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From 90 Seconds to American Record: The Reinvention of Keira D’Amato

  • Writer: Taylor Sayles
    Taylor Sayles
  • Sep 8
  • 2 min read
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Keira D’Amato’s journey in running isn’t a straight line. In fact, for almost a decade, she stepped away from the sport completely. When she finally laced up again as a new mom, she couldn’t make it past 90 seconds before stopping. That humbling reset could have been the end of her story, but instead it became the beginning of one of the most memorable comebacks in American distance running.


Building Back

Starting from zero gave Keira a new perspective on what it means to train, to persevere, and to find joy in the small wins. Her first marathon in Missoula was far from perfect, but it gave her lessons she would carry for the rest of her career. Bit by bit, she rebuilt her fitness and confidence, turning walk-runs into 5Ks, 5Ks into long runs, and long runs into marathons. That approach eventually led her not only back into competitive racing but all the way to breaking the American record.


Resilience and Joy

What makes Keira’s story so relatable is that it wasn’t a seamless rise. She talks openly about the early doubts, the setbacks, and even the moments of hoping something on the course would give her an excuse to stop. Yet each time she chose to keep moving, she built proof that she was stronger than she thought. Over time, those lessons stacked up into something far greater than just fitness gains — they became a foundation for resilience.

That resilience carried her through injuries, grueling training blocks, and the pressures of balancing family life with chasing big goals. Along the way, she found ways to keep running fun, whether it was rewarding herself with a root beer float after a long run or finding joy in the community she built around the sport. By the time she toed the line for her record-breaking marathon, she wasn’t just running on fitness — she was running with years of perspective, patience, and grit built from starting over.


A Bigger Picture

Her new book Don’t Call It a Comeback (out September 9th) dives deeper into the details, but our conversation highlights the heart of her journey: the patience to start over, the resilience to keep going, and the reminder that the hardest runs often teach us the most.


Lessons Learned

  • Starting small can change everything

  • Progress is built one consistent step at a time

  • Motherhood gave her perspective that made her a stronger runner

  • You never really know what’s possible until you start


Want to hear Keira tell the story herself? Listen to the full episode now: From 90 Seconds to American Record: The Reinvention of Keira D’Amato— available wherever you get your podcasts.



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Follow along with the show:

👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays

🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod

📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast


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