Coach Janelle & Megan Picard
If you’ve ever met Megan, you know her two great loves: running and coffee, often at the same time. She’s been known to bring her coffee along on her run and somehow avoid any GI disasters (a mystery to us all). And while most runners log a few sentences about their workouts, Megan writes novels, complete with commentary, snack logs, side tangents, and comedic timing that definitely keeps me entertained as her coach.
When she joined Motivated in Motion in July 2023, her very first mindset comment read: “I am a good runner! My body is an asshole.” Honestly, that summed it up perfectly. Our early months were about figuring each other out, learning her rhythms, her love for detail, her Friday “double coffee rest days,” and her ability to analyze every run with precision and humour. But underneath all that wit was a woman chasing something bigger.
Since joining MIM, Megan has checked off some of the most iconic marathons in the world: Berlin, London, Chicago, and Tokyo. Each finish line brought her closer to a dream years in the making, earning her Six-Star Medal. Her final star, Boston, will be the grand finale this April, a race she’s running in support of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
But before that milestone, Megan did something completely new: she left the pavement behind to run The Dark 24-hour ultra. Inspired by her teammates and craving a new kind of challenge, she signed up to “see what her body could do” and ended up covering an incredible 71 kms underground, fueled by determination, humour, and probably just a little bit caffeine.
Her journey is equal parts grit and joy. Megan runs not just for medals, but for what running gives back: strength, mental clarity, and proof that even the toughest goals are worth chasing.
Coach’s Note:
When Megan first mentioned The Dark, I grinned because I knew it would light her up in the best way. She’s the kind of runner who thrives on curiosity. Once something piques her interest, she dives all in, spreadsheets, strategy, route planning, and all. Watching her shift from “maybe someday” to “I’m doing this” felt like the natural next step for her. She didn’t just want distance, she wanted to see what she was made of.
Honestly, it was extremely similar. I had to make a few adjustments to my training “rules”, like my coveted double coffee Fridays and Sunday rest days, I had to give up two or three of them! I had to learn how to eat though and that created loops back to my house in my long runs vs my usual out and back.
Coach’s Note:
Megan is a super structured runner (like most) however; she likes her plans, her coffee, her rest days, and her rhythm. So when I asked her to bend a few of those “training rules,” it was a big deal. She didn’t just adjust, she adapted. And that’s where her growth showed. She leaned even further into listening to her body, trusting the change in fuelling, and found just a little bit of new freedom in flexibility. So proud of her!
The Dark 24 is such a flexible ultra. It gave me a place to try running more than a marathon without any limits. You can run one lap or 300 laps. You can stop as much as you want, there are no cut-offs, and no DNFs - I could try and see what my body will do and always be just a few meters from being able to rest.
And thankfully so!
Also — the grill. Burgers and waffles!
Coach’s Note:
I felt like The Dark would be a perfect fit for Megan. It’s organized chaos (kind of like her haha). The race would be part science experiment, part mental test and it rewards runners who pay attention to detail. That’s her superpower. She finds calm in analyzing, planning, and adjusting, yet she still finds joy in some of the more the absurd moments :P.
My pacing looked nothing like my goal. But I found a groove after five laps; running 250m and walking 250m; and I did that for 7.5 hours. I ate every 30 minutes (protein: turkey wrapped around cheese and hummus, protein bars, trail mix, pickles, olives, and bananas) but didn’t sit down at all.
Once I hit halfway, I took a seat, changed clothes, and had a bigger snack; about 10–15 minutes; then went back to walking.
This next part of the race gets blurry. I walked and ran and walked for a while with another runner, then started running again. I switched from music to a TV show in my ear to distract my mind from the pain in my feet. Which wasn’t terrible but there.
In this second half, I walked a lot more and took three-minute sit breaks every 30 minutes — five or six loops, then sit, eat, visit with other runners, and go again. Then the wind took the wind out of my sails; literally! When the rest area blew away, I didn’t know how to adjust. Those little breaks had been my purpose for every 30 minute push, and I couldn’t figure out how to keep going through the pain without them.
