Parker Valby We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.
In the women’s 10,000 meters, she was surprised by the constant pace changes and how a large pack of 12 women stayed together for the first 23 of 25 laps. And she sustained her first spike wounds on her legs. In the NCAA, she was usually so dominant, no one was close enough to touch her.
Summer Running Gear, Weini Kelati and Karissa Schweizer, tried to stay tucked in toward the back of the pack, although at one point late in the race, with about four laps to go, Valby moved to the front to try to get some space, and she remained off the shoulder of the leader for about 40 seconds before the pack swallowed her up again.
When the sprinting began at the bell lap, the Americans didn’t have much left. Beatrice Chebet of Kenya won her second gold medal of the Olympics, running 30:43.25, and finishing with a final lap of 57.4 seconds.
Kelati was the top American in eighth in 30:49.48. Schweizer was ninth in 30:51.99. And Valby was 11th in 30.59.28.
“I thought the race was going to go off hard,” Kelati said. “It wasn’t the way I expected, but this kind of race really gets in my mind. I was just like, ‘Oh my God, I have to stay patient and really focus so I can really try the last few laps. I know it’s going to go hard.’ That’s what I did. I really tried my best, but that’s all I can do.”
Schweizer agreed with Kelati, calling it “a brutal one out there.” She, too, was hoping for a faster tempo, so it wouldn’t get bunched up. “You try to, like, really remain calm throughout that and just get ready to kick,” she said.
For Valby everything about it was new. She had not previously set foot in Stade de France, the Olympic stadium. The crowds were the loudest and biggest she’d ever seen. And she wasn’t in the best frame of mind before the race, fretting to her University of Florida coaches, Will and Samantha Palmer, that she was going to get lapped twice.
She should have had more faith. Valby didn’t come close to getting lapped. She ran a negative split (15:50 for the first 5K, 15:09 for the second). And she was only 9 seconds off her PR.
Now, she knows what she has to work on: Getting stronger. Running more miles. Improving her mental game.
And booking a nail appointment in the Olympic Village nail salon far enough in advance to have fresh nails for race day. She was out of luck today; all the appointments were taken.
Valby and Samantha Palmer went around Paris to two different nail salons. The first one painted Valby’s nails red, white, and blue, but she thought they could be mistaken for the French colors. So the second salon added a second layer with stars, stripes, and Olympic rings.
All the post-race analysis can wait, however. For now, the athlete who has been racing hard for almost 11 months has something else on her mind: vacation. Said Valby: “I’m ready for a fat break.”
What It Was Like to Run Marathon Pour Tous is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World CA Notice at Collection, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
