More Than a Marathon: Priscilla Pulido and Her Journey with Team DetermiNation

Priscilla Pulido began running on a whim in 2022 after spotting a sign for the 10K during Madison Marathon race weekend. On a spontaneous impulse, she and a friend signed up for the race and made a pact to train together. In a story as old as the sport itself, once she crossed the finish line of that first race, Priscilla was hooked. She registered for the half marathon the following year as soon as registration opened and hasn’t looked back since. This year, she’ll line up at the 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon representing Team DetermiNation for the American Cancer Society.

Priscilla’s favorite part of marathon training is pushing herself to stay consistent and showing up week after week. She also values the friendships forged through Fleet Feet Training.

Priscilla has participated in three Fleet Feet Training programs, Winter Warriors, Spring Training, and Summer Training, out of the Elmhurst location. She trained with the 11-minute long run pace group and loves the “Elevens” crew she gets to train alongside. For her, getting to know everyone and sharing the training experience has been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.

Summer Training played a huge role in preparing her for marathon race day. One long run, in particular, stands out: Priscilla was struggling and wasn’t sure she was going to finish. Coach Katie helped her adjust her approach mid-run and gave her strategies to work through it, which made all the difference and helped her finish strong.

Marathon training comes with many challenges. For Priscilla, one of the hardest parts is how time-consuming training can be. It takes planning, discipline, and time management to balance training, recovery, and everyday life. When training days get tough, she reminds herself that the work put in today pays off later. She likes to think the pain experienced today means less pain tomorrow, and that every hard run is building toward race day. Over time, running has taught Priscilla to show up even when things feel hard and to trust the process.

Priscilla’s running journey led her to the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon representing the American Cancer Society as part of Team DetermiNation, and she’s returning in 2026 for the same cause. The American Cancer Society is the leading cancer-fighting organization, working to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. Their mission is to improve the lives of people with cancer and ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.

Priscilla first ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2024, but she didn’t feel prepared and didn’t finish in the way she had hoped. In 2025, she decided to give it another go and put in the effort the marathon distance deserves. Around that time, her colleague Megan Kreft signed up to run through the American Cancer Society and served as team co-captain of “Megs and Friends on a Mission.”