Meet rabbit OTQ athlete, Anna West
Current Residence: Oahu, Hawaii
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Qualifying Race and Time: 2:35:04, McKirdy Micro Marathon
How did you feel when you qualified? What was that experience like? The whole race was a surreal experience, from the start all the way to crossing the line and knowing I was headed to my first Olympic Trials. My brother Jordan (a 2:23 marathoner) agreed to pace me for 18-20 miles of the race, but we were having so much fun, I convinced him to stay in for the whole thing. With 3 miles to go, Jordan said we had all the time in the world to finish, so we just goofed off as siblings do and he told me to enjoy the last loop and soak it in. After crossing the line, I cheered and cried as 9 more women accomplished their own OTQ dreams, including my teammate, Alyssa. Aside from my wedding day and going to the Taylor Swift concert this summer (LOL), that was one of the most surreal moments of my life.
What dream are you chasing at the Trials? As a 25-year-old going into my second marathon ever, I believe I have a really good and long marathoning career ahead of me. I'm going to compete, have fun, and not let big names or veterans in the sport intimidate me! Anything can happen on the day, and competing has always been my favorite part about running.