Orly Hakimi

129th BOSTON 💙💛🦄 Marathon Monday: it’s hard to find the right words for a day that felt like it was sprinkled with fairy dust. Magical? Absolutely. A dream? More than that. Arriving to Hopkinton. Getting to the start line. Crossing that historic start line. Where all the legends, all the historic figures, and top elites have started. It was finally mine to start. My only “game plan” was to soak in the moment. Everything felt new, yet so familiar—like I’d run this course for years through a TV screen. But this time, I was living it. Every step, every mile, with my feet, heart, and soul. I tried my best to go slow. Not to burn out. Used the porta potties three times. Very unlike me. But who cares?! I wasn’t going for time. Only to cross the finish line before 5:30pm to be able to have an official time and have my third star count officially for the Abbot World Marathon Majors. I took a lot of photos. Very unlike me. But I did. I kissed all the Wellesley girls. Had beers with the Boston College boys. Fist-pumped all the kids. FaceTimed my nieces and nephews three to four times. Showed them what I was seeing. Got so much boost from them! @interiors86 When I saw Jocelyn @joselinthewarrior in the first 5K, I told her seeing her was going to be my lucky charm. I was not wrong. I knew I had to tackle the Newton Hills and of course, the famous Heartbreak Hill. The first hill felt easy. So did the second hill. And by the time I crested Heartbreak, I looked back at the banner and thought, that was IT? That wasn’t too bad. It felt easy. Like a cold glass of water on a hot summer day! @caliragan With less than 5 miles to go, I looked at my watch and was shocked at how fast I was going. But with every mile, a PR seemed more and more likely. But I didn’t come to Boston to PR?! Or did I? Rest of caption in the comments 👇🏼

Reflections on 2024: This year began with a fleeting sense of freedom, only to be met with destruction almost immediately after. I did epic things I only dreamt about—things I’ll likely never speak of—but they left me feeling more alone, more depressed, and more devastated than ever before. In the process, my heart and soul were shattered beyond recognition, and I found myself standing at the edge, staring down at a cliff with nothing but pain. I lost more than I thought I could bear. I sacrificed so much of myself. I was forced to give up everything. And I cried—more than I have in all my years combined. I heard the most vile, soul-crushing words spoken to me and about me. I watched as it felt like a coalition of Orly haters society grew right in front of my eyes. Isolation became my shadow. The pain has been unbearable. So much so that even my therapist and I are now exploring whether I fall somewhere on a spectrum—searching for answers. But no diagnosis, no condition, no mistake I’ve ever made could ever justify the cruelty I’ve endured. The punishment hasn’t fit the crime. Earlier this month, I came close to giving it all up—not because I don’t want to live; I do. I just want this pain to stop. The only thing that kept me here was my Dad. He’s the reason I’m holding on longer. So before anyone judges me, assumes, criticizes, or dismisses me to throw me away like garbage, I hope they take a moment to consider the weight of their actions and words. You never know the battles someone else is fighting. What I’ve faced this year broke me beyond repair. My story nearly ended on December 9th. But I’m still here—by the thinnest thread. I survived 2024 by the skin of my teeth. But I don’t want to simply survive anymore. 2025 has to be different. I refuse to live another year barely holding on. Please, be kind. You have no idea what someone’s smile might be hiding.

The run that officially made me a Multiple ULTRA Marathon Runner! The peak of training came at a time when my world came crashing down on me. I put all my heart and soul into running for months. Never trained harder or more consistently. It became medicine. And it paid off. It paid off big! Over one hour PR (personal record)! The distance always has to be respected, but I didn’t hit the wall. It was painful, but I stayed strong. It wasn’t easy, but I was fueling right and stuck with my game plan. Two years ago I came to Catalina Island and had a terrible run. This was the REDEMPTION I’ve been waiting for two years. And I did it and made myself proud. I wanted my tears to be for the finish line, not during the run. And boy did I cry buckets at the finish line. It was beautiful! Thank you, @coach_davidlevine for your constant wisdom. YES, “volume” is key! Thank you, @adidasrunners and @martinltorres for allowing me to join a few critical training runs with you! Huge shoutout to the AmBOSSador and rockstar @thegutsyrunner for a kickass performance and coming back to cheer me on at the finish line and capturing the video. Thank you, @mindamasta and @joselinthewarrior for fueling me! Thank you, @wrightsock for your support and a BLISTER-FREE run for some 33 miles without any tape – just the Wrightsock! You guys are heroes! Thank you, @sorayag_777 for my friendship bracelet that reminded me to “Keep Going” Major congratulations to all the brave souls who had the courage to line up at the starting line and the heart to get to the finish line; especially all the first-timers! Last but not least, my forever pusher (now from afar) and bestie, @stephanie.gardiner.fitness for getting me into running ultras. It wasn’t the same without you. But you were in my heart and head! Distance: 32.28 miles (52 kilometers) Ascend: 4,544 feet Time: 8:27:07 (official is gun time not chip time) Temps: perfect! . . . . . #PersianGirlRunner #MedalMonday #UltraRunner #UltraMarathon #Avalon50 #Avalon50K #IcanDoHardThings #KeepGoing #Marathoner #ThereIsNoFinishLine #MyWrightsock

Trails are medicine. Nature helps. Community is important. And SoCal Trails @socaltrail is family. Thank you, Daniel @blindhund for letting me join the very last minute, and for the Mother’s Day flowers. Pamela @pamelaericaprice your recognition of my caretaking means the world to me 🧡🧡 Nothing more cathartic than dousing the trails with cleansing tears 🥲⛰️

May is Mental Health Awareness Month 🦋 Here is your reminder that depression can be masked behind the biggest smiles. Anxiety can carry accolades and achievements. Hopelessness can look like celebration. Grief Loss Pain Trauma Anger Loneliness Tears Intrusive Thoughts Overwhelm Spectrum Heartbreak Discard And many more — can look like winning in life. Please be gentle. Choose kindness even to the happiest ones you see. You never know what that smile is carrying.

