Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Marshall's Swann gets unique opportunity at NYC Marathon
11/3/2018 10:11:00 AM | Cross Country, Track and Field, Word on the Herd
Volunteer coach, grad student will compete in 26.2-mile race Sunday
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – HollyAnn Swann is a record-holder in cross country and track and field at two different schools. At Marshall University, she is in the graduate program for forensic science, and someday hopes to work in an anti-doping or toxicology lab. She has been a graduate assistant and is currently a volunteer coach for the Thundering Herd's track and field and cross country programs.
Her daily schedule has never had much wiggle room.
"It's been a whirlwind," said the native of Blountsville, Alabama.
After Sunday, if all goes well, Swann will check another box on her long list of accomplishments when she runs in the New York City Marathon. The 26.2-mile race is the largest in the world with more than 50,000 runners. The kicker: Swann has never attempted a marathon. Her longest "long" run, as of two weeks ago, was 23 miles.
"Volunteering, training and juggling school has been challenging," she said, "It has been a little more difficult being a volunteer coach than it was being a student-athlete because I help others train, but then I have to get my own training in afterwards. I wouldn't have it any other way."
Swann competed at Auburn University at Montgomery, graduating as the school record-holder in the 4K, 5K, 6K and two-mile distance. According to the school's athletics website, she became the first and only AUM student-athlete to qualify for the NAIA national championship meet. As Swann finished there, she had one season of eligibility remaining to compete in indoor and outdoor track. She searched for forensic programs, considering UAB and Michigan State, among others.
Marshall offered the ideal fit, combining one of the top forensic science programs with one final season of college competition.
"I knew (coach) Caleb Bowen and the interaction we had and knew he would be a fantastic coach for me," Swann said. "I fell in love with Marshall instantly."
Swann made an instant impact for the Herd. She broke two individual school records and was part of a third record-breaking relay team. She broke the 28-year-old school record in the 10,000-meter run at the Virginia Challenge, was the first MU athlete to earn all-conference honors in the 5,000-meter run and teamed with three others to set a new school mark in the distance medley.
"When I was finished at AUM, I felt like I had a lot left in the tank and I knew I wanted to continue running if I had the opportunity," she said. "I still had a year left of indoor and outdoor track eligibility.
"It's been really busy but I'm glad I've been able to manage everything and stay part of it all. I wasn't ready to be finished when my season ended in May. I wasn't ready to leave."
Now, Swann readies for her biggest challenge. She had planned to run in Sunday's Marshall Marathon, but she received an offer from Michelob Ultra to run in the NYC Marathon, a race that navigates the city's five boroughs and had 50,773 competitors in 2017. Swann is one of 95 members of Team Ultra, and last season's NYC winner, Shalane Flanagan is the head coach of the team. Michelob is paying for Swann's flight, hotel and entry into the race.
"This is an incredible opportunity," she said. "I couldn't pass it up. I knew that I wanted to run a marathon after I finished running in college, and I've always been a little bit better the farther the distance. I've always been able to kind of knock the miles out."
She has prepared for the NYC marathon in between her many obligations. She runs at least one hour per day, saving her long runs for Sunday. At the end of her track season in May, the longest "long" run of her life had been 15 miles. She has stretched that distance out over the months to prepare for Sunday's event. Her goal is a time of 2:45, which would qualify her for the 2020 Olympic trials.
"My fitness is there, but it's going to depend on a bunch of factors," Swann said. "This is the largest marathon in the world and this is my longest long run. There's a lot of factors at play, so I won't be too disappointed if I don't hit that goal."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a six-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
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