Name: Steve K

Sex: Male

Age (at the time of first BQ): 26

Height (at the time of first BQ): 5’7″

Weight (at the time of first BQ): 140

At which marathon did you get your first BQ? Ogden

Tell us a little about the race. 3rd marathon, wasn’t necessarily shooting for a BQ. The goal was a sub-3 in a marathon about 4 months later (which I achieved in 2:58). I came in at 3:10 and a few seconds, but this was before the rule tightening, so I qualified. This was the first marathon in which I experienced that I could keep up an aggressive pace in the face of extreme fatigue. My training was pretty simple – no speedwork, weights, yoga, etc. – just miles. I’ve since become more sophisticated.

How long had you been running when you ran your first BQ? 12 years

Did you run in college or high school? Yes

What was your approximate lifetime mileage at the time of your first BQ? 3-4,000

How many miles did you run in the year before your first BQ? 500

Approximately how many races did you run in that year? 3

Did you follow a canned program? If so, which one? If not, can you give us an idea of what your training philosophy was? Yes, Hal Higdon Advanced

Did you run with a running club or utilize a coach? No

Did cross training play a role in your training? If so, how? No

Did speed work play a role in your training? If so, how? No

Any other thoughts you would like to share with those of working towards a BQ? Go get it! I had a physical therapist tell me that, due to sciatica, marathoning was probably out of the question going forward. 7 marathons later, I beg to differ. BQing was kind of a defiant move to prove that I could still do cool stuff with my body.