There are thousands of stories of people overcoming adversity through running.
These stories are the main reason that thousands more people get involved in running in the first place.
Former world-ranked marathoner Kim Jones’ story is one that could
inspire anyone. Growing up in a poor household in a family seemingly
prone to tragedy, Kim first used her running as an escape and later
turned it into one of the most prolific elite careers ever.
Known for starting many races well behind the leaders, Kim used the
amazing sense of effort and pace learned from her asthma, of all things,
to not only catch up to, but pass and defeat those early leaders.
Kim recently published her autobiography entitled Dandelion Growing Wild, a wonderfully detailed account of Kim’s childhood and running career and the many struggles that shaped her.
Some of the things that we discussed included:
Kim’s approach to racing and the importance of pacing yourselfKim’s unique training style of extremely hard and extremely easy daysThe Bloomsday Run in Spokane, WA where Kim’s career was
launched, its course including the infamous “Doomsday Hill,” and what
makes it such a special eventKim’s book Dandelion Growing WildThe coaching work that she does with her husband Jon SinclairWe’d like to thank Kim for her time and with her the best of luck in her coaching and life.How to Turn Adversity into an Advantage: An Interview with 2:26 Marathoner Kim Jones