Michelle Lilienthal

Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Date of Birth: April 15, 1982

Accomplishments:

• In high school, Michelle was a seven-time state champion in cross country and track and field.

• She raced in her first marathon in Philadelphia in 2005, where she finished as the second American runner with a time of 2:49:22.

• By the time of the Twin Cities Marathon in 2006, Michelle had cut down her time to 2:35:51, a time which allowed her to qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials.

Fun Facts:

• Michelle double majored in Communications and Spanish at the University of Wisconsin and then went to graduate school for Higher Education Administration at Drexel University.

• There were 200 kids on Michelle’s cross-country team and she joined because she thought it would be a lot of fun.

Quote: “[Make] it a priority and [find] the motivation within. I don’t know how to tell someone to do that. If you really want it, you can do it. Being motivated is what gets me out of bed every morning,” her advice to women who want to be on the Olympic Team.