After world xc last week, I thought I had my favorite 2:31 marathoner in the world for life in Kelsey Bruce but I've just come across a story that gives Bruce's a run for her money.
Take a look at this profile of Bethany Sachtleben in the Washington City Paper:
https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/sports/article/21060777/bethany-sachtleben-took-an-unconventional-path-to-the-olympic-marathon-trials
Sachtleben was a homeschooled soccer player for most of the time she was growing up but then quit soccer. She then started running on her own to stay in shape and signed up for a marathon. Worried she wouldn't be able to finish, she ran 20 miles on a treadmill the day before the race ( her longest run before that was 8 miles). She never looked up a training plan online or even wore a watch in the race, but she ran the marathon in 3:08 and then walked on to George Mason.
Now 27, she recently was 2nd at the US 15k. She ran 2:31:20 at CIM (for 6th in December).
"I literally did not know running had workouts in it,” Sachtleben says on a recent afternoon, sitting just a few feet from the school’s indoor track. “I never watched track. I watched the Olympics, but I was like, ‘Oh, track’s boring. I don’t want to watch.’ So I never watched those events … I watched gymnastics, figure skating, all the fun sports.”
Amazing: 2:31 US Marathoner Bethany Sachtleben had no idea that runners ran workouts when she started running in college
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rojo wrote:
After world xc last week, I thought I had my favorite 2:31 marathoner in the world for life in Kelsey Bruce but I've just come across a story that gives Bruce's a run for her money.
Take a look at this profile of Bethany Sachtleben in the Washington City Paper:
https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/sports/article/21060777/bethany-sachtleben-took-an-unconventional-path-to-the-olympic-marathon-trials
Sachtleben was a homeschooled soccer player for most of the time she was growing up but then quit soccer. She then started running on her own to stay in shape and signed up for a marathon. Worried she wouldn't be able to finish, she ran 20 miles on a treadmill the day before the race ( her longest run before that was 8 miles). She never looked up a training plan online or even wore a watch in the race, but she ran the marathon in 3:08 and then walked on to George Mason.
Now 27, she recently was 2nd at the US 15k. She ran 2:31:20 at CIM (for 6th in December).
"I literally did not know running had workouts in it,” Sachtleben says on a recent afternoon, sitting just a few feet from the school’s indoor track. “I never watched track. I watched the Olympics, but I was like, ‘Oh, track’s boring. I don’t want to watch.’ So I never watched those events … I watched gymnastics, figure skating, all the fun sports.”
this is the core of the sport. runners enjoying the experience.
awesome. -
I don't believe a female 230 marathoner knows nothing about distance training. Her answers sound like embellishment to me, makes the story sound better. Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee
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I've never looked up a training plan online in my life, and none of my peers did either. Sometimes I've worn watches in races, but only out of habit. I'm not sure how someone runs without knowing that every run is a workout? But then again, had Nostradamus told me that one day boys would be winning girls races I'd have told him, "Get the efff out of here, you're out of your effing mind!"
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Translation: she lied out of her ass and really had a solid 60 mpw base
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malmo wrote:
I've never looked up a training plan online in my life, and none of my peers did either. Sometimes I've worn watches in races, but only out of habit. I'm not sure how someone runs without knowing that every run is a workout? But then again, had Nostradamus told me that one day boys would be winning girls races I'd have told him, "Get the efff out of here, you're out of your effing mind!"
right.
the planet is out of its effin mind. right out to lunch. -
i made friends as a grade 12 with a tom girl hottie grade 10,
she came with me on a run, and i was running at a comfortable 620 mile pace, and she tagged along easily for a couple, three miles not winded at all
i asked her, do you ever run?
she said, ya sure, i run to school, it's about 3 miles, it takes me about 8 minutes, she then said she would run five miles in twelve minutes... it was clear that she had no concept what so ever about distances and time. but this chick could run.
so i believe the story of bethany and not cluing in till late.
sheit, i was mid teens before i knew that training actually worked . -
@pleasenough, re-read the article. She ran the 2:31 after 4 years running for Mason...She ran the 3 hour marathon before she knew anything about training
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Did any of you idiots read the article?? The quotes are describing her mindset before her first marathon in 2012. She ran a 3:08, and then, as a college student, walked on to George Mason's team. With structure and an understanding of running, she went on to set school records in college, and post-collegiate runs professionally, and has recently run a 2:31.
So obviously she trains "for real" now. She has been for 7 years. But she didn't when she was 19 or whatever when she picked up running.
Jesus people, read the darn article. -
Typical BQ hobby jogger Olympian who can run 3:00 but never broke 70 for a quarter.
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And going into that 3:08 it says she was running 30-60 minutes every day so it’s not like she didn’t have something of a base. She just didn’t know about workouts and structured training.
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I've known Bethany since she was a soccer/tennis player. Her story is legit and there's more than in that story. She is an amazing person.
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I don't know why people are doubting her story. Surely most of us have friends who do some casual running. In my experience they are beyond clueless about training. They usually have two training runs; an easy jog , and a time trial effort. They run the same distance nearly every time they run.
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It was wild how weakly insecure some of you are. I've never seen a group of people so intimidated by someone else's success. The cesspool of baby boomers who never got to break 20 minutes in the 5k ruin every thread on this site... it's okay that someone is better than you. Bethany is what makes running great. Read the damn article and remember what this sport is all about
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I just have to say that running a 20 miler the day before a marathon (on top of having never done anything above 8) is mind blowing.
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malmo wrote:
I've never looked up a training plan *online* in my life, and none of my peers did either
Haha, there was no web back in the day. You and your peers were using stone tablets. -
Gucci wrote:
Did any of you idiots read the article?? The quotes are describing her mindset before her first marathon in 2012. She ran a 3:08, and then, as a college student, walked on to George Mason's team. With structure and an understanding of running, she went on to set school records in college, and post-collegiate runs professionally, and has recently run a 2:31.
So obviously she trains "for real" now. She has been for 7 years. But she didn't when she was 19 or whatever when she picked up running.
Jesus people, read the darn article.
I’d rather think she’s a wannabe professional; 231 isn’t selling any running shoes, anymore than a dude running 216. ?? -
That soccer coach was a real jerk.
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I had a gf once who ran like 5k every day. Maybe once in a while ran 10k. So I convinced her to sign up for a half and she ran in 2 hrs. Not amazing by any means but still rather good for no distance. Even 30min a day is a good base.
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I love how a male equates a female 2:31 to a male 2:16. Try 2:12.
