Our Team Still I Run journey continues, as we make our way to race day, we want to take the
time to share our runners’ stories. Jaime Orozco was born in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S.
at the age of 5. Orozco’s father was a migrant worker in Napa, California where he was raised
and still lives.
Jaime says his running journey is similar to that of Forrest Gump; he just simply started one day in 2018. After some physical and mental changes took place earlier that year, such as back surgery and being diagnosed pre-diabetic, he just said to himself “Hey, today’s the day that I’m going to start running.” His work with OneMind, a nonprofit that accelerates collaborative research and advocacy to enable everyone with mental health conditions to lead healthy, productive lives, also helped encourage him. Raising money for the organization, he was inspired to take on his first half and then full marathon.
Orozco always tries to run with purpose, “It’s an accomplishment, but it’s never about me,” he
stated in a one-on-one interview with Still I Run. He likes to dedicate his races to the people who got him to the finish line. “I run for those who can’t, for the times that I couldn’t, and for those who never will.”
Running saved Orozco’s life, “whether it’s physically or mentally,” he expressed. Both he and
his sister ran the Boston Marathon in April of this year and have continued to find ways to help
other’s needs. He found Still I Run in the organization program for the TCS New York City Marathon, because he specifically wanted to run and fundraise for mental health awareness.
Running marathons has introduced a way to structure Jaime’s life, placing emphasis on dedication and commitment, knowing when you can and can’t do certain things. “It elevates your mental health, overall physical health, and has saved my life,” he stated. His ability to help others throughout his running journey has helped him encourage himself and those around him. Mental commitment has led the way for Orozco.
Jaime has taken on quite a few marathons in just a few short years. The TCS New York City Marathon on November 6 will be his fifth marathon. He ran his first in 2019 and his second in March of 2020, at the Napa Valley Marathon. As if that challenge wasn’t enough, he transitioned into Ironman triathlons the year after. In April, he ran his fourth marathon, the Boston Marathon.
Coming off Boston earlier this year and then jumping straight into preparing for the New York City Marathon hasn’t left Jaime with much downtime or moments to savor the accomplishments of Boston, but he’s managing. Not only is there mental toughness involved, but a solid training plan to help ramp back up. The structure provided in a training plan by Still I Run coach, Debbie, Thurlow, has been instrumental in helping him prepare.
When asked what advice he had for new runners he stated, “I know it sounds cliché, but it starts
with the first step.” Running is a hard process that requires sacrifice and determination to push past all of the reasons we have for why we shouldn’t finish a run or a race, but with time and
patience, it’s absolutely possible for anyone to become a runner and Orozco is proof of that.
We are thrilled to have Jaime as part of our TSIR NYC Marathon team and are looking forward
to seeing him reach the finish line on race day! Keep up with us on social media and our blog to
follow Jaime’s journey.
We want to recognize and do a shoutout to the amazing businesses that have stepped up to sponsor our NYC team and runners! Please check them out!