It wasn’t Bear Hunting at the OC Marathon this year, since Bearsun @iambearsun is taking some time off, but I had all my emotional support system ready during this extremely difficult time. Thank you, Hoag OC Marathon @ocmarathon for allowing me to represent this season as your Ambassador. OC is one of my absolute favorite half courses in the Southland and I’ll always return to take in the beauty of this town. Thank you, Rudy Nnovotny @rudynovotny and Fitz Koehler @fitzness for all the love and support over the years. Special thanks and huge shoutout to Robert Cruz @justrunrob for making sure I cross the finish line and not fall apart. We have stories to tell and we need our podcast soon! OC Marathon 5K + OC Half = Combo Crush Medal Monday! This one I call OC [ULTRA] Half 🩷💛🧡❤️ Emergency bathroom detour added 1/3 mile and extra six minutes. But for that, it very well would have been a CR (course record) with absolutely no training since February… the body remembers 🥹

Boston 💙💛🦄 It took 10 posts to complete this experience series. A perfect 10 for a perfect race on a perfect day! Happy Boston Monday and I finally get to share my B2B (Boston 2 Big Sur) Medal Monday. Per usual, I got up early to watch the broadcast of the 130th Boston Marathon on ESPN this morning. After two plus decades of this ritual, I watched it for the first time not crying out of yearning, I cried with memories. I cried knowing my own feet had the privilege of gracing those streets. I remembered every corner, every step, every moment, and I hope to one day return to that magical city that finally made me a unicorn! If I never get this honor again, I’m happy I got this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

How much can a heart break and still survive? 💚🤍❤️‍🩹

Show up for the ones who always show up for you. Thank you for being my person, Keriann @keriannengle . Love you and wish you the best day and year ahead! 4️⃣3️⃣🎂🏃🏻‍♀️🐕🏃🏻‍♀️💨

🎂4️⃣9️⃣🎂 Since the ASICS Los Angeles Marathon @lamarathon didn’t end up throwing a birthday party for me this year, I did my own thing. Part 1: Rockin’ Shamrock 5K @abetterworldrunning in the morning with the girls! First time ever with this s organization, and I loved everything about it! HUGE SHOUTOUT to Keriann @keriannengle for her incredible support and rocking the “FREE IRAN” shirt for me! 💚🤍❤️ Part 2: First attempt at a HYROX Training Club @hyroxsfvrunclub ! Everything hurts, AND I LOVE IT! Thanks to Chris @christopher_anthony for not giving up on me and my partner @cathy_ale who kept reminding me that “This is Day One!” I couldn’t have done it without you! 💪🏽💪🏽 Part 3: Dinner courtesy of Keriann and a closure of a twenty-month spiritual journey. The vegetarian era is no more 🍔🍟🍨 And above all: FREE IRAN 🦁☀️

There’s definitely some disappointment in not completing the full 26.2 on Sunday. But when I shift my perspective, I realize I got to experience things I otherwise never would have. Running a few seconds alongside the elite field. Sharing finish-line moments with Bearsun. And hey, Ma… look! I’m on TV! 📺🏃🏻‍♀️ @lamarathon @mccourtfoundation @laroadrunners @highshotcinematics @iambearsun @studentsrunla

When plans change, you change the story and shift the mindset. Choosing to run the Half Marathon course turned out to be an incredible experience. Because of the course routes and timing, I ended up running parts of it almost completely solo. It felt meditative. Then suddenly, I was sharing the road with the elite field and even got to watch Paul Johnson @pauijohnson drive the media vehicle @highshotcinematics . Surreal. For the first time, I experienced what a truly clean course feels like. As a middle-to-back-of-the-pack runner, by the time we reach aid stations later in the race, the ground is usually covered with cups and the remnants of what transpired ahead of us. This time the path was pristine for most of the run. Crowds were packed. And it was glorious ✨✨ I also got to see some my faster friends doing their thing in their element—Mario @mario_runs , Min @mindamasta , Smalls @smalls26.2 , Hamid, Young @youngrams —and even caught Bearsun @iambearsun in Hollywood. When else would I have had that opportunity? I got to see the race through their eyes, and it was simply amazing 💨💨 The last few miles though, tested everything in me. For the first time, my favorite cheer crew—my nieces and nephews—weren’t there. My corner was empty, and it broke my heart. But my Baba was there, and that meant everything. The heat started getting to me and I walked a lot over the last two miles. Carrying my flag reminded me why I was out there, and it gave me a small second wind 💚🤍❤️ Coach David @coach_davidlevine and my friend Jackie @jackieval10 graced me with a Half Marathon medal [tiny snafu] at the finish. How cool is it to be adorned by your friend? And the best part? I got to catch the Bear at the finish line 🐻☀️🎉 How often does that happen?! Happy International Women’s Day + Medal Monday!! And congratulations to everyone who braved the conditions no matter what distance. Thank you, @lamarathon @mccourtfoundation @laroadrunners for a memorable season.