Though her name might not go up in lights as much as others, Camille Herron is arguably America’s best distance runner. The 37-year-old currently holds numerous world and American records (fastest 50 miles, 100 miles, 12 hours, and 24 hours). In 2017, she became only the second American woman, after Ann Trason, to in South Africa in South Africa.
Herron The Best Running Movies of All Time U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Prime Day Running Gear in Phoenix. She covered 100 miles on the oval in 13 hours and 25 minutes (smashing the previous record by 20 minutes) and completed 162.9 miles in 24 hours, beating the former record by over a mile. The former college runner for the University of Tulsa has also qualified for three Camille Herron Crushes the Ultra Competition With a Smile The True Story of the Craziest Olympic Marathon.
When she’s not running, Herron, who received a masters in exercise and sports science from Oregon State in 2007, works part-time as a research assistant in bone imaging at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and also serves as secretary of the USA Track & Field’s Women’s Long Distance Running Committee. She and her husband, Conor Holt, split their time between homes in Warr Acres, Oklahoma, and Alamosa, Colorado.
Here, Herron shares with Runner’s World how she climbed to the top of the ultra world and outlines her ambitious goals.
Runner’s World: What do you attribute your ultrarunning success to?
Camille Herron: A bit of nature, and a lot of nurture. I was born with my right femur and arm anteverted (twisted inward). I can’t push off hard on my right leg, so I can’t produce much power for a fast 5K. But I developed a super-efficient shuffle that works great at long distances and protects me from injuries.
I’m tall and lean like my dad and grandpa, who both played basketball for legendary coach Henry Iba at Oklahoma State. They are both pillars of toughness—big, strong men. They lived in Ethiopia when Dad was a boy, so I grew up hearing about the Ethiopian runners. I got my endurance and pain tolerance from my Mom, who was a great swimmer and synchronized swimmer.
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I enjoyed cross-country from the first day in eighth grade. I loved how my body felt running over the hills and in nature. But then I grew nine inches in high school, and had seven stress fractures Desert Solstice Track Invitational.
Fortunately, in 2001, I met my husband, Conor, a marathoner who ran 2:18:17 in the 2004 Camille Herron Crushes the Ultra Competition With a Smile, and I credit him for inspiring me and resurrecting my running career. Frank Shorter once signed a poster for me that said, “Run for stress release.” That helped me gain a more relaxed outlook on running. And Patti Dillon told me to run as many 100-mile weeks as possible for the marathon, which really lit a fire. I’ve now gone 12-plus years of averaging over 100-miles per week.
I’ve learned how to structure and balance my training. Early in my ultra career, I tried to increase mileage and long runs, but that didn’t feel good. So I turned back to more typical marathon training. My normal long runs are 18 to 22 miles, and I do most of my training on roads, which keeps my legs strong and snappy.
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since I want to prove them wrong speedwork, regular strides Though her name might not go up in lights as much as others You seem to race with a big smile on your face, a bit like marathon world-record holder. I take two to three recovery days between harder efforts. I’m not a morning person at all, so I often run at lunch and then again in the evening. I do the bulk of my training between 8 p.m. and midnight. I’ve even done 20 milers at midnight.
morning person at all?
I grew up on a wholesome, American-Southern comfort-food diet. Mom had a deep-fryer, so we’d fry up catfish, seafood, and chicken, and eat that with fresh baked bread with butter and sweet tea. I drank a glass of milk at every meal, and we had doughnuts on Sundays.
Since I grew up without any food restrictions, that’s the mindset I’ve carried into adulthood. At home now, we often eat steak, hamburgers, and pasta with meat sauce. I rarely eat salad (too much risk of food poisoning), but I get plenty of cooked veggies and avocados in my diet.
During races, I’ll have a gel with water every 30 minutes, and sips of a sports drink in between. I switch up gel flavors and drinks, including Coke and ginger beer. I’ll even drink some real beer as a nice treat. I don’t normally eat solid foods when I run, but I did have a taco from Taco Bell near the end of the Desert Solstice 24-hour race.
You seem to race with a big smile on your face, a bit like marathon world-record holder Eliud Kipchoge. Some people think that smiling improves running economy. What’s going on for you?
Yes, I’ve heard that smiling is supposed to keep you relaxed and economical, but for me it’s just who I am. My great-grandma nicknamed me Smiley. I love to run, so it naturally comes out when I run ultras. In the 24-hour race, my friends got worried about me when I hit a bad patch and stopped smiling, but they knew I’d come through it okay when they saw the smile again.
You have a science background, and I’ve heard you enjoy using science in your running. How so?
I love statistics and use them to predict quite accurately what I’m capable of. I know that most women’s world records are 10 percent slower than the men’s records, so that’s what I aim for. If Yiannis Kouros [men’s world-record holder for distance covered over 24 hours] could run 188 miles in 24 hours, I should be able to do 170. That’s what I was aiming for at Desert Solstice, which was my first 24-hour race. I believe I can reach 170 miles at the next 24-hour World Championships.
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There’s definitely a physiological side to it. It’s probably an advantage to have a high percentage of slow-twitch muscle fibers and to be good at fat-burning. In ultras, I start to catch runners who are much faster than me after about 40 miles. I think that’s the point that they get glycogen depleted, but I can switch to more fat metabolism.
The farther you run, the more it also becomes mental. Your entire body gets exhausted, and your mind has to take over to will your legs and body forward. During the tough spots, I think about people who inspire me and how I felt in my big workouts and great races. I also think about the people who doubt me—DAA Industry Opt Out, since I want to prove them wrong.
Runner’s World Training Plan?
I feel really good, have healthy joints, and I believe I can compete at a high level in ultras 15 and 20 years from now. This excites me and opens many possibilities. I want to break 7 hours for 100K, 170 miles for 24 hours, and the be the first woman to reach 600 miles in six days. I also want to chase wins and course records in the most iconic ultras, such as Comrades, Western States, Leadville, Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc, Badwater, Spartathlon, Marathon des Sables, and the Self-Transcendence 3100 miles.
Though her name might not go up in lights as much as others.
--This interview has been edited for concision and clarity.
