Run It Fast®

Galen Rupp has had a good month. This past weekend he set the USA 2-mile indoor record with a time of 8:07.41. He broke Bernard Lagat’s record of 8:09.49 set last year.  Rupp had held the record prior to Lagat with a time of 8:09:.72

Earlier this month on January 16th, Rupp broke the American 5000m record with a time of 13:01.26.

More Details on Rupp’s Historic 2-Mile Record at Runner’s World

Chrissie Wellington Kona 2011

2011 was an amazing year for running. Records fell left and right. There were some very gutsy runs at top marathons, ultras, and on the track. The Olympic Marathon Trials are now less than 2 weeks away and 21 Masters Women qualified for them. 21! Women of all ages are rocking the running world and just about every weekend in 2011, I was inspired by them.

These 5 women/races/adventures in 2011 inspired me the most and made me want to lace up my running shoes and test what I was made of:

1. Chrissie Wellington at the Ironman World Championships

Chrissie always amazes me with her blazing speed, whether it’s setting records or smoking tri guys but she blew me away with her determination and pure grit in Kona this year. Just a couple of weeks prior to Kona, Chrissie crashed her bike. She had major road rash, bruised her hip, elbow and pectoral muscle, and had to battle an infection. During the Ironman, she was 9 minutes behind the lead woman coming out of the swim and 22 minutes behind coming off the bike. She was in pain. She was aching. But she battled back and won her 4th World Championship! You can read about her day here.

Or watch a recap of it here:
2011 Kona Recap-Chrissie

2. Caroline Kilel & Desi Davila at the 2011 Boston Marathon

I was “watching” this through Twitter as it happened and my coworkers were wondering why I kept yelling. It was so exciting and it had me on the edge of seat. I saw the finish later and still got chills. Watching the lead change back and forth between them…you could see neither wanted to give it up. When Caroline collapsed after the finish, you knew she’d left everything out there.

You can watch a recap of the women’s marathon here:
Boston 2011

3. Lauren Fleshman at the London, England IAAF Track and Field Diamond League

Lauren’s run in the 5000M showed how a great finish kick can you help you win. Bam! She just took off and kept going putting a huge gap on the competition. Talk about intimidating the competition!

You can watch a recap of it here:
Fleshman 5000M 2011

4. Devon Crosby Helms, Krissy Moehl, Darcy Africa, and Bethany Lewis at the Grand Canyon R2R2R (Rim to Rim to Rim)

This was quite a year for the Rim To Rim To Rim run for women. Devon & Krissy set the Female Fastest Known Time (FKT) back in April and then Darcy Africa set a new Female FKT just a few days later! Then in November, Bethany shaved almost 10 minutes off of Darcy’s time for yet another Female FKT! This run is hard core but these women rocked it in 2011.

This is a short video of Devon & Krissy’s run:
Devon & Krissy R2R2R

5. Jennifer Phar Davis Thru-Hike of the Appalachian Trail

Jen set the speed record for a thru-hike of the Appalachian trail, man or woman, and she did it in 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes! For a girl who gets lost on trails she runs frequently, this floors me. What an adventure and what a great experience.

Here is a short interview with her about her hike:
Jennifer Phar Davis Interview

These women rocked 2011 and inspired me and countless other women (and men, I’m sure). Who inspired you? Who have you inspired? Or better yet…who will you inspire in 2012? Happy running!