Nikki Blockhan is competing in Bloomsday for the first time to prove her childhood teacher wrong.
Her teacher told her she wasn't cut out for running when she was 13 years old.
That one comment stuck with her for 30 years until she decided to start running again.
She started training in January on the trails in the Kootenai Wildlife Refuge.
Initially, she could only run for about 2 minutes at a time, but now she can do 12 minutes.
She documented her journey on Instagram and shared her milestones with her followers.
Registering for her first Bloomsday race pushed Blockhan to stick with running and prepared her for the big race.
She has changed her mind about running and found that she genuinely loves it.
Bloomsday is a popular annual race held in Spokane, Washington.
Blockhan's story is an example of the power of perseverance and determination to overcome past beliefs and achieve personal goals.