Sarah Rapp - Meet The Elites

How did you start running?

I was no good at Basketball or Soccer. Couldn't dribble or shoot (in either sport) but was great when you took the ball away. I had coaches tell me at an early age that I should consider running. I hated it at first, but once I started racing other kids in middle school, I started to like it better! I have always been a pretty high energy kid, so running was the best outlet for me (even better than karate!) I ran in high school and went on to run for the Virginia Tech Hokies. The mountains, cold weather, and the NCAA made me an even tougher competitor, as I improved all of my PR's from high school, and got an ACC title in the 5k! I herniated a disk in my back halfway through my last outdoor track season and ran through it, without telling anyone or knowing what was wrong. 

Not being able to reach my full potential in college my senior year drove me to continue competing. I moved out to Houston, Texas to join Adidas Team Green Running, and got my back better from the incredible doctors that sponsored the team. I returned to Raleigh in July of 2016, and got into the road racing scene. I fell back in love with running and have since teamed up with a couple other post-collegiate athletes in the area and developed the Raleigh Distance Project. 

Why The Alexandria Turkey Trot?

It's the best of both worlds - I get to race, see old teammates and their families, a shot at prize money, and get to make it back home in time to be with my family for Thanksgiving dinner in Raleigh!

So how fast are you?

9th at USATF 1/2 Marathon Championships: 1:14

Mile PR set at the Sir Walter Miler August 8, 2017: 4:44

5,000m PR: 16:07 (from college but I'm sure I'm faster now!)

10 miler (Lynchburg VA): 1st American, 6th overall :57:40 (Also 10 Mile PR)

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