Crawford running the Chevron Houston Marathon

Abby Crawford
Age: 30
Hometown: Tyler, TX
Occupation: Managing Director, Phoenix Institute
Marathons Completed: 2

Abby Crawford has been running distances since she was in the fifth grade and hasn’t stopped. She accomplished her first major race in 2008, The Saint Louis Full, and continues to run half marathons and countless 5K, 10K and 30K runs.

Crawford says running is flexible and can be done in almost any climate, terrain or season. These are just some reasons why she enjoys running for as long as she has. Running is a part of her everyday life, she uses it to explore new cities she travels to for work and vacation. Crawford puts a new meaning to the phrase “running errands,” because she does just that, she likes to run to the post office or pick up her dry cleaning and run home.

This will be her third Houston Marathon and says she loves the race because it feels like it is her race. “I feel at home,” said Crawford. “I’m comfortable.  I know the course.  I know many of the spectators.  People shout your name.  It makes me proud of this great city.”

Before every race she looks forward to feeling the adrenaline and energy that happens at the starting line. “No matter how many times I line up, no matter how small or short the race, I love that moment before it starts,” said Crawford. Most importantly, she says it is fun to accomplish the race and surprise yourself with your time.

Crawford hopes she can continue to run strong and keep herself well. She has been getting stronger and faster with each run and wishes she can still be running when she is 90. “Plus, how cool would it be to win your age bracket every single time?” laughed Crawford.

Her last words on running, “That it’s HARD.  That training WORKS.  That it feels GREAT.”

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