"I was raised in Georgia and live there currently. I ran in college at Furman and was privileged to be part of two top 10 NCAA cross country teams. I’ve moved to a focus on the marathon distance while coaching high school track and cross country at a local Georgia high school. Lived in the southeast most of my life; 5k/10k girl in college; working on mastering the marathon distance and getting an OTQ”"
“I started running my senior year of high school simply to get out of gym class. Since that fateful cross country season, I have run 18 marathons, won five of them, and have improved my marathon time from 3:31 in 2011 when I was 19, to 2:44 in 2024. I had my first child in October 2024, and look forward to running more prs. I moved to North Carolina six days after graduating from college to escape the relentless cold of the midwest, and have lived in Virginia since 2015 when I moved to Blacksburg for graduate school at Virginia Tech. After a couple of years in DC, I moved to Fredericksburg in 2019 to be closer to my now husband, and we love our life exploring the mountains, rivers, and beaches of Central and Eastern Virginia!”
“I ran a bit in high school and wasn’t great but really found a passion for running and couldn’t picture myself stopping so I signed to run division 2 cross country and track at Catawba College. At Catawba I was able to drop from a 19:37 5k to a 16:41 in 3 years. I also was very proud to win the region in cross country and make it to nationals in the 10,000m. I graduated a year early from college so was able to use my senior year of eligibility as a grad student and get my masters degree. Moving up to division 1 was a bit scary at first but I fell in love with my school and made a lot of great relationships at Elon. There, I was able to break all of my own personal records and set a school record. I ran 16:01 in the 5k and was so happy I cried coming across the finish line. It was enough to qualify me for the division 1 national preliminary meet, which
was a dream to make.”
“I was born and raised in eastern Tennessee, and have lived most of my life on the east coast. I finished college in Southern FL, and moved to Durham, NC directly after, where I still reside. I didn't start running until the summer of 2020, after I graduated college. I immediately fell in love! I had no idea what a huge part of my life running would become - not only is it the best part of most of my days, but I now work as a manager at our local running store, and I even met my wife during a track workout!”
“I’ve spent most of my time living and training in the Southeast and I’m excited for SC to host an event highlighting our region!”
“I was a very good 8th grade and freshman HS runner, thought I was destined for big things! Then I kind of plateaued, and had an extremely mediocre collegiate "career". I definitely feel tied to the region - one of my favorite invitations in HS was the Southern Track Classic, I vied throughout to represent the Southeast at Foot Locker XC Nationals, and even in my private life (despite lacking anything like a drawl) I have a real fondness for Tom Petty's "Southern Accents". Richmond, VA kind of has one foot in the South and one in the Mid-Atlantic, and so I feel I've always been especially cognizant of its role in representing the region. Way before I attended, W&M was the standard bearer for the Southeast in NCAA cross-country, but our status has markedly declined (though I think they're on their way back up!). I'd love to represent the Southeast positively, especially to show that we can hold our own against our neighbors in D.C., haha. This might be a tenuous connection, but I even feel a connection in growing up rooting for Richmond's minor league team, the Richmond Braves (now the Flying Squirrels). My dad would always tell me how when he was growing up everybody from states around was an Atlanta Braves fan, and I loved being a small part of that regional connection.”
“I began running as a part of the Alpha Crush Running Club. On the club, I competed for USATF Junior XC and TF championships. I also ran my first marathon in February 2017. Following this, I competed for my high school, Milton High School, running on the team that won the GA 7A State Championships 2017. I also went on to eventually place 3rd in the state championship for 7A in the year 2020. In college, I moved onto to the running club at Georgia Tech, posting several club XC, half, and full marathon performances including a win at the notoriously difficult 2023 Atlanta Publix Marathon. In my final year as an undergraduate, I ran for Georgia Tech’s cross country team, running some quick performances in the 8k and taking part in the ACC and NCAA South Regional XC Championships. I have always had ambition for pushing the distance along with pushing the pace for said distance. I hope to eventually go on and hit the 2028 Olympic Trial B qualifying standard of 2:16 for men and continue competing at the half/full marathon distances as a graduate student and post-grad.”
“I grew up in Staunton, VA with big dreams of playing soccer, but after breaking my middle school mile record, my coach, Tripp Franklin, encouraged me to pursue running. From there, my career took off. I ran 5:26 in the mile in middle school, then steadily improved in high school—breaking 5:00 in the mile as a freshman and eventually earning PRs of 15:46 (5K), 9:34 (2 mile), and 4:26 (mile), along with a state title in the outdoor 2 mile my junior year.
I was recruited to run at Appalachian State in 2019, where I competed under Coaches Michael Curcio and Brad Herbster and fully embraced the grit and competitive spirit of a Mountaineer. After earning my Master’s in Public Health Nutrition in spring 2025, I chose to stay in Boone, NC—a place that reflects the values that shaped me.
From Staunton to Boone, the Southeast’s culture, community, and support have defined who I am as both a runner and a young adult, instilling determination, work ethic, and fierce competitiveness.“
"I am a 2x US Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier and former professional runner with ZAP Endurance. I'm a former RRCA Road Scholar Recipient and have personal bests of 8:00 for 3k, 13:51 for 5k, 1:04:06 for half marathon, and 2:18 for the full marathon. I have been away from elite racing since the 2020 US Olympic Marathon Trials but will be 40 years old on race day and would love to be part of your Elite Field. I'm a SC Resident and would also like to break the Resident State Marathon Record of 2:22 at your race!"
“I’ve lived in Greenville SC since 2013. Long time runner at elite level. Also was a pro triathlete from 2018-2025.”
“I've spent my entire life in the Southeast & have been a competitive runner in the Charlotte NC community for the last 7 years. I was not a college runner & spent time away from running during my years after high school. Becoming a part of the community this year, with my team Flow Motion Running & working at Charlotte Running Company, it has been a blessing to represent for my supporters. So I would love to go for the win in the first version of this event!”
"I’m an avid marathoner whose journey began as a wrestler before fully committing to running. What started as cross country to stay in shape became a true passion. When I’m not running, I enjoy listening to music, watching anime, and cheering on Liverpool."
“I went to college at the University of Mount Olive (Mount Olive, NC). After I graduated I took over the program at Wingate University (Wingate, NC). During my tenure we have won 2 D2 Cross Country National Championships, 6 track individual champions, and 4 more team podium finishes.”
“I currently live, work, and train in Greenville, South Carolina. I have a beautiful wife and 4 year old son. I work at Integrated Power Services as a Learning Experience Designer, Supervisor where I design training content for my industry. I started running in 11th grade after a brief stint with football and realized quickly that I was pretty good at it. After spending two year developing at the junior college level, I earned a full ride to NGU where I competed and set multiple school records from 5k-10k. Post-collegiately, I trained for a number of years under Jeff Milliman where I was really able to blossom into the runner I am today. I was born in California where my dad was stationed in the Marines. At the age of 2 we moved back to the Southeast where
I continue to live.”
“I’m the current President of the River City Runners and Walkers Club based in Parkersburg, WV. We organize and operate 10-11 races and events each year in WV and Ohio. I started running in 2010 and ran my first marathon in 2014. I’ve raced 14 marathons.”
“I was born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia. In high school I ran for Hilliard Davidson in Ohio where we got 2nd place in cross country at the state meet my freshmen and senior years. In college I walked on at Butler University and ran there for 5 years from 2018-2023. I graduated with a doctor of pharmacy in 2024 and have been running for Columbus Running Company Elite in Columbus, Ohio since then.”
“I was born and raised in the suburbs of Charlotte, NC. I started running "late" compared to most of my peers. I started running to lose weight and did not compete for my high school team. I walked on to the XC/track team at UNC Pembroke and improved greatly over those 4 years. I am now trying my best to conquer the marathon distance.”
“I started my running career when I was 9 years old and got involved with my local youth running club in Peachtree City Georgia. I continued to run all through high school and was fortunate enough to get an athletic scholarship to run for Mercer University in Macon Georgia. During my collegiate career I helped contribute to the best conference finishes that Mercer had during the university's tenure in the Southern Conference with 3rd place finishes in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, my graduate year at Mercer I set two school records in the 8K and 10K as well as finishes 6th place at the SoCon conference championships which was the highest finish for a Mercer runner in school history. After graduating from college, I started to build up to half-marathons in early 2024 and have since dropped more than 6 minutes in the half-marathon and set numerous road PRs in the 10K, 15K, and 5K events.”
