A (running) star is born

Kristin Sherwood's fast path to fast times

So many of us took up new pastimes during the pandemic. Running was a popular one, and Kristin Sherwood was sucked right into our sport in July of 2020. In a little less than three years, her progress has been downright remarkable. She is among the fastest local runners around, and her racing prowess has expanded beyond the local area.

Back in March, she traveled to South Carolina for a half marathon … and won her age group! At the New York City half marathon a few weeks later, she was among the top age-group finishers as well (17^th of 1,656 in the 40-44 in 1:31:57). The 42-year-old has shown great range in terms of excelling at a variety of race distances. She has shown great willingness to train at a high level. And she has great big goals for the future – especially at the marathon distance.

So yes, Kristin Sherwood’s ascent in our sport has been as fast as her race times. But here in this interview, Kristin shares a lot more than the reasons she has become such a stellar runner in a relatively short amount of time – less than three years! Kristin talks openly about her struggles with anxiety. This takes courage. She talks about how important running has been in all aspects of her life. This also takes courage, and also it provides great inspiration for us all. A perfect fit for some long-form Monday Motivation!

As Kristin will tell you in the answers below, running has filled an athletic void in her life that was created when she ceased her lifelong participation in equestrian sports. Horses, and horseback riding and competition, had been a huge part of her existence. Now, running is her athletic outlet, and it has added much depth and meaning to her life. We wish Kristin the best of success in her future running races; it’ll be exciting to see how much faster she gets in the coming weeks, months and years. And, we thank her for taking the time, effort – and, yes, courage – to tell her story to a wider audience on this platform.