Camille Herron

Camille Herron (born December 25, 1981) is an American ultramarathon runner. She is the first and only athlete to win all three of the International Association of Ultrarunners' 50K, 100K, and 24 Hour World Championships.[1] She won the 2017 Comrades Marathon and holds several world best times at ultramarathon distances, along with the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon in a Superhero costume.[2] She is known for running with her hair down, drinking beer, and eating tacos during ultramarathons.[3][4][5] In November 2017, she broke Ann Trason's 100 mile road best by over an hour.[6]

Camille Herron
Personal information
Born (1981-12-25) December 25, 1981
United States
Height5 ft 9.5 in (1.765 m)
Weight120 lb (54 kg)
Websitehttp://www.camilleherron.com/
Sport
Country United States
SportTrack and Field
Event(s)Marathon and Ultras
Coached byConor Holt
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)Marathon : 2:37:14
50K: 3:20:58
50 Miles: 5:38:41
100K: 7:08:35
12 hrs: 149.130km (92.665 miles)
100 miles: 12:42:40
24 hrs: 270.116km (167.842 miles)
Medal record
Women’s athletics
Representing the  United States
World Championships
2015 IAU 100 km World ChampionshipIndividual
2015 IAU 100 km World ChampionshipTeam
2015 IAU 50 km World ChampionshipIndividual
2019 IAU 24 Hour World ChampionshipIndividual
2019 IAU 24 Hour World ChampionshipTeam

Herron has overcome multiple challenges in her life, including injuries as a young runner and her family losing their home in the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak. In February 2019 she won the Tarawera 100 Miler in Rotorua, New Zealand in a new course record of 17:20:52 just two weeks after being involved in a rollover car accident.[7]

World Bests

According to the International Association of Ultrarunners and Ultrarunning Magazine, with preliminary results for the IAU 24 Hour World Championship in 2019, she holds the World Best performances at the following distances and surfaces:

50 miles (80 km) Road 5h 38min 41s 6:46 per mile (4:12 per km)
100 miles (160 km) Road/Trail 12h 42min 40s 7:37 per mile (4:43 per km)
100 miles (160 km) Track (24Hr split) 13h 25min 00s 8:03 per mile (5:00 per km)
12 Hours Road (24Hr split) 90.857 miles (146.220 km) 7:55 per mile (4:55 per km)
12 Hours Track 92.66 miles (149.12 km) 7:46 per mile (4:49 per km)
24 Hours Road 270.116 kilometres (167.842 mi) 8:35 per mile (5:20 per km)
24 Hours Track 262.192 kilometres (162.919 mi) 8:50 per mile (5:30 per km)

Early Life and Career

Camille was born on Christmas Day in Norman, OK. Due to body quirks, she adapted a unique running style well suited for ultrarunning. She credits her athletic ability and steely toughness to her grandpa, who earned two Purple Hearts in World War II, and her dad, both of whom played college basketball at Oklahoma State University for 3-time Olympic Team Coach, Henry Iba. Hearing stories of her dad practicing six hours without water, as a 7 year old she would practice basketball without water until she would black out. When she was 17, her family became homeless when they lost their home and possessions in the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak. She started running long on Sundays to celebrate her life.[8]

She was a 3-time All-Stater in cross country, 3-time State Champion in track and field, and valedictorian at Westmoore High School. She accepted academic and athletic scholarships to the University of Tulsa, where she was a top 10 senior and earned a B.S. in Exercise and Sports Science in 2005. As a young and growing runner, she experienced many injuries and was inspired to understand why so that she could keep herself healthy and running for a lifetime. She got back into competitive running as a road racer in her fifth year of college coached by her husband and former elite runner, Conor Holt. In 2007, Camille graduated from Oregon State University with a Masters of Science degree in Exercise and Sports Science. She worked as a Research Assistant in bone imaging/osteoimmunology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and has co-authored numerous scientific manuscripts. She and her husband manage an online coaching business.[9][10][11][12]

Honors and Notable Performances

She is a three-time Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, 21-time marathon winner, and Guinness World Records holder for the fastest marathon in a Superhero costume, running 2:48:51 dressed as Spiderwoman.[2][13] She represented Team USA in the marathon at the 2011 Pan American Games, finishing 9th.[14] She also became the first 3-time winner of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon.[15]

As an ultrarunner, she's won four USATF titles (50K Road, 50 Mi Road, 100K Road, 100K Trail).[16][17][18][19] In 2015, she became the first ultrarunner to win two World titles in the same year, winning the IAU 100 km World Championships and the IAU 50 km World Championships. In June 2017, she became only the 3rd American to win the Comrades Marathon, leading from start-to-finish. In a memorable finish, she accidentally stopped at the wrong timing mat after receiving the penultimate baton and rose. A male runner came from behind, tapped her on the shoulder, and pointed that she wasn't done yet. She went into a sprint the final 200m to win.[20]

