Episode 199: Boston Marathon Professional Masters Runner, Alexandra Niles

We are so thrilled to introduce Alexandra (Ali) Niles, a masters runner who will be toeing the line in the Professional Women's Field at the 2024 Boston Marathon. Ali, a former competitive college gymnast who is now a gymnastics coach, started running in her 20's after college. Ali quickly fell in love with running and hired coach Tom Fleming, a legendary runner who won the 1973 and 1975 NYC Marathon and placed second in the 1973 and 1974 Boston Marathon. Tom helped Ali break three hours and set a goal to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials. Sadly, in 2017, Tom died of a heart attack. Devastated, Ali continued chasing the OTQ and in 2018, with the encouragement of her friend, Sika Henry, Ali achieved her goal at the One City Marathon and ran the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. This year, Ali will be running in the Boston Marathon Professional Field for the first time (her third Boston Marathon) and couldn't be more excited to run in the field as a masters runner. We loved hearing Ali's story and look forward to seeing her crush Boston on Marathon Monday. You can find us on Instagram and Facebook @runfartherandfaster. Looking for coaching? Email us at julieandlisa@runfartherandfaster.com to set up a coaching call. Thanks for listening!