Plenty of students attending Dixie State College trained for months to prepare for the St. George Marathon on Oct. 5, but one in particular completed goals that led her to be the first of the women’s division to cross the finish line on that warm, sunny day.
Amber Green, a senior communication major from St. George and a mother of three, finished the race in first place for the women’s division.
“I wanted to take first place, but taking first wasn’t my original goal,” Green said. “My first goal was to break two hours and 45 minutes. But deep down I had been wanting to win the St. George Marathon for about three years, so I really wanted it.”
Green said runners have good days and bad days, and Oct. 5 was a good day for her.
“On Saturday at the marathon, everything felt great to me,” Green said. “My nutrition was good, my body was rested, my breathing was easy, and my legs felt fresh. It was just a really great race day—kind of like race day magic.”
Green started the race at 6 a.m. and completed it with a time of 2:43.00. Green beat her previous time by five minutes, which qualified her for a free trip to Ibigawa, Japan, for the Ibigawa Marathon/Half Marathon in November.
Green’s husband, Matt, also raced in the St. George Marathon and was presented with the same opportunity to travel to Japan.
Amber Green participated in the St. George Marathon last year but suffered an injury within the first four miles. She later found out she had a stress fracture in her ankle after running another 11 miles.
“She has worked extremely hard to get back to where she is now,” Matt Green said. “It was a lot of relief that she was able to meet that goal, and we’re just really, really proud of her.”
Amber Green took the four to six month recovery time and came back strong to conquer her dream of being the fastest female marathon runner in St. George.
“For me, running has brought so many positive things to my life,” Amber Green said. “It’s what I love to do, so it’s my hobby, it’s my outlet, and it’s my social time with my friends. It’s taught me that I can do hard things, and it’s taught me that no matter what you want to do, then all you have to do is be persistent with training and anybody can get better at anything.”
Amber Green ran her first marathon with a time that was more than four hours, and now she has met the time that sends her into running approved courses for the Olympics.
“One of my goals is to qualify for the Olympic trials,” Amber Green said. “I just need to run a similar marathon time that I just ran in St. George but on an approved course. I just want to do that before 2016 so I can run in the Olympic trials. I just want to run with the elite women there.”
Matt Green said he is excited to go to Japan with his wife.
“I’m really looking forward to go on and be in that culture, and just go and be in that experience,” Matt Green said. “It’s just a great opportunity.”
The couple both have different ways to train, but they unite in their Saturday runs, which gives them the capability of enduring the distance.
“It’s a good example for our kids, and it’s good to have them see their parents do these kinds of things,” Matt Green said.
Amber Green said this hobby is something anyone can pursue.
“I honestly feel like I’m just a normal, everyday person who loves to run, and if I can run that fast, then anybody can,” she said.
