I started doing hard things when I was in elementary school. My dad took me to see the movie, The Right Stuff, and I decided I wanted to be an astronaut. As a female, growing up in a trailer park and getting free school lunch, society constantly communicated to me that my goal was unrealistic, but my parents always treated it like it was just something I was going to do. I faced discouragement and financial challenges, and I persevered, earning my bachelor's and master's degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University before being selected as a Rhodes scholar and earning my doctorate in engineering from Oxford.
I started distance running while I was in graduate school. I did my research in a facility in Farnborough, and my colleagues would go running on trails nearby during lunch. Thus began my history of signing up for races because of bad influences. My first 10K was in Oxford, and my first half marathon was in Windsor. When I moved back to the States and started working for NASA, one of my colleagues there talked me into my first marathon (Austin), and another colleague talked me into my first 50K (Rocky Hill Ranch, now Hells Hills). That same colleague put the idea of a 50-miler in my head. We brought our son home in 2009 (he is now 16 years old), so I took some time off ultras but continued doing marathons. I ran my first 50M in 2019, my first 100K in 2021, and my first 100M in 2023.
At this point, I am a manager at NASA Johnson Space Center. I feel a visceral sense of gratitude to the US taxpayer for investing in me (food stamps, free school lunch, Pell grants and federally-subsidized student loads), so I'm passionate about serving the US public in return. My direct reports work on the Artemis campaign integrating between the different Programs involved. I've run 39 marathons--15 of them are Houston. I've paced for Houston 5 times and Woodlands once. I also serve on the Houston Marathon Committee as the Legacy Runner Captain, and I love being able to combine two of my passions: running and serving my community. I've finished 24 ultramarathons, including 3 100M races and 2 FKTs--the Caprock Canyons Trailway and the Houston I-610 loop.
Before the Dino Valley 100M last November, I found out I had a meniscus tear that would need treatment and rehab. After finishing the race, I took 10 weeks off and got Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) treatment. I'm building back up now, so my first goal is the Great Springs 10K in March. If both knees are the same size after that, I'll continue building up. I'd love to be able to run the Brazos Bend 100M in Dec. In fall 2026, I turn 50, and I'd love to complete the Lone Star Slam in celebration of that milestone. After that, I'll just keep finding new challenges and more ways to engage with the running community.
One last thing: In both 100M races and life, I've found a similar approach to be successful. When you're faced with something that seems insurmountable, just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you finish the race. At some point, the sun comes up and everything gets better.
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