Mar 8, 2020
It seems all too perfect for International Women's Day to fall on the same day as the release of this interview. For this episode, we are excited to talk with the new queen of US marathoning Aliphine Tuliamuk who won the US Olympic Marathon Trials last weekend in Atlanta to punch her ticket to Tokyo.
Aliphine is a living example of the American dream. She's Kenya-born, one of 32 children, and moved to the US for college, becoming a US citizen in 2016. She now trains with team Hoka NAZ Elite under coach Ben Rosario. At the Trials, she and teammates Stephanie Bruce and Kellyn Taylor finished 1st, 6th, and 8th respectively to show the power of women working and training together.
In this interview, Kara and Shanna chat with Aliphine and get to hear her story from her beginnings in Kenya all the way through the finishing tape in Atlanta as an American Champion. Aliphine discusses adapting to life in the US, her collegiate career, transitioning to pro running without a contract for the first several years, almost quitting a few times, and surviving several major injuries before finally finding her home at NAZ Elite.
Yes, she is a fast runner, but she is so much more than that as a bright light in our sport. You will see what we mean when you listen to Aliphine talk about her desire to be a nurse or when she discusses clean sport and the young girls she wants to inspire at the finish line of the NYC Mini 10K. We couldn't be more proud to have Aliphine representing the US in the Tokyo Olympics this summer!