As of October 2019, she has set 11 Open American Records (50 Mi Road Best, 50 Mi Track, 100K Track, 12Hr Track and Road, 100 Mi Track and Road, 200K Track and Road, 24Hr Track and Road)[21][22][23][24] and three IAU-recognized Open World Bests (100 Mi, 12Hr, 24Hr).[25] In October 2015, she set an unofficial 50 mile world best of 5:38:41 at the Fall 50, surpassing Ann Trason's 5:40:18 performance from 1991.[26] Her 100 Mile Women’s World Best of 12:42:40 at the 2017 Tunnel Hill 100 is also the fastest women's time on trail, averaging 7:37 per mile.[27] For her 100 Mile and 24Hr World Bests, she won the races outright beating all of the men. She was the top ranked American 24Hr runner, including both men and women, going into the 2019 IAU 24 Hour World Championship,[28] where she won her third World title and bettered her 24-hour World Best by running 270.116 kilometres (167.842 mi).[29]

She was voted the 2015, 2018, and 2019 IAU International Athlete of the Year.[30][31][32][33] She is also a five-time honoree of the USATF Ruth Anderson Ultrarunner of the Year award, six-time USATF Athlete of the Week honoree, the 2017 Ultrarunning Magazine Female Ultrarunner of the Year, and four-time Ultra Performance of the Year.[34][35][36][37][38]

References
  1. "HERRON SETS WORLD BEST TO WIN IAU 24 HOUR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS". IAAF. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  2. "Fastest marathon in superhero costume (female)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  3. Falkingham, Katie (25 December 2018). "Camille Herron: US ultrarunner who breaks world records fuelled on tacos and beer". BBC Sports. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  4. Strout, Erin (14 November 2017). "Cheers! 100 Miles and a Couple of Beers Later, a World Record". Runner's World. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  5. "Camille Herron: Chugging beer while smashing records". The Beer Runner Podcast. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  6. Hutchinson, Alex. "Researchers Confirm Nike's "4%" Marathon Shoe Claim". Sweat Science. Outside Online. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  7. Dutch, Taylor. "Camille Herron Breaks 100-Mile Course Record 2 Weeks After Harrowing Car Accident". Runner's World. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  8. Finn, Adharanand (November 18, 2019). "'I puked, fouled myself and collapsed - it was great': Meet the record-breaking ultra marathon runner fuelled by beer and burritos". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  9. "Alumna Camille Herron finds stardom in running universe". The University of Tulsa. January 8, 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  10. DeVault, Darl (June 15, 2015). "Herron making history in marathons and beyond". The Edmond Sun. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  11. "Coach Camille Herron". Run with Camille Coaching. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
  12. "Camille Herron- July, 2017". garycohenrunning.com. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  13. "fastest marathon dressed as a superhero (female)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  14. "Team USA opens competition At Pan American Games". USA Track & Field. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  15. "2015 Memorial Marathon". Oklahoma City National Memorial. Oklahoma City National Memorial. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  16. "This Week In Running: April 13, 2015". IRunFar.com. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  17. "This Week In Running: October 26, 2015". IRunFar.com. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  18. "This Week In Running: January 8, 2018". IRunFar.com. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  19. Mock, Justin. "This Week In Running: March 2, 2020". IRunFar.com. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  20. "HAPPY PLACE: Why a return to Oklahoma launched Camille Herron to ultrarunning greatness". NewsOK. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  21. "USATF LDR Record Lookup".
  22. "UltraRunning Magazine All-Time Lists". Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  23. "American Open Road Records". USA Track & Field. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  24. "American Open Outdoor Track & Field Records". USA Track & Field. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  25. "IAURecords Committee 2017 - 2020" (PDF). International Association of Ultrarunners. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  26. "UltraRunning Magazine All-Time Lists". Ultrarunning Magazine. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  27. "Tunnel Hill 100 Mile". Trailrunner.com. American Trail Running Association. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  28. "USATF 24-Hour Running Team named for 2019 World 24 Hour Championships". 3 June 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  29. "2019 IAU 24 H World Championship – provisional results". Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  30. "Reus & Herron win IAU Athlete of the Year 2015". Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  31. "International Association of Ultrarunners".
  32. "The Winner of the 2018 IAU Athlete of the Year". International Association of Ultrarunners. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  33. "The Winner of the 2019 IAU Athlete of the Year". International Association of Ultrarunners. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  34. "Herron and Walmsley named 2017 UltraRunners of the Year". Ultrarunning Magazine. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  35. "USATF's Mountain Ultra Trail Council Announces 2018 Runners of the Year". ATRA. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  36. "USATF Mountain, Ultra & Trail Running Council announces 2016 runners of the year". ATRA. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  37. "USATF's Mountain, Ultra & Trail Running Council announces 2017 runners of the year — ATRA". ATRA. 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  38. "USATF's Mountain Ultra Trail Council Announces 2019 Runners of the Year". American Trail Running Association. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
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