Sheinelle Jones completed a feat of feet when she ran the New York City Marathon on Nov. 5 — and her TODAY family was there to cheer her on.
Sheinelle, who announced in August her intention to run the famed race, gave TODAY viewers a behind-the-scenes look at her race-day experience, as she was one of 50,000 runners tackling the course.
At the starting line, Sheinelle read some letters her TODAY co-hosts wrote to her, including one from Craig Melvin that got her choked up.
“‘S. Jones, I’ve never been prouder of you, my friend. May all the things you’re dealing with right now be the wind at your back for the next 26.2. Crush it. Love, Craig,’” she said, while fighting back tears.
“Thank you, guys. Oh, my goodness gracious. I can’t do the ugly cry yet.”
Shortly after 9 a.m., Sheinelle started the race, calling the first few miles “easy and breezy” before she reached her first true test about 15 miles in at the 59th Street Bridge.
“There’s a moment when you’re on the bridge, several bridges, and no one else is around and you just hear breath and the pitter-patter of feet,” she said.
Sheinelle was spurred on by her friends and co-workers.
“I think the best part is when your legs can’t carry you anymore and then the sound of the crowd carries you,” she said.
At one point along her route in Manhattan, she stopped to hug Al Roker, while Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Dylan Dreyer also cheered her on.
Hoda's children even made signs to support Sheinelle.
“Sheinelle, we are so proud of you!” Savannah yelled at one point. “Let’s go, Sheinelle!”
Sheinelle also took a moment to greet them and her husband and kids, who showered her with hugs and kisses.
Eventually, Sheinelle crossed the finish line in four hours, 41 minutes.
“Everybody says it’s amazing,” she said. “They say it’s one of the best days of your life. It transcends running. And every time you feel like you can’t run anymore, there’s somebody cheering your name. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If there’s anybody listening to me, and you’ve ever wanted to challenge yourself and step out of your comfort zone, do it.”
Sheinelle, of course, knows she didn’t do it alone and made sure to thank everyone who rallied behind her.
“I did this. I feel like you did this with me, all of your positive notes, DMs, social media. So this is for you, too,” she said, holding the medal she got for finishing the marathon.
Sheinelle marveled at her accomplishment, calling it "one of the best days of my life" and "the longest and most rewarding 4 hours and 41 minutes of my life" on Instagram.
She was visibly moved while talking about her experience Nov. 6 on TODAY.
"Yesterday was about so much more than finishing the last leg of this monthlong journey," she said. "It was about taking in the energy of the city and digging deeper into myself."
She also gave credit to fellow runners and TODAY family members Yosef and Rainy, who encouraged her and completed the race alongside her.
"These two are just beautiful human beings," she said.
"It transcends running," Sheinelle said about the race. "You have people from all over the world who are here with all sorts of trouble. Anytime we would start to feel like we couldn't do it, we would look to our left and someone would be running with one leg. We'd look to our right and someone's running in a wheelchair."
She reiterated that sentiment on the 3rd hour of TODAY, while also explaining that her family was her motivation during the race.
"I had my kids' initials on my arm, my husband's initials, and it said 'just do it.' They are my reason why," she said.