Boston Marathon Winner
CAROLINE ROTICH By Emmaly Wiederholt
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here are few forms of exercise as straightforward and beneficial as going for a run. From increasing lung function and lowering the risk of blood clots to boosting your immune system and even elevating your mood, the benefits of going for a jog are enormous. And like anything, when it comes to running, enthusiasts span the gamut from now-and-then joggers to marathon winners. Santa Fe, with its high elevation, picturesque vistas and numerous trails, is an ideal place to take up the running habit, and nobody knows that better than 2015 Boston Marathon winner Caroline Rotich, who just happens to call Santa Fe home. Rotich hails from Nyahururu, Kenya. She recalls, “When I was little, I was always running around chasing my friends. When we had competitions in schools, I used to do well. My grandpa would inspire me and tell me I could do it. One of my cousins went to the Athens Olympics and I remember when he came back my grandpa wanted me to meet him at the airport in order to motivate me more. That’s when I started loving it and wanted to do more running. My grandpa was a big supporter of me. He wasn’t a runner himself, but he used to love walking everywhere.” Rotich attended high school on a sports scholarship in Japan at Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School — an institution known for its long-distance running program. It was there Rotich became serious about her training. “I went to Japan when I was 14 and ran for high school. After that I knew I wanted to be a TOP PHOTO BY Victor Sailor
professional so I went back to Kenya and built up from there.” After moving to the United States to train full time, she found Santa Fe to be an ideal place to pursue her sport. “Santa Fe’s elevation and good weather throughout the year are great for training,” she describes. “There are many good trails here in Santa Fe similar to the trails back home in Kenya.” On April 20, 2015, she won the Boston Marathon with a winning time of 2:24:55. Although the weather on race day was gloomy and cold, she recounts how it barely affected her run. “I felt great all of the race and had a good time. The weather was tough but it didn’t take anything away. You never know what’s going to happen during the race and what kind of weather there’s going to be, so you just make the best of it.” Though a renowned professional runner, Rotich is a big advocate of getting kids and adults alike off the couch. She often does presentations as a motivational speaker at elementary schools around Santa Fe. “Running is not about winning a big race or even entering a big race,” she notes. “It’s about getting out there and just running. If you just do that, you’re already a champion. You don’t need a group or club to run. You can just do it any time, any day.” Her advice for a beginning runner: “Just get out there and do one minute today, two minutes tomorrow. It will take you from there. It’s just a matter of starting.”