MENU
SEARCHMolly Kirk, a driver for Florida’s Brevard Public Schools, ran the prestigious New York City Marathon in less than five hours. She shares details on the challenging race, which drew more than 47,000 starters this year.
Molly Kirk, a driver for Florida’s Brevard Public Schools, ran the prestigious New York City Marathon in less than five hours.
COCOA, Fla. — Each school day, Brevard Public Schools bus driver Molly Kirk transports high school students on bus 1461.
Kirk, a mother of three daughters — two teenagers and one 12-year-old — enjoys driving her school bus, but she has another interest outside of her job and her family. She runs.
Kirk is not a casual jogger. She is a marathon runner, and she recently completed the New York City Marathon, which is considered one of the world’s Top 5 marathons.
“One way to gain entry in the New York City Marathon is through a lottery system,” Kirk said. “I was surprised when I beat the 1 in 9 lottery odds and was chosen on my first try. I was thrilled.”
The marathon was more than just a 26.2-mile journey. Kirk’s day started at 6 a.m., when she met her bus for transport to the race start location. The marathon was scheduled to begin at 10:10 a.m. It was preceded by the national anthem and then a cannon blast to signal the start of the race.
The course began on Staten Island and headed to Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and finally into Central Park in Manhattan.
The sea of runners crossed five bridges, ran through many diverse neighborhoods and was cheered on by more than a million spectators. This was Kirk’s first trip to New York City, so she had plenty of sights to see along the run.
“The hardest part,” she said, “was about the 16-mile mark, running up the Queensboro Bridge.”
The New York City Marathon is the world’s largest and perhaps most prestigious marathon, with a record number of 47,438 starters this year.
“I am deeply grateful that I had the privilege of being a part of such a tremendous event,” Kirk said. “The amount of people running for causes and charities was both staggering and inspiring. I was amazed at the size of the huge international field and their supporters that lined the race route and would cheer loudly as their favorites raced past.”
Kirk completed the 26.2-mile run in four hours and 28 minutes, which resulted in her name being listed as a finisher in The New York Times.
Submitted by Mike Connors, director of transportation at Brevard Public Schools.
Stop bidding everything and try a simpler way. Here's how cooperative purchasing can streamline purchases while maintaining compliance. Sourcewell breaks down the process in this episode of The Route, sponsored by IC Bus.
Read More →
The alternative transportation company expands its services to traditional yellow buses with the launch of a new division focused on helping school districts optimize their routes.
Read More →
Roberts, 35, serves as the lead IT application engineer for vehicle electrification at First Student, where he helps shape scalable, real-world EV infrastructure to support student transportation.
Read More →
Swazer, 29, serves as director of transportation at Puyallup School District, where he champions student wellbeing and inspires the next generation of industry leaders.
Read More →
Dubas, 38, serves as sales manager and safety advocate at IMMI, where she advances school bus occupant protection through industry education, OEM collaboration, and proactive safety policy efforts.
Read More →
Kramlick, 30, runs operations for TransPar in Hawaii, where he also showed dedication while helping Maui recover from the recent wildfires.
Read More →
Moore, 32, grew up around the school bus, leading him to the classroom and eventually inspiring high-performing teams while bringing operations in house (twice).
Read More →
Baran, 38, serves as transportation supervisor at Odyssey Charter School in Delaware, where he leads daily operations with a focus on safety and professional growth.
Read More →
Maybee, 36, leads transportation operations for Denver Public Schools, where he is advancing equity, efficiency, and cross-department collaboration to improve student access.
Read More →
Higgins, 38, serves as director of industry engagement at TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking), where she equips school transportation professionals with the tools to recognize and report human trafficking.
Read More →
