It’s been over a week since more than 25,000 participants toed the starting line, running to remember the 168 people killed in the 1995 Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing. The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is truly a memorable event and runners in this event continue to make history such as female marathon winner, Camille Herron. Camille won in 2012, 2014 and crossed the finish line at 2:54:55 this year becoming the race’s only third time champion.
Camille, 33, is a professional athlete who has won 18 marathons. Two weeks prior to the 2015 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon she was named to the U.S. National Team and won the national title for top marathon runners.
But don’t let the intimidating racing record fool you. Camille is an extremely gracious pro athlete. She has a passion for running and wants to see it expand here in Oklahoma as demonstrated by her willingness to allow RunOklahoma.com interview her. She kindly took time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions about her favorite part of the course and how she celebrated her third victory.
Q: What did it mean, to you, to be able to wind the OKC Memorial Marathon for a third time?
A: I had noticed a few months ago looking at past winners that no one had won the OKC Memorial 3 times. My husband, Conor, has won it twice. To have now won it a 3rd time is making a bit of history! I have plenty of race opportunities that I could pursue around this time (including the 100K US Championship I just did 2 wks before), but I choose to run my “hometown race” because I know how much it means to my friends and family. I want to be an inspiration to them and the greater Oklahoma endurance community. Also, being a native Oklahoman I know how much it means to everyone to continue to “run to remember” the OKC Bombing– I was discovering my talent as a competitive runner 20 yrs ago, so it’s symbolic and coming full circle to still be running competitively and now for a greater cause and purpose.
A: I had noticed a few months ago looking at past winners that no one had won the OKC Memorial 3 times. My husband, Conor, has won it twice. To have now won it a 3rd time is making a bit of history! I have plenty of race opportunities that I could pursue around this time (including the 100K US Championship I just did 2 wks before), but I choose to run my “hometown race” because I know how much it means to my friends and family. I want to be an inspiration to them and the greater Oklahoma endurance community. Also, being a native Oklahoman I know how much it means to everyone to continue to “run to remember” the OKC Bombing– I was discovering my talent as a competitive runner 20 yrs ago, so it’s symbolic and coming full circle to still be running competitively and now for a greater cause and purpose.
Q: You mentioned being able to really soak in sites and sounds of the race? Do you have a favorite area/stretch of road on the course?
A: I like running through all the historical neighborhoods– the first 10 miles and then the last 6-8 miles. I’m probably not alone in having a love-hate relationship with Lake Hefner!
Q: How did you celebrate your third win? A fancy dinner or a long nap?
A: A post-race nap and then the annual party at Mark Bravo’s house, although we came a little later than everyone cause of our nap!
Q: Your win came two weeks after a 100K run, what is your plan for recovering?
A: This was my first time running an ultra in the US, so I really didn’t know what to expect bouncing back from the 100K. I took more days off and less running than expected between the two races, mainly because I was sleepy and had the appetite of a 14 year old boy! My muscles weren’t that sore after the 100K. It was mainly metabolic/endocrine fatigue I felt going into OKC Memorial– I didn’t have the “umph” to push myself hard and felt flat. Since OKC Memorial, I took several more days completely off from running, eating like a horse, sleeping a whole bunch, and then did some “vacation running” up in Oregon. Now I’m feeling ready to build back into regular training.
A: This was my first time running an ultra in the US, so I really didn’t know what to expect bouncing back from the 100K. I took more days off and less running than expected between the two races, mainly because I was sleepy and had the appetite of a 14 year old boy! My muscles weren’t that sore after the 100K. It was mainly metabolic/endocrine fatigue I felt going into OKC Memorial– I didn’t have the “umph” to push myself hard and felt flat. Since OKC Memorial, I took several more days completely off from running, eating like a horse, sleeping a whole bunch, and then did some “vacation running” up in Oregon. Now I’m feeling ready to build back into regular training.
Q: What’s the next big race on your calendar?
A: I haven’t planned any immediate races yet– I actually decided not to do Comrades at the end of May, so it’s opened up a huge window to train and/or do domestic races the next two months. Then, my next major race to build towards will be the World 100K Championship in The Netherlands in September. I’m currently #1 in the World for 100K, so I want to be healthy, rested, and fit for this race. There’s several possibilities to pursue American/World Records next fall from 50K and up, so I’d like to get myself into prime marathon fitness. Finally, I’ll carry the fitness into training for the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials next February in LA.