I was also at peak pain and had hit 50 km, so I pushed through to 60 km and decided that since I’d passed my C goal and my B goal of becoming an ultramarathoner and was only 20 km from my A goal, I’d accept 60 km as a win after ~12hours20min.
As you coach already knows, I rested at the hotel and came back around 6 a.m. I wasn’t sure what would happen. I started walking three loops and then began running 250m again. I was on fire! I did the 250m run/walk for 1 hour and 50 minutes to finish another 11 km — no breaks this time.
Coach’s Note:
I’ll never forget checking in on Megan during those early laps. Every time she passed, she looked so steady, calm, methodical, almost peaceful. She was seriously in her element and that grin on her face was telling me everything I needed to know in the moment. It was also extra special to know her hubby was in the mine with her cheering her on every lap! I could tell it was a spark that she needed.
The time went by sooooo fast in the mine! The three-minute breaks were the perfect little regroup/rest that fueled each 30-minute interval. The biggest surprise was how great my body felt after 14 hours of running. I thought for sure I'd need a wheelchair - but I actually felt really good.
I run all my training runs alone, so having a lot of people I know around at the start was a bit disorienting. But during the race, cheering on my teammates and them cheering me on was amazing. Hearing their struggles and wins was comforting and energizing.
Being together — all challenging ourselves at different levels with different goals, yet sharing the same spirit It reminded me that even in the hardest moments, we’re never really alone.
Coach’s Note:
Megan usually trains solo, so watching her feed off the team’s energy at The Dark was really special. She went from quiet focus to full-on encourager, cheering others between loops, chatting in our snack zone, and showing up for everyone. That’s the spirit of Motivated in Motion right there. With the majority of the running team living in Calgary it was so cool to run with her and even more cool was everyone celebrating her when she hit the ultramarathon distance!!
I’ve got lots more miles in me! I can “shuffle sprint” the end of an ultramarathon too, not just the last mile of a marathon.
I also learned that keeping my running fun is more important to me than hitting the goal. Running 44 miles was fun the entire time!
Becoming an ultramarathoner was my B goal, and hitting 50 km — then 60 km — was the reason I could stop when things went sideways and still be okay with it. Honestly, I was proud, and then I wanted to go farther LOL
I run for fun and for my mental health. So, I only want to run if it’s still fun — and still improving my mental health.
This is a long story!
In 2016, I quit smoking after 28 years. I started walking with a neighbour around our crescent. One day, I was out alone and began running between electrical poles. I liked it. I found myself releasing stress and tension out there running and I felt great afterward.
I just kept increasing the number of poles until I could run 5K, then 10K, and then my first half marathon in 2019. I chose the Canmore Half because it was on my dad’s birthday. My dad passed away from diabetes in 2017 after losing both his lower legs to the disease, and I fully appreciate how much running is a gift.
Other runners had told me how many people cheer at these races and how much I’d love it! I ran and finished the Canmore Half, and it felt amazing. I’m a slow runner — I finished in 2:45 on a 3-hour course. They were already taking down the finish line as I ran in, and my friend who drove down with me was the only person cheering. But I was so proud and happy to finish that very hilly half!
Thankfully for Facebook algorithms (not something I normally say, lol), that November I was scrolling and saw a video of an atypical runner crossing the finish line of the New York City Marathon. She was the last finisher and there were hundreds of people cheering, with ABC News covering it! I thought, I want to run THAT race, where the last, slowest runner is so celebrated!
That’s how my journey began. I signed up through the Team for Kids charity to support young runners in New York for the 2020 marathon… which of course got delayed to 2021. I got to train for an extra year!
This is a hard one; each marathon had its own incredible memories, especially since I’ve traveled the world for them! But really, there’s nothing like the first.
The New York City Marathon is huge! There were 33,000 runners in 2021, reduced for COVID, but social distancing didn’t stop tens of thousands of people from lining the streets, cheering, and high-fiving runners. There were signs saying “Run, stranger, run!” and people in costumes, bands playing, music everywhere. It was a party from beginning to end.
