“Once August hits,” Borja says, “we’ll be finalizing our wedding plans so things should all come together. Then my main focus will be the [Chicago] marathon. I’m focusing on one thing at a time.”

It helps that Borja’s fiancé, Sean Harrington, is also a runner. They met on the Sports Backers team last summer. “Sean is a constant source of encouragement,” Borja says. In fact, she adds, “Sean has been great with wedding plans, and probably has done more of the planning than I have.” It’s clear that running plays a vital role in Borja’s life. But growing up in upstate New York, she was a swimmer first and a runner second. And after college, Borja gravitated towards other things—backpacking in Asia and Australia, getting her Masters degree in Early Childhood Special Education at Virginia Commonwealth University, and building a career as a teacher. But in 1999, after coaching some school track teams, she turned to running again.

Now Borja is a seasoned marathoner. But how did she go from jogging twice a week to running over 26 miles in one pop? “In 2001, I met a great group from American Family Fitness that I began training with for my first half-marathon,” Borja says. “After crossing the finish line, I swore that I would never run another.” But she couldn’t stay away. In 2004, with the Sports Backers Marathon Training Team, she ran the Richmond Marathon and qualified for the Boston Marathon.

According to Borja, the people in her life have made all the difference. There’s Sean, her fiancé; and her family, who flew to both Boston (2005) and Chicago (2006) to see her run. Then there are her running buddies. “Having my friends to run with is amazing,” Borja says. “They are the ones to get me out of bed in the morning.”

And she uses a coach, Fernando Braz. “Not only has he helped my race times improve, he is a continual source of support and encouragement,” Borja says. Braz, who’s in the Boston area, works with athletes of all levels, including a few who have qualified for the 2008 Olympic trials. With Braz’s help, Borja hopes to finish the Chicago Marathon this year in less than three hours—a personal record. These days, Borja helps other runners reach their goals, too. Because of running, Borja says, “I feel like a better person. It gives me more energy. I just want to get out there and do more for others in the community.”

She’ll be doing just that when she supports runners for the Sports Backers Marathon Training Team in the Richmond Marathon. And Borja recently co-founded a competitive running team, the RVA Runners, with Sean Cusack and Greg Roth. Most of their 40 members are also part of the Richmond Road Runner’s Club. “We just wanted to add a group to the area that had more specific training goals in mind,” she says.

There’s no question that Borja is leading a big life, especially in the next few months—with two marathons and a wedding. Even so, Borja finds herself continually inspired by other people’s big lives. She says, “I know how much effort it takes for me to get out running. So when I see others with families and kids and full-time jobs out there, that is truly amazing.”SBQ