Alissa Kolarik’s Boston Marathon story has been ‘four years in the making’
In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon runners share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston on April 15, 2019.
Name: Alissa Kolarik
Age: 32
From: Wadsworth, Ohio
Bib #: 11786
My Boston story is four years in the making. I started running in 2015, and my first race was a half marathon, during which my right hip fractured at mile 12.5. I had to have surgery to place a screw in that hip and couldn’t run for a while after. After that, I ran a few more local half marathons and then decided I wanted to run a full marathon to try and qualify for the 2018 Boston Marathon.
I only made it a few weeks into that training in 2017 before I somehow got injured again, tearing my labrum in my left hip. At the same time, I found out that I had gotten into the 2017 NYC Marathon. Working with my surgeon, we made a plan to get me running again. I had surgery in April of 2017 and was released to run in July of 2017. I immediately began training for NYC. I didn’t just want to run NYC, I wanted to qualify for Boston 2019 at NYC. I used a training plan for a 3:25 full (women’s qualifying time for Boston at that time was 3:35, but you need a buffer because not everyone who runs a 3:35 gets in) and got to work.
Race day came. I went out conservatively and tried to keep myself in control the entire time. By mile 23, I knew that if I could hold it together, I was going to qualify. I crossed the finish line in 3:23:13 — I had qualified for Boston when I had been told it would be impossible that close to my surgery. Because of all of this, Boston 2019 means so much to me.
Check out our entire “Why I’m Running” series.
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Editor’s note: Entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
