Bio
About
Keira D’Amato
About
Keira D’Amato
When it comes to my history with running, I joined my high school’s cross country team as a freshman and haven’t looked back since. I thought when I arrived at Oakton High School (go Cougars!) that my main priority would remain the sport I had been playing for years: soccer. I had nothing else going on, so I figured why not run a few miles with the Cross Country team in the Fall to impress the soccer coach come tryouts in the Spring? But it didn’t take long to figure out that running would not just be the sport I used to get in shape for another, it was my true calling. I never did make it to those soccer tryouts, Spring track and field on that big oval just seemed too enticing.
Over the course of four years, a budding love for running had blossomed into a passion that drove discipline and hard work. The success that resulted from that led me to competing at the NCAA DI level.
I was so excited to head to American University where I would run for Coaches Matthew Centrowitz and Terry Weir. Coach Weir had coached me in high school, and it was so nice having a familiar face and comforting presence around. My time as an Eagle culminated with some All-American honors in cross country and track, and a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science.
I continued to run competitively after college when I joined a group called DC Elite coached by Scott Raczko. I had some mild success before being sidelined with an ankle injury that ended up requiring surgery. I decided the best thing at the time was to take a break from competitive running, and honestly, I thought this would be the end forever.
In the next eight years or so, I started a career apart from running, got married to a stud of a man, had two energetic kids… and gained a whole lot of pregnancy weight. In an effort to lose the baby weight, I started running again. I really wanted a goal to keep me motivated, so I decided the best carrot to dangle at the end of my stick was to sign up for a marathon. Yay? Well, that marathon gave me the official “running bug” again and I rediscovered my love for running. Yay!
This time around, I’m doing things differently. Part of that is perspective, I work very hard to keep running as a fun thing in my life. The other part an obsession that I haven’t found my limits yet… and I don’t think I’m even close.
In January of 2022, I broke Deena Kastor’s American Record in the marathon by running 2:19:12. This hasn’t sunk in yet, I’m beginning to realize it never will.
To keep the good times going, follow me on Strava! This is the app where I record all my runs… and puns. Seriously, if you want some good ol’ fashioned Mom Jokes and corny puns, I’ve got you covered on my Strava account.
Personal Records
- Mile: 4:33
- 5k: 15:04
- 10k: 31:05
- 10 Mile: 51:23 (American Record)
- Half Marathon: 1:06:39
- Marathon: 2:19:12
