15th, 2022 Grandma's Marathon (2:36:26, PR); 2nd, San Jose Half Marathon (1:15:59, PR); 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials; 4th, 2017 Los Angeles Marathon (top American)

I am a single homeowner. I have an older brother who lives in Oregon and has three boys, and I also have an older sister. I picked up my work ethic from my dad, a Marine Corps veteran, who pushed me to focus on my education and be the first in my family to graduate from a four-year university. He taught me to be persistent in my work and strive for improvement in everything I do, and that sort of mentality is what I put into running.

Qualifying for the Trials.

I could talk about overcoming all the obstacles - broken ankle, RED-S, college, relationships, living situations, work - but instead I want to share about how an OTQ became a goal for me. Ever since running my first marathon, the Santa Rosa Marathon in 3:08, where I placed 3rd female overall, I realized that I could aim higher than Boston, and that I just needed to shave off 23 minutes to qualify for the Trials. I decided to hold off on serious training until after graduating from pharmacy school. But, while in pharmacy school, I continued running and doing races for fun and ended up improving and qualified for the 2020 Trials. This was all possible because I had such a supportive community - Loma Linda Lopers, Riverside Road Runners, Loma Linda University, Freshii (sponsor), Precision in Movement (physical therapy), a coach (MJ), and Judy and Alan who believed in me and supported me as I trained throughout my years in pharmacy school.

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

The 2017 Los Angeles Marathon, where I ran my first race as an elite, beat my PR by 13 minutes, placed 1st USA female, 4th overall female, and finished in a time that would have qualified for me for the Trials (2:37). I also met my role models: Ryan Hall at the pre-race shakeout run, Kara Goucher at the expo, and sat next to Deena Kastor at the pre-race dinner! I remember driving home after the race and thinking, "did that just happen?"