Mar 15, 2022
"I don’t think I would’ve done it if Grace hadn’t. I remember saying two things: One, 'The data says you can do it.' And two, thinking about Grace."
Jenny Grimshaw and Grace Keller have only been friends for a few years, but in that time, they've helped each other dream bigger and chase down exciting running goals. Their first endeavor together: to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. On this episode, Jenny and Grace talk about meeting when they were both living, working, and running in New York City, and share how they're now making a long-distance friendship work. (Jenny lives in San Francisco with her husband and their new baby, Tate, and she works for Glossier. Grace and her husband, a professional baseball player, live in Charlottesville, VA, where she works in the finance and investment banking industry.) Their friendship is a special one that's rooted in their unwavering support and admiration for one another. (Be prepared to shed a tear or two when Grace talks about what she wrote in her journal after Jenny raced that California International Marathon.)
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What you’ll get on this episode:
- How Grace and Jenny met (5:25)
- How Grace and Jenny became friends (9:45)
- On training to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials (14:30)
- Reflecting on Grace’s Philadelphia Marathon in 2019, when she qualified for the Olympic Trials (22:00)
- Looking back on Jenny’s CIM race in 2019, when she qualified for the Olympic Trials (31:45)
- What it was like getting to run the Olympic Marathon Trials together (35:15)
- How Jenny and Grace got so close (48:15)
- Why Jenny and Grace’s recent visit in San Francisco was so powerful and important (51:30)
- What’s next on the run for Jenny and Grace (58:00)
- Jenny and Grace’s proudest moments in their friendship (1:02:20)
Check out:
Jenny Donnelly on Episode 215 of the Ali on the Run Show
Jenny & Judi Donnelly on Episode 193 of the Ali on the Run Show
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Follow Grace:
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- Twitter @aliontherun1
- Support on Patreon
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- Strava
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