True story of Brittany O'Neill

The story behind Brittany runs a marathon started on a couch, after work, in 2011. It was late, even in New York, but roommates Brittany O'Neill and Paul Downs Colaizzo were still talking in their apartment on the Upper West Side.

O 'Neill had an existential crisis. Her work in an underfunded theater troupe outside of Broadway was nowhere to be seen, the long nights of drinking she was wearing, and she did not like the body she had seen in the mirror. She knew that she had to change. But how on earth could she get out of her work cycle, alcohol and crappy food?

"It depended on what she could control at that time," says Colaizzo. After hours of deliberation, they decided that she needed physical activity and then eventually run. After all, they agreed that nothing would be more productive, efficient or easy to start than running. "I did not grow up in sports, so I did not know how to do anything else," says O'Neill.

So the following Saturday, O'Neill donned his closest racing suit, a 15-year-old Aeropostale shorts and t-shirt, before going out. She started small, making a few laps around the block. She returned to the apartment with a sense of pain, but with a sense of accomplishment, she was not pulling out of her dead end job or drinking too much with friends. .

His new life began to take shape. She ran almost daily to Central Park, where she felt fellowship with the diverse group of runners who populate the park at all hours. She left the theater to work in the technology sector, which allowed her to plan her work day. She finally felt a positive momentum in life, her body slowly resembled that of the athlete she had become and her self-confidence began to get worse.

Three months after she challenged herself to go around the block, she set herself as her next goal: to run the full loop of Central Park for 6km. During the following weeks, she searched for the most common breakpoints, such as the 80-foot climb up Harlem Hill. "I turned it into that big monster in my head," says O'Neill. "I was ready to fail and I was given permission to walk where it was needed. But at the same time, I thought that if I could keep running, no matter how slow, it mattered.

When she finally approached the hill, she continued to run, even though her legs ached, her lungs were burned and the walkers began to overtake her. Finishing this loop was one of the proudest moments of his life. "There was no enthusiastic crowd or ribbon on arrival, but I felt it was special," says O'Neill. "For lack of a better sentence, I had the impression that I was not a loser."

Her friends noticed how much she was changing. During O'Neill's training and testing, Colaizzo, an accomplished playwright, began writing a semi-biographical film about her transformation, titled Brittany runs a marathon. The idea had come to him when O'Neill had left for his very first race, and he worked there in secret for two months before sharing the concept with her. Colaizzo did not know exactly how she would react after being caricatured, but O'Neill was more concerned about the results of her character's marathon.

"The first question Brittany asked me was how quickly she did it," says Colaizzo. With the green light, he began to take the authentic moments that O'Neill has known and add some wacky fictional elements, such as a posh influential roommate. Brittany's family name was changed to Forgler, and Colaizzo wrote it as a hot brothel. She is tired of being everyone's comedic relief and has started running as part of her efforts to be taken seriously.

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Colaizzo entrusted processing to Hollywood contacts, where Tobey Maguire's production company quickly bought the film on his own speech. "I told them it was about my friend who was preparing her to try to lead New York [City] Marathon, "says Colaizzo.

Although O'Neill never asked for compensation, Colaizzo paid him a portion of his payment as a writing, in the form of "friendship fees".

"I had no problem giving up my rights in life," O'Neill laughs. "I had nothing to do with the composition of the incredible dialogue that Paul had put in place. But it was exactly what I felt at that moment. She used that money to be certified as a personal trainer and nutritionist. These days, she is still training clients, using her own experiences to motivate others, in addition to her current work for the relief organization, the International Rescue Committee.

Since Colaizzo introduced him to the concept of the film, O'Neill started thinking about running his own marathon. She already participated in almost every 10 or 5 km that passed through Central Park, but wanted a bigger challenge. "I was excited about this idea because it was the last thing people expected of me," she says. "I've always been great and I liked the idea of ​​showing people a look that does not tell the whole story."

She focused on the New York marathon in 2012 and, after missing the race lottery, raised enough money to win a bib.

Six months into the marathon, O'Neill was injured in the ankle during the Brooklyn Half Marathon. It was bad: a bone spur and a tendon tear requiring surgery. Suddenly, she fell back into her old habits and spent months on the couch eating Chinese food and watching again Six feet Under ground. "I probably could have been more productive with that time," she jokes.

The 2012 marathon would have been canceled by Hurricane Sandy, but there was a good chance, at least for O'Neill. She was able to keep her bib for the 2014 marathon and she had time to recover properly after sewing the tendon and shaving the spur.

After another test drive, O'Neill is fully engaged in the process and begins to train not only hard but also smartly.

"This experience has taught me that the most important thing in training is not to hurt me," she says. "I did an excessive amount of research and I read about nine books on marathons." During her 5 and 10-kilometer days, she had never moved away from one. evening with his friends, but the months leading up to November were different. "I was so focused," says O'Neill. "This period required a lot of understanding from my husband and my friends." The commitment paid off.

O'Neill remembers this marathon as the happiest day of his life, although he was married a month earlier. "I'm sorry, but that's the truth!" She says. "The tension I thought was out there did not exist, everything was exciting." The riders attended one of the coldest and windiest departures of the marathon for years. "The wind was so strong at the first bridge that I thought our bibs were going to fly!"

The difficult conditions faded when O'Neill watched the spectators wait on the Brooklyn side of Verrazano Bridge. They applauded and shouted her name – which she had taped onto her shirt. "I felt like a rock star for about four hours." She set herself the goal of finishing in under four and despite the wind, she managed a time of 3:55: 57.

Colaizzo was waiting in the finishing area. He stopped at three different places, including the finish line, to encourage her husband and take pictures. "I'm choking on nothing but thinking about it," he says. "The fact that she came from this stagnant existence to this tremendous personal achievement."

When asked for more details on how his true racing experience compares with what's being played in the film – featured Workaholic Actress Jillian Bell as O'Neill was invited to keep many details secret to avoid confusion. But she was able to share the end of her marathon experience: eating 14 dollars of 16-pound frozen yogurt and falling asleep before the two pizzas she ordered.

"My marathon days are over," says O'Neill. "But I will never stop running, it still brings a lot in my life. And when the New York marathon comes, I'm always on the edge of the hallway to encourage strangers and cry like a fool. "