Alumnus Mary Denholm // Marathon Runner
We conducted an exclusive interview with Mary Denholm, an OMS alumnus and successful marathon runner. We delve into Mary's running journey, the challenges she has faced along the way, and how OMS has impacted her success. Mary provides current and future OMS student-athletes with advice, and shares a great source for vegan recipes!
Where are you currently located and what are you up to?
I live in Erie, Colorado. I worked for 10 years as a trial attorney in Maryland and then switched careers. I worked in marketing for a few years and that took me from San Diego, California, to Flagstaff, Arizona, and then to Santa Barbara, California. I had started run coaching in 2018 as a side passion but then officially started working for Lift Run Perform in 2020 as a second job. I made the switch to full time run coaching in 2022 (I coach runners remotely all over the US and some international as well) and moved to Colorado to be with my mom and sister who also were relocating to Colorado after my father passed away in February 2022. Run coaching is truly the most rewarding job I have ever had. I get to help others achieve their running goals & I am so grateful to work with an amazing group of people.
When did you attend OMS?
My junior and senior year of high school I transferred up for the winter months - that was the 2003-2004 and then 2004-2005 ski season. I grew up skiing at Okemo - went through the Mountaineers Program, then joined the Devo team, made the Council team, and then J3, J2, J1 teams.
What do you remember most about your time at OMS?
The lifelong friends I made while at OMS. Sharing a sport with others and connecting with them enriches the experience for everyone. I am still very close with several fellow OMS student-athletes I met and connected with during my time there. I feel the same way about running and the running community now.
How did OMS prepare / impact your life?
OMS prepared me to be a lifelong athlete - and a high performing one. I wanted to alpine ski race D1 in college and you guys got me there! The schedule OMS set to prioritize skiing every day first, lift until lunch with school in the afternoon into early evening, building in time for lifting, tuning our skis, etc. just really taught me how to structure my day. While I ultimately only skied for 1 year in college, it was huge that I was able to work very hard and accomplish that big goal I set for myself at such a young age. It taught me that hard work pays off. When we have a big long-term goal it takes a ton of work, mental strength, and resiliency to work for years to achieve it. My return to competitive running post-law school when I set the goal I currently achieved with marathoning and worked towards it for years (8 years to be exact to run 2:36, 5:57 per mile for 26.2 miles) was similar in really committing to a long-term goal, having unshakable self-belief, and pursuing it vigorously.
What advice do you have for current and upcoming OMS student-athletes?
Have fun with it! That's always the most important thing is to LOVE your training. We set these big goals and working towards them enjoying the journey in pursuit of them is where the joy is. Approaching race day curious and learning to stay calm, relaxed, and trusting your training is another piece of advice I always share. The more calm and relaxed you can be going into your races, the better you will perform.
You recently became a Marathon Olympic Trials Qualifier - congrats! How do you plan to train over the next couple months?
To explain how the qualification process works, to be able to race in the Olympic Trials Marathon from which the top 3 will make the US team to compete in Paris, a US woman needed to run a sub-2:37:00 road marathon (and had to be an approved course) which is 5:58 per mile average or faster within the qualifying window of 2 years. The prior time in 2020 was sub-2:45 so USATF dropped it by 8 minutes which is a significant drop and its difficulty is reflected by the significantly lower number of women who hit that time barrier this cycle (500 for 2020, 158 for 2024). It will be an untraditional training cycle because it's a quick turnaround. I qualified on December 3rd, 2023 running 2:36:28 and the Olympic Trials Marathon is on February 3rd, 2024. I've done this before so I know how to navigate it, but it's a quick recovery, rebuild of mileage, getting in a few big workouts, and then taper again. I will also be incorporating heat training since the race is in Orlando, Florida and set to start at 10AM. Hot yoga and sauna training will be crucial for me and I will spend my final 12 days of training in Florida to acclimate to heat, humidity, and dew point of that particular climate.
What has been a challenge you’ve had to overcome as a Marathon runner?
I had a rough start to marathoning and almost quit the sport several times. My first few years in 2015-2017 I would get so nervous I would exhaust myself the week leading up to the race. I had so many tough races early on and it's kind of amazing (or crazy) that I stuck with it. So much of running (and all sports) is mental, so working on my mindset and cultivating a calm confidence has been key to unlocking better performances since 2018-2019. As I said above, the more relaxed I can go into a race, the better I sleep, the better my energy is on race day, and ultimately the better I perform. It's always a practice but no matter the stage I am about to race on, I remind myself that I do a long run workout every weekend, and race day is no different.
A few of our student-athletes and staff are also vegan! What are some of your favorite go-to vegan dishes?
Anything by Minimalist Baker! She's my go-to for recipes and everything always turns out amazing. Personal faves are the one pot lentil soup, Buddha bowls, and deconstructed burrito bowls.
What else would you like to share?
Sport is just getting started after college. I thought it ended there when I was in high school and even college, but it's truly just the beginning. And you can perform your best in your 30s. I am 36 and continue to run lifetime personal bests. Take care of your body, and it will continue to perform for you!