Rena Elmer – 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier – Runner’s World

Around mile 14 of the 2019 Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, Rena Elmer made a choice.

The 2:45 pacer confirmed they’d be running into the wind the rest of the race. For a moment, Elmer planned to tuck into the pack and draft her way to an Olympic Trials Qualifying time—a worthwhile achievement in her debut at the distance.

But another thought swiftly surfaced: “I can prove myself and see what I’m capable of,” Elmer told Runner’s World. She forged ahead alone, into the headwind, and finished in 2:40:21, earning her a spot on the Trials starting line on February 29 in Atlanta.

Elmer, 37, has rarely taken the easy route. She went from a walk-on at Brigham Young University to placing third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2005 NCAA outdoor championships her junior year.

Between then and now came two heartbreaking near-misses before she finally qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials in the steeplechase, four births (one perilous), and a personal trauma so devastating she was tempted to quit the sport.

But she prayed and decided otherwise. “The Lord always keeps coming back and saying: ‘No,’” said Elmer, who belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “‘Running is this gift I’ve given you, and it’s going to help you get through your challenges.’”

Trials Upon Trials

Elmer grew up in tiny Beaver, Utah. Her competitive drive first kicked in while running laps in fourth grade. One day, she decided to beat everyone, boys included—and she did.

She ran at Beaver High, then for a year at Utah Valley State College before transferring to BYU. She married a teammate, David Chesser, who would later join the Air Force.

In 2005, Elmer vowed to make the Olympic Trials in the steeplechase. She kept training after her 2006 graduation. Her time of 10:09.89 was short of the automatic time qualifying standard (10:00.00) and the field filled with 24 runners. She was 25th by 0.02.

Elmer had twins, Talon and Taryn, in 2009. During that pregnancy, she developed toxemia and gained 67 pounds. After their birth, she required two blood transfusions. Two months passed before she could walk two blocks.

As soon as she could, she ran. By the next Olympic cycle, she was once again aiming for the Trials. She set a personal best of 9:59.99 at the Murfreesboro Music City Distance Carnival in June 2012. But the standards had tightened, and her time was still 3 seconds short.

Elmer had a third child, Kenna, in 2013, then a fourth, Kristen, in December 2014. By then, the family had moved to Japan. Training was challenging; she didn’t know the language or terrain. But she kept her eyes on her goal—even when her life fell apart.

In 2015, she learned her husband had abused one of their children. Elmer is very particular about how much she discloses—it’s not her story to tell, she said. The crime broke apart her family and sent her now ex-husband to jail for 13 years.

The day after she learned of the abuse, Elmer went for a run. Midway through, she said she collapsed to the ground. Then she felt a profound sense of peace. “It’s a time when people will leave their faith,” she said. “They will say, ‘Where is God?’” Elmer, however, was convinced there were better days ahead.

She and her children returned to Beaver. Her family watched them while she trained, refusing to let the devastation of what had happened derail her from her dreams.

In the spring of 2016, she ran two more personal bests—9:56.13 and 9:52.66—and finally qualified for the Trials in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Despite having the slowest time heading in, Elmer made the final by running 9:43.80 in the prelim. She pushed herself to a 9:40.49 to finish 10th in the final.

Elmer’s longtime friend Maria-Elena Calle, a former Virginia Commonwealth University standout who ran the 2016 Olympic Marathon for her native Ecuador, watched the races with pride.

“She was working extremely hard day in, day out, not only to be the best athlete that she could be, but also to be the best mother and father that she could be for her children,” Calle said. “I knew that at that point whatever she wanted to do in life, she was going to.”

Moving On and Up

In January 2017, Rena met Will Elmer, a construction project manager who also had four children. The two married soon afterward, in March. In December 2018, they had a girl named Kimber, bringing their grand total of kids to nine.

Elmer was back to jogging a few weeks post-baby, but then broke her toe on the sidewalk in April. She took to the pool instead—unlike many runners, she loves aqua-jogging—until she could resume regular training, around the beginning of July.

At that point, Elmer contemplated aiming for the Trials again in the steeplechase. However, the final for the event this year is on a Sunday—a day she doesn’t run. Others in her faith may take a different approach to keeping the Sabbath, and she doesn’t judge them. But reflection convinced her that personally, she’d enjoy added blessings if she rested.

What’s more, the family moved to Flower Mound, Texas, a Dallas suburb, three years ago. Elmer couldn’t find a track there to train on during the school day. Solo road workouts or treadmill runs, even long ones, were easier to manage with her family responsibilities, and the Olympic Marathon Trials fell on a Saturday. “I thought, all right, I’ll train for the marathon and see what I can do,” she said.

Veteran marathoner Calle offered Elmer advice on fueling strategies and extending her long run, and sent her a training log she’d used in pursuit of a 2:42 marathon. Elmer modified the plan to fit her schedule and current mileage. Her peak weeks reached only 45 running miles, plus three hours of cross-training by way of bike, elliptical, or swimming.

Many elite marathoners train more, but Elmer didn’t want to take additional time from her family. Long runs of up to 24 miles and key workouts gave her confidence. Four weeks before the race, she ran three by 3-mile repeats, averaging 5:44 pace, with a 7:30 easy mile in between each set.

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Sometimes, she does hard runs on the treadmill at the nearby YMCA, which offers child care. Other weekdays, Will Elmer’s project schedule enables him to be home, so she can do workouts outside.

He’s also there nearly every Saturday for her long runs. While he watches most of the crew, the older children alternate joining their mom on loops through the neighborhood. They can manage her easy pace of around 8:20 for 3 miles by bike or one by foot. In fact, 12-year-old Ryan can run a 7:30 mile, Elmer said.

The biggest surprise for her in Indianapolis—besides her time—was how good she felt until the last three miles. At that point, Elmer started picking off runners the same way she’d done in the steeplechase. “You stay focused and just see if you can catch one more, one more, one more,” she said. “They’re there to help you be your best.”

Gear With Meaning

To prepare for Atlanta, Elmer borrowed another log from Calle and upped her weekly mileage slightly, to 55 per week. She added a few more hills. She’ll also lean on her steeplechase background. With frequent jumps and hurdles, “you’re never able to just get into a rhythm,” she said. The undulating terrain of the Trials course will likely pose similar challenges.

She’s hoping for a new personal best, and after logging most of her miles alone, looks forward to running alongside so many speedy women.

She signed up for the OTQ Program from apparel company Tracksmith, which came with a singlet, a $250 stipend for more gear, and race-weekend amenities. “I’ll see other runners with my same jersey,” she said. “That’s going to make me feel like I’m a part of something.”

And then there’s the name on her chest. At the 2016 Trials, her bib read “Williams-Chesser,” her maiden name and ex-husband’s last name. This time, it will say Elmer—and while the older children will stay home with family, Will and their baby Kimber will be there to cheer her.

“Every race you run, good or bad, helps you to be a better runner,” she said. “It’s the same way in life. You learn something from everything, and then you grow from it.”

Contributing Writer Cindy is a freelance health and fitness writer, author, and podcaster who’s contributed regularly to Runner’s World since 2013.