By Patrick Prince
Media and Communications Editor

Julie Bunting was a month away from achieving a dream when tragedy struck.

It was September 2025, and Julie, a teaching assistant in the Primary School, was making final preparations for the New York City Marathon when she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) playing soccer. Sadly, it wasn’t the first time she had torn an ACL.

No one could have blamed Julie for giving up on that dream. After all, she had been a college soccer player at the University of Tulsa and had already completed other marathons. She had accomplished so much in her athletic career.

But none of that mattered. She wanted to run the NYC Marathon. She knew the road back wouldn’t be easy, and it wasn’t. She went from being unable to walk after surgery to running 26.2 miles a year later. It was a lesson in focus, determination and will.

“I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I’ve always been someone who thrives when I have a goal to work toward,” Julie said. “Having that marathon on the calendar gave me something bigger to focus on during the long, sometimes frustrating days of physical therapy. Every little milestone felt like one step closer to NYC.”

Immediately after injuring her right knee, Julie faced a difficult decision: attempt to run with a torn ACL and risk further damage or have surgery and give up everything she had trained for.

“After talking with my doctor, we decided surgery was the best option,” she said. “I deferred my marathon entry to 2026, knowing that NYC only allows you to defer once. Right then, I made a promise to myself that I would be on that starting line in 2026.”

Adding to her determination was the fact that, since the trip was already planned, she attended the 2025 NYC Marathon with her daughter.

A month after surgery, Julie was in New York for the first time and watched the marathon. It was an experience she will never forget.

“Seeing 60,000-plus runners from all walks of life, different backgrounds, different stories, all coming together to tackle the same 26.2 miles was incredible,” Julie said. “And seeing the energy of the crowds, complete strangers cheering their hearts out for people they had never met, was so moving.

“I remember thinking, I have to get back here next year. I have to experience this from the other side. That trip really solidified my determination. I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me, but I also knew exactly what I was working toward.”

Her determination was never in question, but whether she could physically run a marathon was another matter.

In high school, Julie tore her left ACL but recovered and went on to play soccer at the University of Tulsa. She was no stranger to the recovery process.

“Having been through it once before, I knew I could do it again,” she said. “But this time, 25 years older, with a husband, kids, a business, and a job, I knew the challenges would look a lot different. Finding the time and energy to commit to another long recovery wasn’t going to be easy. But I also knew how rewarding it could be to come out on the other side.”

Rehabilitation proved challenging.

“Even before surgery, your muscle just atrophies immediately,” Julie said. “And your leg is like way smaller. Then you wake up from surgery in a ton of pain and just getting your range of motion back, it’s crazy hard.”

When she first started running again, she could manage only about 50 yards. By February, she had run 1.9 miles total. By the end of March, she had reached 10 miles. It was impressive progress, but she still had a long way to go before reaching marathon distance. Fortunately, the race wasn’t until November.

Beyond her personal motivation, there was another driving factor.

She wanted to set an example for her two children, Ellie, 7th grade, and Solomon, 10th grade, both attend Holland Hall.

“I genuinely enjoy setting goals, challenging myself, and putting in the work to accomplish something that isn’t easy,” Julie said. “It’s just part of who I am, and it brings me a lot of joy and fulfillment. But I think it was also something bigger than just running another marathon.

“My kids are watching. They’re watching how I respond when things don’t go as planned, when something is hard, or when life throws an unexpected obstacle in the way. I want them to see that setbacks don’t have to be the end of the story. I want them to know that in life, worthwhile things often take hard work, patience, and perseverance.

“I hope they see that you don’t have to stop setting big goals just because life gets busy, you get older, or things don’t go according to plan. Sometimes the most rewarding accomplishments are the ones you have to fight a little harder for.”

As the 2026 NYC Marathon approached, Julie still hadn’t run anywhere near marathon distance. Her longest training run leading up to the race was 15 miles.
She had set a goal of finishing in less than four hours, but, in reality, she wasn’t sure she would be able to finish.

“When my quads started cramping around mile 18 and I knew I had eight more miles to go, there were moments I genuinely questioned whether my legs would take another step or if they would completely cramp up on me. I just kept saying to myself, ‘One more step,’” she said.

Not only did she finish, but she did so in less than four hours — 3 hours, 54 minutes and 44 seconds, to be exact. It was her sixth completed marathon. She was the second Holland Hall teacher to run the 2026 NYC Marathon, joining dance teacher Tyne Shillingford.

When Julie crossed the finish line, she was in tears.

“I think it was just the overwhelming culmination of everything I had been through over the past year,” she said. “I felt an incredible mix of joy, gratitude, and honestly, relief. Going into the race, I really didn’t know if my body could handle 26.2 miles. My recovery had limited my training significantly compared to previous marathons. Mentally, I knew I was ready, but physically, there were still so many unknowns.

“Crossing that finish line, all those emotions came pouring out. I thought about how far I’d come, how hard I’d worked, and all the people who helped me get there. My family, friends, physical therapists, coworkers, and even the complete strangers along the course who looked me in the eyes and told me I could do it. I just felt incredibly blessed and grateful that I was able to finish and prove to myself that I could overcome something difficult and accomplish a goal that a year ago felt so far away.

“I’ve run several marathons, but I don’t think any finish line has ever meant more to me than this one.”