes for a run to think it through. If she skips it, she feels off. Running helps her process, regulate, and stay grounded in her day-to-day life.

October 2018: Life Changes Forever

In October 2018, Jackie’s life changed in an instant. Her husband and her father were killed in a limousine accident that took the lives of 20 people. Due to severe brake failures, the vehicle lost control while going downhill and crashed into a parking lot where Jackie, her husband, her father, her brother, and her son were standing.

Her husband and father were killed. Jackie survived, along with her brother and her nine-year-old son.

In the aftermath, running stopped. Life became about survival.

“A lot of people say, ‘I don’t know how you’re functioning,’” Jackie said. “But you have to. I have a child. You have to get back to life.” For a long time, that meant simply getting through the days in front of her.

The Run That Brought Her Back

A few months later, around the holidays, Jackie decided to show up to a local 5K. She hadn’t been running. It was physically hard and emotionally heavy. Still, when she finished, she noticed something important.

She felt better.

That one run reminded her of what her body and mind needed. Running didn’t erase her grief or make the loss feel manageable, but it gave her space to breathe inside it. From that moment on, running became part of how she worked through trauma and grief.

“If I don’t go for a run,” she said honestly, “I’m a miserable human being.”

Running wasn’t about goals or races anymore. It was necessary care.

Finding Connection During a Global Pause

As Jackie continued running, her mileage and races increased. Then COVID hit. Like so many runners, she adapted. She bought a treadmill so she could keep moving inside her home, knowing that consistency mattered for her mental health.

During that time, she found a Facebook group called OneNY, which hosted virtual running challenges. What started as a way to stay active turned into something much more meaningful. The group became a supportive community, one that showed up not just for miles logged, but for life.

“The running community really has saved me overall,” Jackie said. Many of those connections grew into friendships that extend far beyond running.

From One Marathon to Many

As Jackie approached her 50th birthday, she set a bold goal: run a marathon. Her first was the Disney Marathon. It was hot, exhausting, and nothing like she hoped it would be. Instead of letting that experience define marathoning for her, she decided she needed another chance.

Since then, she’s continued to run marathons, learning more about herself each time. Tokyo will be her fifth marathon, and it represents something special. Most of the races Jackie has done have been smaller events. Running a World Marathon Major feels big, exciting, and meaningful.

Why Team Still I Run Felt Like Home

Jackie found Still I Run through Facebook, and the mission immediately resonated with her. Running had already become central to how she supported her mental health, and Still I Run articulated that connection in a way that felt honest and welcoming.

“This is exactly what I needed out of running,” she said.

When she learned there were Team Still I Run bibs for Tokyo, she didn’t hesitate. She has always wanted to go to Japan, and when the opportunity came up, she said yes right away. Everything else seemed to fall into place.

Since then, Jackie has become more involved in the community and has become an ambassador. She’s been talking about Still I Run for a long time anyway, so making it official felt natural. Some of her friends from the OneNY running community have even run with Still I Run, reinforcing that sense of shared purpose.

A New Relationship With Mental Health

Before losing her husband and father, Jackie hadn’t struggled significantly with her mental health. Grief changed that. It forced her to become more intentional about caring for herself and her family.

As a professor, she had already seen students navigating mental health challenges. After her own loss, that understanding became deeply personal. She now approaches those conversations with a different level of empathy and awareness, shaped by lived experience.

Running continues to be one of the main ways she supports her own mental health, not as a fix, but as steady, ongoing care.

Looking Ahead to Tokyo

What Jackie is most excited about in Tokyo goes beyond the race itself. She’s looking forward to experiencing Japanese culture, including Buddhist and Shinto traditions, and learning more about how spirituality, community, and the environment intersect.

As an ecologist, Japan’s respect for open space, nature, and balance deeply resonates with her. This race represents curiosity, growth, and a willingness to step into something entirely new.

Jackie’s Advice: Keep Moving, Find the Beauty

For anyone just getting started, Jackie keeps it simple.

“Just one foot in front of the other. Make sure you keep moving.”

She’s a proud run-walker and uses the Galloway Method, which helped her through the later miles of her first marathon. More than pace or distance, she believes in finding what works for you.

“Finding something that brings you joy and gets you through is really the key,” she said. Jackie always runs with a mantra, something she can repeat when things feel heavy.

Hers is simple and powerful: Find the beauty.

There is always something, she believes, that can pull you out of a dark moment. For Jackie, running is often that thing. And in many ways, it’s become her life mantra too.