How I Went From 4-Hour Marathoner to 2-Time Qualifier

“Having a meaningful, even audacious, goal to chase reveals capability we didn’t know we possessed.”

On a perfect spring morning in April 2008, I stood with my back to the Charles River in Boston cheering wildly for women I didn’t know racing the Olympic Marathon Trials. My personal best for a marathon at the time was just over four hours, but I dreamed of qualifying for Boston. I couldn’t watch the next day’s Boston Marathon because of work, but figured the Trials would suffice for inspiration.

Turns out, those Trials inspired me—at the age of 22—to chase a life-changing dream.

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