Katherine Morikawa’s passion for running went from zero to 13.1 miles in roughly a year’s time.
“I actually started running last year,” Katherine, the wife of two-time major champion golfer Collin Morikawa, recently told The Post. “I read [runner] David Goggins’ book, ‘Can’t Hurt Me,’ and I decided to try to run one mile thinking, ‘Oh, I’m pretty fit, I could probably do it.’ Could not run one mile without walking, and that’s when I told myself, ‘Okay, I will start running to at least be able to run one mile without walking.’”
One mile gradually turned into a 5K (3.1 miles) and eventually 13.1 miles, which she ran in November 2023 for her first half-marathon, Run Malibu.
Upon falling “in love with running” after that event, Katherine “signed up for a couple more half-marathons,” including February’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series in Las Vegas. But it wasn’t until the spring that Katherine pondered her biggest challenge yet: completing a full 26.2-mile marathon.
“Someone asked me if I only do things halfway,” she said, laughing. “Only running half-marathons and not going all the way full, and that was when I’m like, ‘Okay, maybe I’ll try to do a full one,’ and from then on, just kind of jumped right into it.”
Enter Sunday’s TCS New York City Marathon, the annual 26.2-mile event spanning the boroughs where Katherine will be running as a St. Jude Hero, helping raise awareness about childhood cancer while fundraising on behalf of St. Jude’s children and their families.
“I told myself I’m going to do it, I’m going to do a big one,” she said. “Everyone I talk to, they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, the crowds are amazing, you’re running through such an iconic city.’”
Considered one of the six World Marathon Majors, along with the Tokyo, London, Boston, Chicago and Berlin marathons, Katherine enlisted the help of a coach to train for New York, with Collin, 27, also getting in on the action — albeit on two wheels.
“We were in Vancouver a few weeks ago so I did ride around on her 16-miler, which was awesome to just kind of watch her do her thing,” Collin told The Post.
The PGA Tour star, who wed Katherine in November 2022, said perhaps the biggest lesson he’s learned through his wife’s new venture is to never “underestimate” the goals she sets, citing books she tore through in recent years.
“I’ve learned to not laugh at things now that she tells me she’s going to do cause I think she read over 130 books or 140 books last year, so I don’t underestimate her,” he said.
“… It’s honestly incredibly watching her run because she is so motivated to do it.”
Although Morikawa will not be running alongside Katherine on Sunday, he’s looking forward to cheering her on from a close distance.
“Hopefully I can find her at one or two spots that are really good and a good timing, I think that matters the most,” he said.
“When I saw her in the half-marathons, like in Vegas, they ran along The Strip so I could see her in multiple spots cause it was kind of an easy loop. The first one in Malibu, I saw her once and that’s it, so hopefully I can time it out to where maybe a little bit of extra motivation on Mile 19, for example.”
With the big day around the corner, Katherine is soaking up all of the advice she’s received, particularly some words of wisdom from a friend of the Tour.
“Justin Leonard, one of the [Presidents Cup] captain’s assistants, [his] wife, Amanda, she has ran multiple marathons during their time playing on the PGA Tour and she has ran New York and she told me, ‘Pace yourself. Don’t go out too fast because you will hit a wall and will not be able to continue or you’ll be very miserable. So when people are passing you in the beginning, just let them go and eventually, halfway through or further down the line, you will pass them.’ So I think to not go out too fast is probably the biggest tip she gave me,” Katherine said.
With Morikawa poised to cheer on Katherine Sunday — “If she needs anything, I’ve got the food and drinks” — the runner herself has just one goal in mind before thinking of future steps on her marathon journey.
“I’m just trying to get through New York first and then see how I feel,” she said with a laugh.