Update: Have had two more friends, both non-runners, mention her or ask me about her.
Looks like she really is getting some mainstream attention.
Funnily the article addresses this:
Pappas’s varied interests, as well as her intention to share them, have raised a few eyebrows in Eugene, where the populace takes its running quite seriously. Pappas and others say they have heard the criticism that she could improve her times if she stopped dividing her interests.
“She gets criticized from all angles — the film and the track and field,†said Jordan Hasay, an elite distance runner who was Pappas’s teammate on the University of Oregon cross-country team that won the 2012 N.C.A.A. women’s title. (Pappas was granted a fifth year of eligibility after graduating from Dartmouth and ran for Oregon while completing a master’s degree.)
“But that’s what works for her,†Hasay said. “You find happiness in different areas. It wouldn’t be enough for her to focus on just one thing. It doesn’t hinder her, only enhances her.â€