Danica Patrick made her return to racing, not in a race car on a track, but in her first marathon ever, the Boston Marathon.
“Feels like I am getting ready for my first day of school!” the 39-year-old former professional race car driver captioned her post on Instagram. “I have all my race day gear laid out!”
“I have only ever had one bucket list item,” she added, The New York Times reported in a piece published Monday. “1! That is to do a marathon. So, why not do the most famous and apparently hardest one … Boston.” (RELATED: Danica Patrick Jokes About Getting Engaged To Aaron Rodgers: ‘I’ll Probably Get Proposed To Tomorrow Now’)
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“However, I do not want to do another marathon!” Patrick continued in her post. “So, whoever says you’ll sign up again right after is cray cray! But it was such a fun 4-5 month journey with really special people. We pushed each other and learned more about ourself in the process. I do hard things. That’s who I am. I suppose I should make another bucket list item.”
Patrick announced she was retiring from racing cars in 2018 following her accomplishments in the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500. (RELATED: Danica Patrick Reveals What It’s Really Like To Be A Sex Symbol)
In the annual race in Boston, the former professional driver came in at 4:01:21 at the end of her race. She was the honorary captain of Team Speed of Light, a group that included her sister, Brooke Selman.
“It’s no secret that I love a tough challenge,” Danica explained on the team’s fundraising page. “On Oct 11th, I’m taking part in the 125th Boston Marathon!! It’s true, I’m running 26.2 miles! I’ve never ran a marathon, so why not do the most historic and iconic one first.”
“I’ll be hitting the streets of Boston in support of the The Light Foundation as the Honorary Captain of ‘Team Speed of Light,'” she added. “This organization is incredible and truly inspires children to work hard to be champions in the game of life! I really identify with its mission of taking young people out of their everyday environments and providing them with unique opportunities that ignite their passion, purpose and motivation to succeed. Can’t wait to join my fellow runners for the race of a lifetime.”