Friend's death spurs unlikely marathoner's benefit run
MONTEREY COUNTY – Two hours into his fourth marathon, Timothy Gridley knows his mind is about to start playing tricks on his body.
"My brain is telling me to stop. I like that challenge, it drives me to keep going," he said.
With a rotating group of friends running parts of the race with him, this his toughest and longest marathon so far.
"I'm feeling great," he said. "We got a lot of good energy."
Gridley isn't running for a medal or bragging rights. He's running to help the family of a friend who died unexpectedly. People have pledged donations for every mile he runs. Which is why this time, he's going for an ultra-marathon, 31 miles instead of the traditional 26.2.
"As bad as this may hurt right now the reward is in the end the feeling of accomplishment and achievement," he said.
What makes Gridley's marathon different than any other, isn't so much why he's running but for whom, and where.
His friend, Humerto Ayala, was a correctional officer at Salinas Valley State Prison, where Gridley is serving 15 years to life for second degree murder. Those 31 miles? He's running them in the prison yard, 106 laps, with both staff and fellow inmates cheering him on.
It all started a few years ago, when Gridley got into a heated argument with a guard. Officer Ayala intervened and defused the situation, saving Gridley from potential punishment. It was an act of kindness that sparked a rare friendship between officer and inmate.
"When I'd see him in the morning, he'd tell me, 'Good morning,' and we might joke about our sports team just like two men talking not an officer, not an inmate just two men who built a relationship," Gridley said.
But in 2018, Officer Ayala was suddenly killed in a car crash. The news hit Gridley hard.
"I know his son is a teenager now and I know it must be tough losing his dad," he said.
To deal with the loss. Gridley began running. That's when he came up with the idea to channel his grief into something positive.
"I've always been a selfish person and now I feel like I'm doing something selfless helping others," he said.
His goal was to raise $5,000 from prison guards and staff.
According to Associate Warden Ed Borla, a run like this would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. But since 2019, Salinas, a maximum-security prison, has been trying to insert more humanity into its facility to reduce violence.
Still, seeing an inmate raise money for the family of a correctional officer, was unexpected to say the least.
"It sparked something in him to make him better," Borla said. "I've never seen anything like it."
After 5 hours and 53 minutes, Gridley crossed the finish line having raised $7,108, far exceeding his goal.
Gridley is up for parole in October. On the outside, he hopes to continue running marathons to raise money for charity.
"This is special. It's the best thing I've ever done in my life for sure," he said.