June 16: NAZ Elite’s Olympic Trials 6th Placer Kellyn Taylor Running Grandma’s Marathon
Press Release
May 23, 2018
FLAGSTAFF, (AZ) – May 22, 2018 – HOKA Northern Arizona Elite has announced that Kellyn Taylor will be running the Grandma’s Marathon on June 16 in Duluth, Minn. Taylor has a personal best in the marathon of 2 hours, 28 minutes and 40 seconds.
Taylor started the Boston Marathon on April 16 but was unable to finish due to the historically cold, rainy and windy conditions. Prior to Boston, Taylor had finished eighth at the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon in November. In 2016, she was sixth at the United States Olympic Marathon Trials and fourth at the Olympic Track and Field Trials in the 10,000 meters.
Taylor said Grandma’s will serve as a chance at redemption after Boston did not go as planned.
“After a tough race at Boston I have the unique opportunity to utilize the fitness I gained but didn’t use during that segment,” Taylor said. “The city of Duluth is beautiful and I cannot wait to take the 26.2 mile scenic tour on June 16.”
The Grandma’s Marathon will be a return to the Midwest for Taylor, a Wisconsin native. Duluth is just a six-hour drive from her childhood home and Taylor will spend the final two weeks before the race in Wisconsin to acclimate to the heat and humidity that could present itself on race day.
HOKA NAZ Elite coach Ben Rosario said Grandma’s is a great fit for Taylor.
“The gently rolling course at Grandma’s is pretty much a carbon copy of the road where we do the majority of our marathon workouts here in Flagstaff,” Rosario said. “So in a lot of ways Kellyn has been preparing for this race for the last five years.”
To learn more visit www.nazelite.com.