Sarah Cummings of New York Athletic Club

Runners of NYC Podcast

January 9, 2020

“I went through four PTs and then my fifth PT was the one that got me hoping and believing that I could train again. It was far from linear. There were many times where I decided that if I can’t PR again, I never want to race. Even though it still hurt for quite some time after, I still wanted to be in the park with people in the morning and socializing. You can’t get someone to go out and get drinks every night of the week – especially people who are running…The surgeon had never promised me anything. It was purely a functional repair. There aren’t very many positive stories. When I got to a point where I could run pain-free, it helped me turn a corner. If I can run, I have to. I have to try this. Everyone was running CIM (in 2018) and I thought ‘Maybe I could actually do this.’ It was so fun to get back into workouts and meet new people. I needed to be part of it again…I think I was able to get into a different headspace, make a new deal with myself to give it a go on different terms and focus on the process and the people.” – Sarah Cummings of New York Athletic Club

To kick-off 2020, we’re going to try and share a few more stories from some of the top New York City women competing at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. We’re kicking it off with Sarah Cummings of the New York Athletic Club. She’s one of the nicest people that you might encounter if you’re on an early morning run in Central Park. She owns a personal best of 2:34:47 from the 2014 Chicago Marathon, competed at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and represented the United States internationally several times.

She got her start as a competitive figure skater in New Jersey and then went on to have a successful high school career in California before committing to Princeton. She ended up being a four-time Ivy League champion in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, an All-American and a member of a fifth-place finishing team at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. She accepted a job in New York City in graduation and never skipped a beat in her running. The transition to the roads was seamless until a nagging hamstring injury finally caught up to her and detached from her leg during a 50K world championship race. She shares the road to recovery that nearly led her to quit the sport and how she managed to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with a comeback at the 2018 California International Marathon.

Never give up. Trust the process.

This is Runners of NYC. A biweekly podcast from CITIUS MAG. Hosts Leigh Anne Sharek and Chris Chavez look to bring you many of the untold stories behind luminaries and legends that make up New York City’s running culture. You can catch the latest episode of the podcast on iTunes so subscribe and leave a five-star review. We are also on Spotify!

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Leigh Anne Sharek

Runner for the Brooklyn Track Club, 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier (2:41:59, CIM 2018), Runners of NYC Podcast host, full-time forensic scientist