And the finish! Who hasn’t wanted to be in Central Park in the fall? It was such a surreal, beautiful feeling, like being at home in a place I’d never been before.
It was also the 50th NYC Marathon, so I got to see so many legends who had run that race before cheering us on in the last 400 metres. Writing this out makes me relive it all, it was just amazing.
Boston! The elusive, infamous, prestigious Boston! I saved Boston for last.
I love the history of the marathon, from the very first race that ended in Marathon, Greece, to the 1896 Olympics, and then Boston, the oldest annual marathon, which began in 1897 with just 15 runners and 10 finishers. This year marks the 130th Boston Marathon.
Running Boston means becoming part of running history. I’ll be joining the ranks of some of the first marathoners!
My sixth star will be a lifetime milestone, proof that I can achieve big goals and do really hard things. That discipline, pushing through the pain so you can enjoy the rest of the race and the incredible finish — that’s how I want to live my life. There’s always hope in the pain, and on the other side of pain, there’s so much love and peace.
Coach’s Note:
Boston will be the perfect grand finale for Megan’s marathon chapter and I'm so excited for her to experience this victory lap. She’s earned every start line, every finish, and every hard lesson between them. Seeing her take on that iconic course as both an ultramarathoner and a Six-Star finisher feels like the most fitting celebration possible. I couldn't be more proud of her.
I’m running the Boston Marathon for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, through the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC). Every dollar raised goes directly to innovative cancer research. The kind that gives patients and families more hope, more time, and better outcomes.
I chose Dana-Farber because I’ve seen how deeply cancer touches lives, in my own circles and beyond. Running has always been my way of coping and finding strength through challenges, and this felt like a way to turn that strength outward — to do something good with it.
For me, every mile is about more than just running. It’s about hope, resilience, and encouraging others to keep fighting when things feel impossible.
The best way to support is by donating directly to my Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge fundraising page — every dollar goes straight to cancer research that changes lives. Even small donations make a difference.
Beyond donations, I would love for people to share the story, talk about Dana-Farber, cheer on the runners. Every bit of encouragement helps keep this mission moving forward.
I know you’re scared of failing. I know there are going to be hard days and hard miles — but you’ll crush them. You’ll get through every single one and be better for it on the other side. You’re going to love every part of it!
Coach’s Note:
Megan has this wonderful habit of turning my own advice right back on me when I’m training for my own races. She’ll quote something I’ve said word for word, usually when I need to hear it most, and it always makes me smile. That’s just who she is: thoughtful, encouraging, and never too focused on her own goals to cheer for someone else’s. Every Friday, during our team’s Race Round Up, she’s the first to celebrate everyone’s wins and get ready to track every teammate on race day (sometimes she's even a day early tracking people haha). She reminds all of us that running is about more than miles, it’s about showing up for each other, again and again.
Set goals so f@!king high that failure still puts you ahead of everyone else.
What that really means is: you’ve already won by trying. Focus on the fun of the journey, the highs of that fastest training run, the lows of that injury or setback. Every part of it makes you stronger and makes the rest of life just a little easier.
Don’t give up, because you will hit your goal. And along the way, you might realize the goal was never just about the finish line — it was about doing something that made you happy to give it your all. And when you do that, you’ll probably get pretty close…..
Last words from Megan...
I wouldn’t be able to keep running without so much MIM team support, my amazing coach, my incredible husband and all the physio, massage, acupuncture and osteo ! Cause ultimately my body is still an asshole. :P
Megan’s story is proof that running is about so much more than distance or medals. It’s about connection, courage, and finding joy in the process, even when it’s dark, windy, or fuelled mostly by caffeine and stubbornness.
She’s the runner who cheers for everyone else while quietly chasing massive goals of her own. From her first 5K between telephone poles to 71 kilometers underground, she’s turned every challenge into something worth celebrating. And now, as she heads toward Boston for her final World Major and runs for a cause bigger than herself, she carries that same light that’s lifted so many around her. I hope you will all support her whether its sharing her journey or helping her fundraiser.
Megan’s a true gem on the team and she never stops showing up for others, or herself.
