The death of Mónica Martinich shook the running community. She was 38 years old, a mother of two, and she was training to fulfill one of her major athletic goals: running the Chicago Marathon.
Two days before her death, the athlete had shared a recording in which she spoke precisely about what occupied much of her life: running. As hours passed, those images resurfaced and her words took on a special meaning among those who bid her farewell today.
In one of the messages that remained recorded, Mónica expressed a phrase that today trembles in light of the context in which it was spoken: “I refuse to die before knowing all the potential my body holds”.
The phrase was recovered after her death and began circulating on social networks, where many of her followers and other runners found in those words a final expression of the passion with which she faced her challenges.
“I am much happier since I started running”
In another video released by the Team WeRunGye, the group with which she was training for the Chicago Marathon, Mónica also spoke about what running meant in her life.
Asked about her relationship with sport, she replied with emotion: “100%. I am much happier since I started running”.
The recording was part of an interview about her preparation for the race and the sacrifices involved in training for a 42-kilometer event. Mónica spoke there about effort, discipline, and the satisfaction she found on the path toward that goal.
She had also shared another reflection about training: “You’re running, even if it hurts, even if it costs, you go and that’s it”, a phrase that captured the determination with which she approached preparations for her first marathon.
The dream of running the Chicago Marathon
Mónica belonged to a group of runners from Guayaquil and was preparing to participate for the first time in the Chicago Marathon, one of the world’s most renowned long-distance races.
Her training was part of a routine she routinely shared on social media. There she showed races, competitions, and various moments of her athletic preparation. On Friday, September 4, that routine ended in tragedy.
The tragedy occurred during a training
Mónica set out to train with two other people on the road to Samborondón, in Ecuador. The group also had a support vehicle accompanying the route.
Early in the morning, a pickup truck struck the runner at kilometer 3 of the Samborondón road. The driver left the scene after the impact.
Mónica’s death sparked a strong shock among runners in the area and triggered calls for clarification. The mayor of Samborondón, Juan José Yúnez, announced that surveillance camera recordings would be handed over to authorities to assist the investigation.
Una frase que hoy tiene otro significado
Mónica spoke of running as a source of happiness and as a way to discover her own limits. She did so while preparing for a challenge she ultimately could not fulfill.
That is why her words from those final days resurfaced after her death. Not because they anticipated what would happen, but because today they allow us to hear again her talking about what she loved most.
“I refuse to die before fully knowing all the potential my body holds”, she had said.
Two days later, Mónica died while doing precisely what she had chosen as part of her life: running.
