Kylie Vitukevich started a running group in Southern Maryland from scratch in 2024, and now she and several members will run in the Marine Corps Marathon.
When a mom of three and Navy veteran moved to Southern Maryland, she turned to pounding the pavement and started her own running group to build friendships and train for her first marathon.
Kylie Vitukevich moved to Leonardtown, Maryland, from Hawaii with her Navy reservist husband in 2022. She had just left the Navy after serving for eight years.
After having her third child shortly after moving, she started running during her free time, a hobby she never thought she would do.
“I was always that person in high school that would cut across the track and not finish the mile run in PE,” Vitukevich told WTOP. “But I didn’t really have anything for me, and I needed that outlet of something to do.”
She was inspired by her sister-in-law, who had completed the Boston Marathon a few times, and decided to look for an all-women running group.
“I didn’t really have any friends in the area. I didn’t know anyone that ran at all,” she said. “And although I do live in a very safe area, I just did not feel comfortable running on my own. I didn’t really know where to run.”
But she couldn’t find a running group anywhere.
