Two hours and 29 minutes, that's how long it took 30-year-old Allie Kieffer to complete the New York City Marathon back on November 5th.
And that time, put Allie in 5th place, among 21,091 female runners.
"I've been running for a long time, since I was 5-years-old," said Allie. "You know, running is part of who I am and what I do."
And now, Kieffer is hitting the ground running (pun intended) here in Buffalo. The Long Island native moved to Williamsville last January.
But the move hasn't slowed her down one bit. New York City marked her third marathon, and she shaved 26 minutes off her personal best, yes, 26 minutes!
So what was it like crossing that finish line in 5th place? "Completely surprised and shocking," said Allie. "I did not expect that."
Kieffer ran competitively while attending college at Wake Forest, where she says everyone wanted her to be stick thin.
"That was one thing that was a big challenge for me," said Allie. "It made me feel really bad about myself and use the wrong measures to become faster."
Allie says the key to her success is becoming healthier and training with the local running group, Checkers.
Allie is now looking forward to what she can accomplish next. "I really wan to make the world half marathon championship team and then I definitely want to be the top three next year in New York."
Best of luck Allie!
