Jessica Foley to Run Ottawa Half Marathon in Memory of Late Husband Who Died During 2019 Race
Jessica Foley of St. John's is preparing to run the Ottawa Half Marathon this weekend in honor of her late husband, Steven Trickett, who tragically died during the same race in 2019. Trickett, 35, collapsed just minutes from the finish line, and Foley, pregnant with their second child and watching his progress from home, experienced the devastating moment his progress halted.
"My first thought was, 'Oh, he's going to be so mad. His time is going to be off,'" Foley recalled. "And then the next thing I know, I got a phone call and the rest of the day unfolded, not like I'd imagined it would. It just went from a really great day to the worst day of my life."
Trickett, remembered as a kind and genuine soul with a deep love for being a father, never got to complete the race. Now, five years later, Foley is determined to finish what he started.
"I thought it's time that I change my relationship with this weekend and with the race," Foley said. The journey hasn't been easy. Initially, just thinking about the race was difficult, and seeing others running triggered painful memories. However, a CBC documentary about Mike Dawe, a Newfoundlander who completed Ironman triathlons despite battling cancer, inspired her. "I watched the part in the documentary where he crossed the finish line, and something just switched in my head. I said, 'I want that feeling.' I think it's time for me to do it."
Foley is motivated not only by her husband's memory but also by a desire to set an example for her daughters. "I want them to see that we can still do really hard things," she said. "It's been a really challenging five years, and I want them to see that I can still do hard things in the face of everything we've been through."
In addition to honoring Trickett, Foley is raising funds for Playful Mindset, an outdoor, play-based grief support group that helped her and her children after Trickett's death. Remarkably, Playful Mindset's executive director, Marnie Power, shares a personal connection to Foley. During an intake call, Power revealed that she had been running alongside Steven Trickett during the 2019 race and was with him when he died.
"Of course I was in complete shock," Foley said. "But she said, 'We ran more than half that race right next to each other. We never spoke, but we were each other's unofficial pace bunnies, and I was there when he died.' Both of us are still trying to reconcile how this comes full circle almost five years later."
Foley isn't sure what to expect when she crosses the finish line, but she anticipates feeling a mix of accomplishment and pride. "Grief is a really long journey, and I think a lot of our society doesn't see that," she said. "I might be the last person to cross the finish line, but I'm just looking forward to crossing it."
The Ottawa Half Marathon is set to begin on Sunday.
