Ready. Set. Marathon. Team

I’ve always enjoyed being active, but I didn’t start to take running seriously until my early thirties. Before that, I didn’t understand why people ran long distances and may have even said “I will never run a marathon!” 

But one thing to know about me is that I love to learn, so I decided to celebrate my 35th birthday by running my first half marathon. It was a memorable experience, but I knew I had so much more to learn to meet my potential.

Since adding years of hard work, discipline and great coaching guidance, I’ve now run 3 BQ marathons, many half marathons and have toed the line in almost every weather element.

I also practice and teach yoga which has taught me so much about strength, balance and flexibility in both body and mind. 

All of my experiences have got me to where I am today and now I get the incredible opportunity to pay forward all of those lessons learned. I love helping others to find the belief and potential in themselves. Consider my journey a reminder that it is never too late to try something new! 

I grew up playing just about every sport there was available to me and my three brothers. We would run wild in the streets with all the neighborhood kids playing football, basketball, baseball, street hockey, skateboarding, and just about anything.

The years passed and as I became an adult, I went years without physical activity. Eventually I desired to have that feeling of running wild in the streets again.

At the age of 29 I signed up for my first half marathon and fell in love with the process. I found the training to be full of challenges, highs and lows, but extremely rewarding. Since then, I have completed 4 marathons and 6 half marathons. Most recently, running a 2:46:07 at the California International Marathon.

Reflecting on the connection from my childhood to my journey as an adult runner there’s one thing I know: I was never the fastest kid, but I always gave my heart and soul to doing my best. That is something I continue to practice as a runner and now have the opportunity to share with others as a coach.

I’m also an avid hiker and am a firm believer in the power of cross training. Living in Colorado, I’ve made it my mission to climb all 58 of the state’s 14ers and am 2/3 of the way there.

 I have a long history with running. It started in high school as sprinter. I remember thinking 400 meters was a long distance, so when I joined cross country as cross training for track, I didn’t enjoy it!

Fast forward to my mid 20s when a co-worker asked if I’d train for a half-marathon with her. I said yes and fell in love with long distance running. A few years later, I finished my first marathon.  I was excited by my performance, but knew that I hadn’t reached my full potential. 

In 2020 my world was rocked. My younger sister got diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer and I took a hiatus from racing because it felt selfish to continue to train for races while she was fighting for her life.  She passed away in May 2023. Several weeks later, I wanted to start participating in hobbies that had previously brought me joy, so I signed up for a marathon.

At the Indianopolis Marathon, I negative split & qualified for Boston! Since then, I’ve set personal records in every distance from the mile to the marathon and I’m running faster times than I ever did in high school and college. I’ve learned that you are never too old to chase a dream and I can’t wait to have the honor help you achieve your running goals, too!