If the woman pictured here blazes past you while you’re running in Wellesley don’t feel too bad. You’re not necessarily slow, but she is very fast.
Kathy Newberry who moved to Wellesley last year with her husband, ran a 2:43:55 (a little faster if you go by chip time) at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon this weekend. That’s a 6:16 per-mile pace. Cracking 2:45 qualifies her for the Olympic trials, which take place on Feb. 29 in Atlanta. She’ll have plenty of company there, as more than 400 women have qualified, some by running in the 2:20s.
The next summer Olympics take place in Tokyo in 2020.
Newberry’s husband Alex Gibby, associate head coach for cross country at Harvard University, says Newberry plans to run the trials in February. “With the late qualification, the goal is to recover from this one and build fitness back quickly. She was sick the last time she ran the Trials so, hopefully, we have a better experience with this one!” Newberry has qualified for the trials several times in the past, at difference distances.
Gibby describes Wellesley as a terrific place to run, and Harvard’s coaches even take the team here several times a month to train. Newberry is listed on the Harvard site as a volunteer coach for cross country and track and field. In the past, she and her husband were head cross country and track coaches at William & Mary.
More: Beyond Wellesley: Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon & 5K at Hampton Beach, N.H.
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