69. Sarah Sellers, 2nd Female at the 2018 Boston Marathon
Ali on the Run Show
Ali Feller
4.9 • 4.2K Ratings
🗓️ 19 April 2018
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
"I think that's what unites us as runners — we're all trying to overcome excuses and doubts to get out there." —Sarah Sellers
"Who is Sarah Sellers?" That's the question everyone was asking after the Tucson, AZ runner finished second at the 2018 Boston Marathon. Sarah isn't a professional runner. She doesn't have a sponsor. And she paid her own Boston Marathon entry fee. But on a brutally rainy and windy day in Boston, the 26-year-old nurse anesthetist ran a 2:44.04 — good enough to land her in the spot behind winner Desi Linden. Sarah had no idea she finished second (and, in doing so, nabbed a cool $75,000 prize), and when we recorded this episode just 48 hours after the race, she was still processing the results. Enjoy as she breaks down every detail from before, during, and after the race — including the surreal moment when she passed Shalane Flanagan! (And fun fact: Boston was only Sarah's second marathon ever!)
What you'll get on this episode:
- Sarah shares how she's feeling 48 hours after placing second at the Boston Marathon (1:30)
- What Sarah's Boston buildup was like, and how she balances high-mileage training with a demanding full-time job (4:20)
- The very cute story of how Sarah met her husband, Blake (8:00)
- How working long days helped prepare Sarah for Marathon Monday (8:45)
- Whether Sarah ever considered dropping out on race day (9:45)
- Sarah's unexpected pre-race detour (10:00)
- Sarah shares her pre-race goals and the weather factors she dreads the most (11:35)
- What it was like starting with the elite field (13:00)
- Sarah breaks down the race from the soaking start to that triumphant finish (16:10)
- What it was like passing Shalane Flanagan (19:00)
- How Sarah found out she finished in second place (20:45)
- How Sarah plans to spend her $75,000 winnings (26:00)
- The moment that stands out as the ultimate high point from Sarah's Boston Marathon experience (27:00)
- What's next? (30:30)
What we mention on this episode:
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Alley on the Run Show. |
| 0:06.4 | I'm your host, Allie Feller, and today I am thrilled to welcome Sarah Sellers to the |
| 0:11.4 | show. |
| 0:12.8 | Before this week, you probably didn't know the name Sarah Sellers. |
| 0:15.7 | I know I didn't, but within the past 48 hours, she has become the runner everyone's |
| 0:20.7 | buzzing about. |
| 0:21.7 | That's because Sarah, a nurse anesthetist from Tucson, Arizona, by way of Utah, just |
| 0:27.4 | finished second at the Boston Marathon. |
| 0:30.2 | Now Sarah isn't a professional runner. |
| 0:32.2 | She doesn't have a sponsor. |
| 0:34.0 | She's a hardworking nurse who goes for 10 mile runs at 4am, works 12 hour shifts, and then |
| 0:40.3 | goes for a second run at night. |
| 0:42.1 | That's how she gets her training in. |
| 0:44.1 | And Marathon Monday was no joke this year. |
| 0:46.5 | Between the cold temperatures, the pouring rain and that really aggressive wind, it was a |
| 0:50.6 | tough day for me to walk to my car, let alone for people to get out and run 26.2 miles. |
| 0:56.2 | So to everyone who ran the Boston Marathon on Monday, congratulations, you are triumphant. |
| 1:02.8 | Now Sarah told me she never considered not showing up to the race or dropping out. |
| 1:07.4 | She just adjusted her goals, put her head down, and got to work. |
| 1:11.0 | And along the way, she happened to pass every other elite female runner to become the next |
| 1:16.3 | woman to finish behind winner Desi Linden. |
| 1:19.2 | It's an incredible story and it's one I'm so glad to help share on this episode, so |
... |
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