Podcasts Sports Running Ali on the Run Show 466. Hiruni Wijayaratne, South Asia's Fastest Marathoner

466. Hiruni Wijayaratne, South Asia's Fastest Marathoner

Published: Jan. 11, 2022, 10 a.m.

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\\u201cI feel like I\\u2019m in love again with the process of waking up early, putting my shoes on, bundling up, and going for a run. It doesn\\u2019t feel quite easy or fun all the time yet, but I\\u2019m definitely in love with the process again.\\u201d

For most professional athletes, a day in the life includes running, eating, recovering, napping, resting, running again, eating again, and sleeping. But for Hiruni Wijayaratne \\u2014 the 11-time Sri Lankan record holder in distances from the 5,000 meters to the marathon, and the fastest female marathoner in South Asia \\u2014 running has to happen before or after her other jobs. Hiruni lives in Colorado, where she works full-time in the tech industry, coaches with Runcoach, and trains at an elite level under the coaching of Ric Rojas. On this episode, Hiruni talks about her years-long quest to qualify for Sri Lanka\'s Olympic marathon team, and what it\'s been like to fall short of that goal and break her mind, body, and spirit in the process. She talks about her struggles over the past few years, and about clawing her way back to loving running again. Most recently, Hiruni ran the California International Marathon (with training partner Nell Rojas!), where she earned her second-fastest marathon time, finishing in 2:34:22. But the road to the CIM start line wasn\'t easy, and today Hiruni is here to talk about what it means to bet on yourself \\u2014\\xa0and how she\'s learned to do it.

SPONSOR:\\xa0The WineShine Half Marathon\\xa0\\u2014 Register today for the inaugural event, happening July 16, 2022. See you in Napa!

What you\\u2019ll get on this episode:

  • What it was like being in the Boulder area during the massive fires in December (4:10)
  • All about Hiruni\\u2019s recent wedding! (11:15)
  • What Hiruni\\u2019s job is like, what it entails, and when she runs (13:00)
  • All about those 12 seconds at CIM (16:45)
  • The road to CIM (18:20)
  • What Hiruni\\u2019s relationship with running is like now (23:40)
  • Hiruni\\u2019s high point in CIM training (28:00)
  • Hiruni\\u2019s CIM goals (32:30)
  • How CIM played out for Hiruni (41:35)
  • How Hiruni learned to bet on herself (51:50)
  • On goal setting in the new year (58:15)

Check out:

Nell Rojas on Episode 434 of the Ali on the Run Show

Nell Rojas on Episode 431 of the Ali on the Run Show

Nell Rojas on Episode 229 of the Ali on the Run Show

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SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show!\\xa0If you\\u2019re enjoying the show, please\\xa0subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!

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