Grandt shines as third American woman in Boston Marathon

“Then I just didn’t really want to slow my pace that much, so I kept going, and from then on, I was mostly by myself for 18 miles after that. I thought that I would see more people. It’s like, this is the Boston Marathon. There’s supposed to be so many people in it, but they’re all behind me mostly.”

That realization didn’t side track her at all. Over the span of those 26.2 miles, she found that her 5:43 average mile pace was most comfortable on her legs. Years of experience made it easy for her to maintain that speed, without much thought.

“It was relatively easy, actually. I just got into that magical little world that runners get into. It just came pretty easily to me, just to click off a steady pace, and it wasn’t too tiring for the first part, so I just got in that groove and went with it.”

Most runners find the last half of the marathon to be slower than their first, but that groove Grandt found propelled her into a league of her own. In fact, she averaged six seconds faster in the last 13.1 miles. Her 5k splits were no more than 13 seconds apart, 17:37 being her fastest and 17:50 at her slowest.

One look at this 5’1” distance star is deceiving, unless it’s someone who has seen first hand how intimidating she can be. Anyone who has raced against her or trained with her knows what she unleashes in each race.

“She’s obviously incredibly dedicated, but her demeanor- she is calm,” her agent, Isaya Okwiya said. “She is a silent killer. She is very competitive and very tough. She is a very sweet girl. But once she laces up, different story.”

Although she portrayed strength, it was those last four or five miles that tried to put a stop to Grandt’s momentum. At one point her legs had tightened up so much and were starting to give up on her. Even her mind pleaded with her to slow down some, but that was not an option for this hard-charging distance runner.

“I knew if I did that it would have probably gotten pretty bad. I’ve heard some horror stories about the end of the marathon, so I just tried to keep the same pace until the end.”

Hesitant about the length of the race, she instantly shook off her fear. She knew something many runners on that course didn’t.

With all of the training under her belt, she knew she was more capable than even the most experienced runners. As a high mileage runner who easily averages over 100 miles a week, she entered the race with the utmost confidence.

“I just thought if anyone was prepared for it, it was me,” she said.

And this kind of training is not new territory for her. While at WVU she was known to run higher mileage under Head Cross Country and Track Coach, Sean Cleary.

“How she trained throughout college, she trained unlike most runners,” Okwiya said. “She had a pretty solid base out of college. She was pretty confident, even that day leading up to the race, and most of her confidence stems from her training.”

On her normal runs she averages approximately 6:30 mile pace, sometimes faster. Track workouts usually consist of 800 meter repeats at approximately 5:20 mile pace. And on the infamous bike loop in Morgantown, she has been seen putting in 15 milers at 5:40 mile pace.

"It goes by faster than you think," she said. "It feels good. Usually it's around marathon pace. It's nothing too crazy."

Crazy or not, Grandt has shown she is unique throughout her running career. Higher weekly mileage at a very quick pace has molded her into who she is today.

"I like to run a little quicker most of my runs. I don't work out a whole bunch - once or twice a week. Sean (Cleary) has to hold me back sometimes. I like it when I feel good. I like to just enjoy being able to do that stuff."
Earlier this fall, Cleary and Grandt talked about increasing her mileage in preparation for Boston. But it never felt right.

“The long runs were consistently longer than a year ago, but the overall mileage was only slightly more,” Cleary said. “I felt it was more important to keep her training like an elite college runner and press the limits in long tempos and Sunday runs.”

No magical workout is credited for transforming Grandt from a state champion to an elite distance runner on the national scale. In fact, the higher mileage weeks and longer runs is what Cleary feels made all of this possible.

“Clara has been training for the marathon for three to four years now,” Cleary said. “A two hour long run has been part of her diet throughout most of the year for years on end. We first spoke about breaking 2:30 three years ago. Although Clara is thrilled with this race, knowing the weather and course conditions being perfect, this was in no way a surprise.”

Those longer runs were never at an easy effort either, especially in training for Boston. In a two hour and 30 minute long run, Grandt pushed the pace by averaging 5:40 miles for the last 30 minutes.

Because she is known to take her runs more quickly than the average distance runner, Cleary stressed the importance of running a smart race and not going out too fast.

"I think that's why I had such a successful race,” she said. “I didn't want to walk away from my first marathon afraid or feeling like it was something I couldn't do."

Now she can walk away from the experience, knowing that her passion and her talent carried her throughout the years of hard work. Everything she has accomplished since high school should be an inspiration for those who want to explore their potential, Cleary said.

“Clara ran a 3200 in high school in 11:28. At Boston Clara ran 13x3200 at 11:26- simply amazing, a true testament to her talent and more importantly her relentless desire to find out how good she can be. Clara proves that the sky is the limit in our great sport, proves that 5:20 milers in high school have a great career in front of them, should they never quit working hard and believing in themselves.”

Running this marathon will always be an unforgettable and treasured experience for Grandt, who is excited to start training again.

“I’ve been wanting to do it for so long,” she said. “I wanted to be a marathoner, and I always thought that it was something I was meant to do. So actually achieving that, I was so happy when I crossed the line, and I know I had just gotten under 2:30. It was everything I hoped it would be.”

Related Links: How Clara Grandt Broke 2:30 in Her Debut