Professional distance and marathon racer for Asics Savannah Berry shares how it all went down for her at the 2024 USATF National Championships, which just took place in New Haven, CT, on Sept. 2. Berry is having a stellar season this year, reaping the benefits of consistent, tough training, month after month, year after year. She's coming into her own on the national scene. It started in Feb. at the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Trials, where she placed an incredible 12th place, just seconds off of her PR. Berry followed that up with a 4th place finish in May at the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. This 20k Championships further emphasizes that Berry is now in a position to compete with the best. Becoming a competitive marathon runner wasn't something Berry necessarily had in mind after graduating from Utah Valley University in 2018. But encouragement from her boyfriend to go after qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Trials revealed a talent for the distance and Berry's never looked back. She's had an incredible progression ever since, learning and developing and gaining confidence all throughout the process. And, she's backed by a rock solid support crew, who she's quick to credit. Hear the whole story of how Savannah Berry is becoming a racer to watch on the national scene. How her day-to-day commitment and hard work, supported by a team that believes in her, came to fruition at this championship event. This episode is part of the WRS Race Report series. Each episode features a top 10 performer sharing her experience at one of the USATF Road Circuit series of races. And because a race is never just about what happens on race day, you will get to know a little bit more about each one of the runners featured and how this race figures into their larger running story. The USATF Running Circuit championship series of races happen throughout the US all year long. Each race serves as a national championship for the distance or the type of race being run. The 10k National Championships is next: September 22. You can catch up on all the Race Reports on our website or on your favorite podcast app. Keep Up with Savannah Berry Instagram: @savv_berry Previous Women's Running Stories Race Report Episodes: https://womensrunningstories.com/podcast/women-running-stories To support WRS, please rate and review the show iTunes/Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/womens-running-stories/id1495427631 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4F8Hr2RysbV4fdwNhiMAXc?si=1c5e18155b4b44fa Music Credits Cormac O'Regan, of Playtoh Rockot, via Pixabay Coma-Media, via Pixabay penguinmusic, via Pixabay RomanBelov, via Pixabay SergePavkinMusic, via Pixabay Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories Instagram: @womensrunningstories Instagram: @over50sub20_5k_project Facebook: facebook.com/WomensRunningStories Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/444164966663627 Website: womensrunningstories.com Email host Cherie: clouiseturner@gmail.com Women's Running Stories is a proud member of the Evergreen network: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices