In the third installment of our "Ordinary Marathon Heroes" series, we visit the 2018 Boston Marathon for the second time in two weeks, a race that unfolded like a modern-day fairy tale. While Yuki Kawauchi's victory in the men's race captured global attention, Sarah Sellers' remarkable second-place finish in the women's race added another chapter to this extraordinary marathon saga.
This time it starred Sarah Sellers, the unassuming nurse anesthetist from Tucson, Arizona, who took the world by storm when she crossed the finish line in second place at the iconic race. The story making the rounds was simple: an unknown runner showed up, defied the odds, and snagged a podium spot. But as Sarah revealed in a 2019 interview with Altra Running, the truth is far more inspiring and a little grittier.
From Trails to Triumph
Sarah Sellers’ journey began on the trails of Ogden, Utah, where a sixth-grader decided to tag along with her parents on their morning runs. Her mom recalls, “She said, ‘Well, I wanna come,’ and we first said, ‘Well, we don’t want you to.’ Not like we were going fast, but we don’t want you to slow everybody else down. And so she came one morning, and she didn’t slow anybody down.” From there, Sarah’s passion for running took root.
Reflecting on her time training at Weber State University, Sarah said, “Training through winters where some were a lot harder than others, it was key [in preparing for the 2018 Boston Marathon]. I’m very used to running in sleet, you know, having your hands totally numb when you finish a run. And that’s not unique to not a lot of runners, but I think it did prepare me to just be mentally, and totally comfortable in the conditions at Boston. Like, I was never worried that I wouldn’t finish.”
A Race Against the Odds
When Sarah lined up for the 2018 Boston Marathon, it was only her second-ever marathon. Her goal? Hit the Olympic Trials qualifier, ideally the A-standard time of 2:37. But Mother Nature had other plans. The wind howled, the rain poured, and the temperatures plunged.
“The weather was just brutal, and it really wasn’t until the night before the race that I finally mentally accepted that this is the conditions that I’ve been dealt,” she shared. “It really became about just putting in the best race that I could in those conditions.”
As the race began, Sarah ran conservatively, staying steady through the punishing headwinds. “The rain and cold really wasn’t that big of an issue, but combined with the brutal headwind, it was very taxing,” she explained.
The Moment of Truth
By the halfway point, Sarah was hurting. “I glanced over my shoulder, and there was a pack of women who was gaining on me. But I made the decision then to slow down and let the pack catch me. I was gonna hang with this pack until I got fairly close to the finish.”
Sarah ran with the pack until Rachel Hyland, who would go on to finish fourth, made her move. “Rachel Hyland, who ended up finishing fourth, she came by and passed the pack, and I was feeling good at that point, so I went with her and basically ran with Rachel until probably, I think, mile 22. At that point, I felt good, and I kind of had a second wind.”
In the final miles, Sarah broke away from Rachel. “When we got close to the finish, probably three miles to go, I think at that point I broke away from Rachel. It was just kind of a blur, trying to hold on and not, um, not give up my pace.”
Crossing the finish line, Sarah was overwhelmed by the atmosphere. “I remember coming through the finish chutes. It was just like a screaming tunnel, and like wind, rain, and so many… like, I don’t know. You can’t think straight and so many emotions. And I remember thinking, ‘I must be doing really well,’ because in the finish chute, they seemed just, like, so excited. They’re like, ‘Oh, maybe I’m, like, finishing pretty high up.’ And then Yuki Kawauchi, who was the men’s winner, he passed me in the finish chute, and I remember my heart sank a little bit, and I thought, ‘Oh, I’m not doing as good as I thought. They’re cheering for the men’s winner.’”
Only after crossing the line did Sarah learn the truth. “I stopped my watch and then I turned to the volunteers lining the finish chute and was like, ‘What place am I?’ And I remember a couple of them kind of stepped back and, like, looked surprised that I was asking that. And then a race official took me aside, and she’s like, ‘Honey, you are second place.’”
Sarah couldn’t fully grasp the reality until she found her husband, Blake. “I saw my husband about 30 seconds later. He didn’t know what place I finished. Hobbled up to Blake, and I said, ‘Do you know what place I was?’ And he’s like, ‘No.’ Like, ‘I was second,’ and he started jumping up and down and yelling, ‘You were second at the Boston freaking Marathon!’”
After Boston
For Sarah, the year following the 2018 Boston Marathon had been nothing short of surreal. There had “…been a whirlwind of outpouring of support that I could have never anticipated. It’s totally humbling, and I could not be more grateful for the amount of support and love that I’ve received literally from across the globe.”
Following her unexpected success, Sarah returned to her full-time job as a nurse anesthetist, using her $75,000 prize money to alleviate student debt.
Since 2018, Sarah has continued to make her mark in the marathon world. In 2022, she secured a second-place finish at Grandma's Marathon with a personal best time of 2:25:43. She also competed in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, finishing 14th with a time of 2:30:17
Sarah Sellers' journey from an unassuming nurse to a marathon hero really hits home the power of dedication and sheer resilience. Her story continues to inspire runners worldwide, proving that with determination and hard work, extraordinary achievements are within reach.
Image: Courtesy of the Boston Marathon