Tribal member completes Honolulu marathon in her aunt’s honor

By Danielle Harrison

Smoke Signals editor

As Tribal member Marianne Blanchard tackled her final miles of the Honolulu Marathon Sunday, Dec. 14, the heat and humidity began to hit hard.

Her walking partner had just left the race after 20 miles, so Blanchard was on her own for the remaining 6.2 miles, often the most challenging of any marathon due to exhaustion, cramping, dehydration and other issues.

“I looked at the sky, it’s overcast, trying to be stormy and I said, ‘Veronica, I need the same weather I trained in at home for this event,’” she said. “I’m not kidding, it started pouring down rain those last six miles until I crossed the finish line.”

She completed the marathon in eight hours, 31 minutes and 25 seconds.

Blanchard, 37, had spent the better part of a year training for the Honolulu Marathon in honor of her aunt, Tribal Elder Veronica Gaston, who walked on Dec. 4, 2024, just days before she was due to fly out to Hawaii to walk the marathon.

Gaston had been training for much of 2024 and could frequently be seen walking up and down Grand Ronde Road and through the Tribal campus in all kinds of weather. She was motivated to sign up for the marathon after losing more than 100 pounds. She specifically chose Honolulu because it is one of the few races of that distance to keep the course open until every participant crosses the finish line.

“She worked really, really hard,” Blanchard said. “It was a freak accident that took her. … I told her while she was in the hospital, dying, that I would do anything for her. (Later), people in the community kept asking if I was going to do the Honolulu Marathon in her honor, and I said, ‘Why not?’ It was her destination marathon and she had worked so hard.”

Blanchard, who doesn’t consider herself an endurance athlete and wondered aloud why people do marathons, began training like it was her job.

“I walked up and down Grand Ronde Road and continued to do that according to how long it would have taken Veronica to complete the distance,” she said. “Two weeks before, I walked and jogged 20 miles.”

Blanchard said the most challenging part of marathon training was finding the time and the most rewarding part was being able to bring the medal home to Grand Ronde.

“Receiving closure was the best part,” she said. “I did one last thing for her. I got to finish what she started…I gave her a year and then eight-and-a-half hours of marathon time.”

Blanchard is grateful for the support of the Grand Ronde Tribal community.

“I’m thankful for literally everyone in the community,” she said. “Jon (George), Cheryle (Kennedy), Chelsea (Baranski), so many were cheering me on…The community rallied around me. It was an amazing feeling.”