After losing his wife to cancer in 2016, Phil Pinti of Ellicott City, Maryland, was left to raise two young children on his own. Life didn’t stop—and neither did he.
What helped him move forward? Running.
The former Marine found healing in hitting the pavement. By 2019, he was a regular at the Marine Corps Marathon and now embraces ultra marathons as both a physical challenge and an emotional release.
His next big test? The Arizona Monster 300—a grueling 308.6-mile race through the desert that he’ll attempt to complete in just seven days.
“People always ask, ‘Why would anyone do that?’” Pinti said. “But I think we all need something to strive for. We carry ideas of what we can and can’t do—physically, emotionally. I want to see what happens when I go beyond those limits.”
At 33, newly widowed with a four-year-old and a two-year-old, Pinti turned to running to work through the flood of emotions. Even now, it remains his outlet. “There were thoughts and fears I didn’t know what to do with—but I had to be there for my kids. Running helped me sort through it all.”
He says life often doesn’t offer easy choices but forward is always an option.
“Ten years ago, I would’ve thought this kind of race was crazy,” he said. “But when you’ve been through something that shakes your world, taking on something massive doesn’t seem so impossible anymore.”
Pinti's journey is proof that with resilience and purpose, even the longest roads can lead to healing.
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Photo: Getty