8th; 2021 USATF 25K Championships; 4th, 2022 Chicago Shamrock Shuffle; 7th, 2022 Publix Atlanta Half Marathon; 9th, 2022 USATF Half Marathon Championships; 8th, 2023 Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon.

My sister, Molly Offstein, and mother, Laura Brynes, are two of my biggest supporters! My running story starts with my mom. The founder of her high school’s track and field program for women in the late 80s in South Jersey, my mom was a multi-sport athlete who was later inducted into the Schalick High School Hall of Fame. I remember attending the ceremony with my sister and being inspired by how she advocated to get the program started, and what it meant to the young women who came after her. She also ran track at West Point and commissioned, athletically at the top of her class, as a Military Intelligence Officer in 1992. One of her career highlights was also working to assimilate women into the last collegiate institution to allow women - VMI in 1999. My sister, age 26, lives at home with my mom. She suffered a severe TBI after being struck by a car while running, as a freshman and DI runner at Elon University in 2017. Molly was the most talented runner in the family. She is our high school-record holder in seven events between cross country and track, a three-time state champion in the 800, 1600, and 3200, and earned All-State accolades every year she competed. She was even selected as the Western Maryland Track Runner of the Year in 2015. My mom recently opened a running store (Runners Wings) in our hometown to give back to the community that embraced and supported our family after Molly's accident. My stepdad, Keith Byrnes, is the Assistant Athletic Director and Head Men's Soccer Coach at Frostburg State University in my hometown. My dad, Evan Offstein, and stepmom, Rebecca Chory, are both professors in the Department of Management, also at Frostburg State. My partner, Jordan Allen, and our dog (a Sheltie named Cody), are my two running buddies for afternoon doubles in Michigan! I also want to give a shoutout to our high school track and cross country coach, Norm DeRosa, his wife, Patty, and their late daughter Katie - who taught me to always "run because I love it!"

I'm not sure it's happened yet, but I am really proud of how much running has helped me develop and keep showing up for the people and things that matter most to me.

Thinking about Molly's accident, it is important for me to emphasize, that at the center of this tragedy are my sister, mother and step-dad, who have acted as her primary caregivers. Thankfully, Molly is happy - and she and my mother are eternal optimists. Their dedication and determination inspires me to care deeply about what I chose to do and I pursue my goals unapologetically, while their grace reminds me to not sweat the little things and helps put my stressors into perspective. For me, running has been the healthiest outlet for feelings of grief, confusion, sadness and frustration associated with Molly's accident. For instance, while she was still in hospital dealing with the initial trauma, I was flying on weekends from Princeton to visit her. Running allowed me to feel close to Molly when she was unable to communicate with us. I swear I could physically feel her presence on my shoulder, just like when we ran together in high school. Today, running acts as the greatest reminder that progress is always possible and that it is important to move forward in both running and in life. One of my favorite quotes from Samuel Beckett is “I can’t go on. I’ll go on.” The sport helps me find peace daily and brought me teammates, friends, and coaches who have acted as my most influential supporters throughout the highs and lows of life.

"What are [we] pretending not to know today?" -Toni Cade Bambara

Running is something immeasurably special that my sister and I shared growing up. In a less-competitive region of Western Maryland, it was really just us who pushed each other in high school. By my senior year and her sophomore year, few local boys could keep up with us and and we both won the indoor state championships in our respective events, the 800 (me) and the 3,200 (her). She went first and took the lead with 200 to go and left the field behind with a powerful finish. I then felt intense panic as it meant I had to uphold my end of the bargain. I thought jokily that it would be a very awkward car ride home if I fell short. Luckily, I also won, beating a downstate rival for the only time in my high school career. The video from that race helped convinced the Princeton coach to let me walk onto the team the following year, despite numerous modest times. I am confident neither Molly nor I would have achieved these titles without one another and our "sister power" or "sister magic." The mutual respect, understanding and love we had for each other is unparalleled by any other relationship I’ve ever had. Our last run together was actually on Christmas Day more than seven years ago and it is a memory I will cherish forever.