A Revere cross country alumna and competitive marathon runner qualified for this year’s Olympic trials, which took place in Los Angeles, California.

Kristin Swisher, a class of 2001 Revere alumnus and current professor at the University of Colorado, has run competitively ever since joining the Revere Middle School cross country team. This was not Swisher’s first attempt at the Olympic trials, as she attended the 2008 trials in the three-kilometer steeplechase event. Swisher has a long history of running success; she has represented Team USA in seven races across the globe, including the 2007 Pan-Olympic Games and several national cross country events. Swisher detailed how she qualified for the Olympic trials.

“To compete at the trials, every athlete had to meet a qualifying standard of two hours and thirty-seven minutes to be considered A Standard or two hours and forty five minutes [to be considered] B Standard in the marathon, or one hour and fifteen minutes in the half marathon. I qualified by racing in one hour, thirteen minutes, and forty-five seconds at the Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon in Philadelphia,” Swisher said.

Swisher described her experience at the Olympic trials and how thankful she felt participating in such a prestigious event.

“The Olympic trials marathon was an amazing experience. It was an honor to toe the line with some of the best athletes in the world and take part in an event that only happens every four years. Unlike my first time at the Olympic Trials in 2008 for the 3k steeplechase, the marathon is a long race and gives you plenty of time to think and fully appreciate the experience,” Swisher said.

Swisher mentioned how she first got her start with the running community and how running competitively has influenced her life.

“I started running in eighth grade when I ran the mile in gym class and beat the majority of the boys in my class. My gym teacher invited me to come to cross country practice after school, and I can not imagine where I would be without running in my life. Training and racing cross country has taught me valuable lessons both on and off the track. In my early days at Revere, we were told to not take for granted the gift of running and the opportunities you are given. That was a very important lesson to learn early and [it] has stuck with me throughout my running career,” Swisher said.

Neely Grace, a resident of Boulder, Colorado, and Swisher’s training partner, mentioned how she first met Swisher.

“[Swisher and I] met a year ago at the USA 15k Road Champs in Jacksonville, Florida. I had just moved to Colorado, and a few months after the race, she connected with me because her husband was transferring to Boulder. We chatted about running trails [and] good locations to live, and when she arrived, we started training together and we just clicked. I feel like I have known her forever. [Swisher] is one of the nicest people I know,” Grace said.

Swisher touched on exactly how a runner prepares for competing in an event like the marathon at the Olympic trials.

“My training regimen leading up to the marathon was based on a twelve-week build up. The first few weeks focused on building a strong base. I did a lot of longer workouts and focused on getting my body used to higher volume. Over the next few weeks, I started incorporating speed and strength training. I would do shorter and faster workouts on the track or hill repeats, but still kept the volume high. The last phase of my training focused on running marathon race pace workouts and mentally preparing to race a long race,” Swisher said.

Michelle Sawan, former assistant cross country coach for Revere High School, talked about how she remembers Swisher as a runner.

“I remember [Swisher] being a very hard worker. I knew we could count on her both physically and mentally. I always admired how hard she worked in school while excelling in cross country. She was kind and inspirational to everyone,” Sawan said.

While Swisher did not qualify for the Olympics, she plans to continue with her marathon running, and hopes to maintain her high level of success across many more competitive running events.