Long Beach grandmother gives back to charity through marathon racing

Most grandmothers don’t go from baking cookies to running marathons.

But then again, most grandmothers aren’t like Long Beach resident Frances McGill, who shared just how many big races she’s competed in.

“I’ve done two full marathons and 18 half-marathons,” McGill said.

The retired special education teacher started training for these endurance races at the age of 50. At first, it was just a fun hobby for McGill and her fellow teachers.

“A group of teachers at our school all thought it would be a lot of fun to do a half-marathon, and we just trained and trained, and we all went together,” McGill said. “It was in Nashville, we had a great time.”

Now, two decades later, she’s raced… a lot. But for McGill, shiny medals and high placements aren’t the goal: she runs for a much bigger reason. It all started when she began fundraising for and competing in the St. Jude Half-Marathon. McGill said that one moment from the race still stands out in her mind.

“One thing that is so touching… when I did a race in Memphis, we ran by the St. Jude Hospital,” McGill said. “Of course, children with cancer could not be out there, but you could see some in the windows. And the parents lined the streets and called out, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you’ to all the runners. It touched me that those parents were out there appreciating us… what they go through.”

McGill’s next race will be a half-marathon in Cardiff, Wales. This race serves as a tribute to her grandmother, who came to the United States from the European country.

“Both my grandmothers are immigrants — one from England, one from Wales,” McGill said. “I was reading about this online and I thought, ‘That would be great to go to Wales and see where my grandmother came from. She actually lived in Cardiff.”

It’s safe to say that McGill is already inspiring the next generation of runners… including one who calls her Grandma.

“My grandson Maddox — his name is Maddox Blue McGill — he’s a very, very fast runner,” McGill said. “Six years old… I think he’s one of the fastest in his grade, so he’s proud of me.”