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February 20, 2020

GETTING TO KNOW......Kelby Laughner

Residence

Indianapolis, IN

Grew Up

Frankfort, IN

Age

27

College

University of Evansville, 2014

Social Media Handles

Twitter - @KelbyLaughner

Number of previous Marathon Trials?

0

How did you start running?

I remember watching my Dad run in local races when I was little. He would take my sisters and I to the YMCA indoor track when we were around 5-7 years old and we would slowly jog behind him like little ducklings. He would also take my brother and I out for a mile jog in our neighborhood every once in a while and I always thought how easy it was! Then my brother joined the XC team when he entered middle school so of course I had to follow suit and also join two years late. That's when I found out I had a natural ability to run long distances. After running XC and track in middle school I had grown a hatred toward running. My first love was actually soccer and so that is what I did all 4 years in high school. But of course my parents very strongly encouraged me to join the track team my freshman year in high school, but I was adamant I wasn't going to run any distance farther than an 800! Well that quickly changed as my times started improving and my competitive side came out! By my senior year in high school I had started to love running (my Dad was right as usual...) and I decided to dual-sport in both XC and soccer that fall. This ultimately helped lead to my decision to run XC at the University of Evansville, and I have never looked back since! 

Where did you qualify for the Trials?

Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN - 2018

Tell us about the point you realized you had qualified for the Trials and how it felt?

I hit the halfway mark of the marathon about 1 minute faster than goal pace of 2:45 so I knew I had a little buffer going into the second half which made me feel more confident that I could do it. I ran really strong from miles 13 to 20 and felt great. However, I hit the wall as usual at mile 20 and wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make it. Everyone has the moments during a marathon. However, I kept calculating in my head each mile after that the pace I needed to keep. I continued to focus on that until 2 miles left to go and knowing I had 14 minutes left to get under 2:45. I knew then that I could make it happen. I just kept pushing as much as I could and with one mile to go I felt I was definitely going to do it. My adrenaline was definitely surging and I had all the nerves, but going into the last .2 of the race was the most incredible feeling that I was actually going to make it happen. It was very overwhelming and such a dream come true. It was empowering to see the other women who were also going for the time to cross the finish line under that 2:45 mark. We had a group of women running together through a lot of the race pushing and encouraging each other to keep pace. Running is so powerful in bringing people together and that is one of the reasons I love it so much. 

What High School did you graduate from and what year did you graduate?

Frankfort High School (Home of the Hot Dogs!), 2010

What were your best track times in high school?

800m - 2:22
1600m - 5:14
3200m - 11:28

#1 High School highlight?

Running with my teammates in the 4x800
Breaking the school records in the 1600 and 3200m
Making it to state my senior year in the 3200m

What were your best times in college?

10,000m - 36:01

#1 College highlight?

Breaking the school's 5,000m cross country course record at our home course

Current Coach?

Matt Ebersole, Personal Best Training

Sponsor(s)?

Personal Best Training

Something unique about you?

I will be running 6 months pregnant at the trials! My goal is to finish the race under the time allowed.

Favorite Workout?

I can bear any workout when it is running with my Team Shorts Family! But my favorites include fartleks and mile repeats.

Favorite Place to Train?

Tuesday workouts with PBT on the Monon Trail.

Occupation?

Senior Financial Analyst / CPA

Favorite Food?

Pizza!! (and fudgy chocolate cake with ice cream if that counts as a good group!)

If you could have lunch with one person who would it be with?

My Grandma, Naomi Jenkins

Dinner?

Kara Goucher

Goal at the Trials?

Finish first :) And then second goal would be a time of 3:15 or under. And just enjoy the whole experience! Running with the top marathoners in the world will be enough.

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