Beverly resident Jamie Campbell marked her 1,500th consecutive day of running on Tuesday. Campbell began her daily runs on January 1, 2022, initially as a way to celebrate turning 40.
“It’s not something that I started from day one saying, ‘This is what I’m going to do,’” Campbell said. “It just sort of happened.”
Her original goal was to run for 40 days in a row. After reaching that milestone, she extended her streak first to six months and then to a full year. Running became a routine part of her life.
“When I got through the first year, the next question was, ‘Are you going to keep running?’ When I got up on New Year’s Day of 2023, I woke up and went for a run, and I have been going ever since,” she said.
Campbell documents her runs on social media and Strava, a fitness tracking app. She has completed marathons in Chicago five times and also participated in races in New York, Indianapolis, Berlin and Sydney. Her daily runs vary in length but always cover at least one mile.
“I told myself that, for me, it would be at least a mile each day,” she said. “To me, that felt tangible because you can go out for a minute and still say you ran, but if I went at least a mile, that made it worth it.”
The distance increases during marathon training periods.
“It depends on the day. In the offseason, it’s at least a mile, and if I want to, I will do extra. During marathon training, we are in double digits a lot of the time,” Campbell said.
Most of Campbell’s runs are outdoors despite challenging weather conditions.
“I notoriously hate the treadmill. I hate it. You are in one place, and it’s just so boring,” Campbell said. “I have tried all the different tricks to try and watch a show and try to distract myself with my best running playlist. Still, I just can’t get into it. Most of my runs are outside.”
Cold temperatures have not stopped her from maintaining her streak.
“I was outside,” she said about running during school closures due to cold weather. “Those days, you have to figure out what works best for you and definitely have the right layers and right gear to be out in those conditions. I think I have worked through enough winters where I have the right mix of different things that will keep me warm.”
Campbell has occasionally moved indoors when outdoor conditions were unsafe but says travel poses greater challenges than weather.
“I have had some close calls because I was traveling,” she said.
During trips abroad for marathons—such as Berlin in 2024—flight delays forced her to complete runs inside airports.
“I had to sit in the airport and wait for my luggage, but my flight came in a little after 11 p.m. their time so I needed to get my mile in,” Campbell explained about running through Berlin airport late at night.
A similar situation occurred during travel to Sydney in 2025 due to crossing time zones.
“For Sydney…we left LA on a Tuesday and when we got to Sydney it was Thursday…So I ran before I left Chicago and then also ran in the airport in between LA Somehow it worked out,” she said.
Campbell works as a financial analyst and lives with her husband and three children in Beverly. She developed an interest in running during the COVID-19 pandemic while working from home.
“I was working from home and needed some space…I put my shoes on…and went for a run,” she recalled about starting regular exercise by exploring local trails during lockdowns.
She joined local running groups after increasing her endurance beyond four miles—eventually completing her first Chicago Marathon in 2021—and credits daily running with building community connections as well as improving health outcomes such as weight management:
“As someone who has struggled with weight for most of my life this has actually been the best shape I’ve been in since high school when I played basketball or volleyball,” she noted.
With family history involving diabetes or heart disease Campbell sees exercise as preventative care while setting an example for loved ones:
“It has also given hope to my kids…They see me being healthy sometimes they join …My son has run some 5Ks with me….hopefully instills something…to want …be active,” she added.
Over four years Campbell celebrated milestones surrounded by friends family community support:
“I could not have done this without encouragement support …let me know they are proud …what I’m doing,” she said.
She plans no end date:
“At this point as long as my body is able …I am going continue …I have had different reasons why …at end …just making sure I’m proud myself …want family proud me well.”
