Sue O'Malley has run 100,000 miles (March, 2014)

Sue O’Malley
Port Orange, Fla.
DOB: 15-07-1960
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I have been running since 1974, when I was a student at Stroudsburg High School. I did well
in track (we did not have cross-country at the time), and I competed in district as an individual.
I was undefeated for four years in the mile and three years in the two mile, winning seven
Centennial League championships. My coach told me I wouldn’t go far in running, because “I
had no leg speed.”

I continued to enjoy success at what was then East Stroudsburg State College (East
Stroudsburg University), earning AIAW All-American honors in the 10,000, eight Pa. state titles
and set a record in the 10,000 that stood for 30 years before being recently broken. I was later
inducted into the school’s hall of fame.

After college, I continued to compete in road races around the region, with my friends Woody
Geary, Ed Krawitz and my future husband, J.J. O’Malley. In fact, J.J. took me to my first
marathon in 1982, telling me we were going to a Jets-Dolphins game with a stop in New Jersey
for the Sri Chimnoy Marathon. I had no aspirations of running marathons at the time; J.J. felt my
training base was good enough to race the distance. I went out easy and hooked up with Paul
Fetscher, who told me stories that kept me laughing much of the way. I finished in 2:58, also the
first woman finisher.

Later that year I ran 2:55 at the Marine Corps Marathon (fifth woman), and came back and won
the event the following year in 2:45 – which qualified me for the first U.S. Women’s Olympic
Marathon Trails in Olympia, Wash. I finished 50 in 2:43:01, which remains my personal best.

As I kept running, the miles accumulated. After my marriage in 1991 I moved to Montour Falls,
N.Y. I won the Wineglass Marathon twice and captured a number of gold medals in the Empire
State Games.

I moved to Florida in 1998, living in Homestead until 2001 when we settled down at Port Orange
(Daytona Beach). After having a few easy years after the birth of our daughter, Erin, in 1992, I
picked up the pace and have been competitive in events around the state ever since.

My stats include988 road races; 281 overall wins; and 109 wins as a master. I hit 100,000 miles
in early march.

One of my slogans is “there is no finish line,” and I continue to live the dream as I aspire to
future goals.

Sue's PR's: 5K – 17:11 in college (18:45 masters, 2001). 10K, 35:55 in college (38:45
masters) 1⁄2 marathon, 1:18, Scranton Half Marathon 1985 (1:28 masters, Outback
Jacksonville, 2010), marathon,-2:43:01, 1984 Olympic Trials (3:07 masters, Disney
World, 2002