“Don't be afraid to hurt because it's going to hurt.  Getting better, getting faster - it hurts, it sucks, and it's uncomfortable. But just being able to understand your limits and knowing where those are is a big first step in order to reach some of those goals.”

Last week, thousands of runners ran from Hopkinton to Boston to compete in the 126th running of the Boston Marathon. The 8th American that day was a college 400 runner from Wisconsin Stevens Point, Kathy Derks.

The progression that Kathy has made from her college days to her marathoning is incredible. Especially since she hated to walk when she was 10 years old and had her mom push her in a stroller during their vacation in New York City.

Kathy wasn’t recruited onto the UWSP team but simply asked to join. She came in as a 60s 400m runner with room to improve and the determination to get better. It was a after a breakout race her sophomore year where she finally dipped under 60s that she realized her potential.

As she moved to the cross country team to help her 800, she began taking running more seriously. And her times dropped with her increased dedication. When the dust settled, Derks was a 57/2:13 400/800 meter runner after improving from a 60/2:29 runner.

After she graduated, she had difficulty not being on a team and gravitated toward distance running. She started running because she had the time to do so. As she trained for her first marathon, the goal of running Boston became her focus. She ran 3:01 in her debut and was hooked.

As her marathon days progressed, she needed to help to achieve her goals. She reached out to a friend to coach her and the partnership has seen even more improvement. As she grasps what this new PB means to her, Kathy will continue to run for the love of it. In 2024, she’ll toe the line of the Olympic Trials hopefully as a 2:30 marathoner.

Summer of Hayward

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