Porpiglia runs to ‘Majors’ milestone | News, Sports, Jobs

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From the left, Judy Porpiglia and Holly Griffith show off their medals after completing the London Marathon in October.

This is the final week before the New Year, but we would be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the efforts of area resident Judy Porpiglia.

In October, the director of operations for Howard Hanna Holt Real Estate ran the London Marathon, which allowed her to complete the Abbott World Marathon Majors series that also includes New York, Chicago, Boston, Tokyo and Berlin.

“I should have run London back in April of 2020 for my final sixth star,” Porpiglia said, “but with (the) shutdown for COVID the marathon was canceled and I just had the opportunity to compete this year.”

Porpiglia was accompanied by area resident, friend and training partner Holly Griffith, who now has completed three of the six races (Chicago, Berlin and London).

“London is very difficult to gain entry,” Porpiglia said. “We both fundraised for the American Cancer Society to secure our entry. Between Holly and I, we raised over $20,000. We would like to say a special thank you to all who made donations and helped with fundraising efforts. This is the only race we have ever had to fundraise for and we can’t express how much we appreciate the generosity of our family, friends and run family.”

Porpiglia and Griffith also had support on the London trip from Porpiglia’s husband, Mike, and friend and fellow runner Nichelle Carlberg, who have attended all the races and served as the “pit crew.”

Porpiglia completed her first World Major in 2015, while Griffith completed her first in 2018.