Trials and Triumph: How Jacob Heslington Overcame the Odds to Finish 21st at the US Olympic Marathon Trials

When Jacob Heslington was sitting in the ICU as a 21 year-old recovering from severe blod clots, he probably didn’t imagine that only 9 years later he would be running in the Olympic Marathon Trials. Qualifying alone would have been an impressive feat. His success didn’t stop there though. In only his 2nd ever marathon, Jacob managed to finish 21st in a time of 2:15 and while competing against a field of over 100 incredibly talented elite and semi-elite runners from across the country.

He’s the ultimate everyman runner, balancing his training with a full-time engineering job and 3 kids. There’s a lot you can learn from the training of elite athletes. What makes Jacob a special role model to runners is that he has achieved such incredible success in the face of adversity countless times. This is a real-life story of an athlete that has overcome the odds to make his running dreams a reality.

He’s joining us on the Run to the Top Podcast so that other runners can find inspiration to achieve their own goals. We’ll cover topics including:

• How Jacob Heslington went from being unable to walk to competing at the Olympic Marathon trials
• How Jacob finds time to train at an elite level while balancing work and a family
• Why Jacob made it his goal to try to compete in running at the highest level
• What is the mindset required to comeback from a life threatening illness
• What advice Jacob has for other athletes going through life struggles

We’re excited for Jacob to share his incredible story with you. His unique insights into the intersection of elite performance with the stressful life of “normal” runners will be sure to inspire you.

Jake’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/heslingtonjake

Personalized coaching from Jake Heslington: customfitrunning.com

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