"Breaking 3:00 wasn't just about one race. It was about the nine years of marathoning and overcoming injury, the thirteen years without running and racing, and the hope tucked away in 1999 when I was just a girl who thought 'someday.'" -Hidi Gaff

When Hidi hit the 26-mile mark at Grandma's, she saw the clock and had 1:26 left to break sub-3! This mom of six had to dig deep, channel every ounce of grit, and turn on the jets to get across the line in 2:59:52 and make her sub-3 dream come true!

Hidi has overcome many obstacles along the way.

Back surgery.

Knee surgery to remove a tumor.

A divorce from her 1st husband who was cheating on her—who left her with 4 kids in diapers and newly relocated to Fort Wayne, In.

She had no degree, job, money, vehicle, or even a driver's license.

Working with her therapist, Hidi wrote down a list of where she saw herself in 5 years, what she wanted for herself & children, mapped out every step needed to achieve those goals, and set out to do the work.

5 years later, she had achieved everything on it. And a big part of that was coming back to running, connecting with runners in her new community.

Finding her tribe.

Meeting her new husband and having two more children.

We discuss: key coaches/mentors: Highschool/college running; her favorite coach, Diane Philipp; favorite race moments; her progression; mantras; darkest moment; her Grandma’s breakthrough; becoming part of Three Rivers Racing Elite Team; community service; & so much more!

It was beautiful to hear the raw emotion in Hidi's voice describing her race! How it was slowly slipping away and how she had to channel the dark side and think about how she would feel if she missed by a few seconds or a minute. So INSPIRING!

If you enjoy the episode, it would mean the world to me if you would rate the podcast or write a review and share feedback wherever you get your podcast groove on.

Connect With Hidi:

Instagram: @hidigaff

Connect With Ron:

Personal Instagram: @ronrunsnyc

Podcast Instagram: @runchats_with_ronrunsnyc

Facebook: https://fb.me/runchats

Website: https://ronrunsnyc.com

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Produced by: David Margittai | In Post Media

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© 2022 Ron Romano