Ginger Zee just checked a half marathon off her bucket list, and although it was a major accomplishment for the GMA star, her husband showed her up with his humor.
Ginger has been training for months to compete in the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon sponsored by Still I Run, and today was the big day.
The 43-year-old meteorologist put herself to the test physically and mentally as she completed the 11-mile run in 1.54 hours.
Ginger headed to Instagram following the race to share some videos and photos of the event and reflect on her achievement.
Her first slide was a video of her running over to her husband, Ben Aaron, and their sons to greet them as they held up signs to encourage her at her last mile.
Ginger’s second slide in her carousel, however, stole the show.
In it, Ben stood on the sidelines holding up his sign, which read, “Mommy’s Got the Runs!” along with a cartoonish sketch of Ginger competing in the marathon.
In the caption of the post, Ginger pointed out that her favorite mile was mile 10, where her family and friends were waiting to cheer her on.
“Favorite mile was mile 10 where all my friends & family cheered me on along with @stillirun 🙌 amazing first race experience for me #nychalfmarathon,” Ginger began the caption.
“I cried tears of joy as I ran to mile 11 after feeling all the love and remembering how fortunate I am to have been able to treat and maintain my mental health💕,” she concluded.
Ginger Zee’s fans got a kick out of Ben Aaron’s marathon sign
Thousands upon thousands of Ginger’s 1.1 million Instagram followers liked her upload, and hundreds more flocked to the comments to congratulate her.
Amid all of the congratulatory comments, Ginger was met with plenty of feedback regarding Ben’s sign, and the consensus was that he was the star of the show.
“Yay, excited for you!!! 🎉,” wrote @bangiwangi, adding, “Love the signs, ‘mommy’s got the runs’ 😂😂”
Carla Hall commented that Ben’s signs were “the BEST!!” and @jimsfrog echoed the sentiment.
“Lol the signage is a vibe @benaarontv,” added Erielle Reshef.
Ginger’s half marathon raised awareness for mental health
As she mentioned in her caption, the half marathon that Ginger competed in held a special place in Ginger’s heart.
Still I Run, the “501(c)3 running community that promotes the benefits of running for mental health,” hosted the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon on March 17, and its runners brought awareness to their mental health mission.
The cause is near and dear to Ginger, who has been open about her struggles with depression, eating disorders, and suicide attempts.
Ginger, whose real name is Ginger Renee Colonomos, admitted that running is cathartic for her.
In 2023, she told PEOPLE that running has become the “crown jewel of [her] physical mental connection.”
“In my darkest times personally, as my career was ramping up and everything was going, running was the therapy I didn’t realize I had,” Ginger shared. “I believe that running kept me above rock bottom many times.”