Podcasts Sports Running Ali on the Run Show 694. Weini Kelati, American Record Holder in the Half Marathon

694. Weini Kelati, American Record Holder in the Half Marathon

Published: Feb. 1, 2024, 10 a.m.

"As runners, we all deserve to be at the start line \u2014 and at the finish line, winning races."

Last month, Weini Kelati broke the American record in the half marathon, running 1:06:25 in Houston in her debut at the distance. Just a few days later, she ran \u2014 and won \u2014 the USATF cross-country championships. Weini's plan was never to be a record-breaking runner, though. Growing up in Eritrea, Weini was accustomed to walking \u2014 sometimes running \u2014 two hours to get to school each day, six days a week. Running on top of that? No thank you, she told her P.E. teacher. But somehow, she ended up on the school's track team, and at 17 years old, she was chosen to represent Eritrea at the Junior World Championships in Eugene, OR. The rest, as they say, is history. Weini intentionally missed her flight back home in favor of seeking asylum to stay in the U.S. and pursue a running career. She attended the University of New Mexico, where she became the most-decorated track and field athlete in the program's history, and she's been breaking records ever since. Weini lives in Flagstaff, AZ, where she is sponsored by Under Armour and trains with the Dark Sky Distance group.

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What you\u2019ll get on this episode:

  • What\u2019s next on Weini\u2019s racing calendar? (3:40)
  • All about Weini\u2019s childhood (4:30)
  • When \u2014 and why \u2014 Weini started running in elementary school (10:00)
  • The trip to the U.S. that changed Weini\u2019s life forever (19:00)
  • On acclimating to life in the U.S. (25:45)
  • What it was like for Weini to go eight years without seeing her mother (30:00)
  • Weini\u2019s college experience at the University of New Mexico (41:00)
  • How Weini became a professional runner (45:00)
  • Why Weini wanted to move up to the half-marathon distance (49:00)
  • Weini\u2019s advice for first-time half-marathoners (55:35)

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