Greenwich : Greenwich

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Graham Varty (Alumni)

Ultra Marathon Runner

Having been kicked off the 8th grade track team Graham’s running career was off to
a lackluster start. And lackluster it remained all through high school and college. It
was not until her father-in-law (an avid runner) decided to do the NYC Marathon
that she stepped up to the challenge. In 2005, Graham ran the NYC marathon in
4:20…and over her next several attempts (Chicago and once as a Boston Bandit) her
times inched further into the 5+ hour mark. Knowing she could run for hours on
end she set her sights on a new distance, the Ultra Marathon.

Not wanting to bite off more than she could chew Graham opted to run the Vermont
100k instead of the Vermont 100 mile in July 2009. It took Graham 12:52:09. She
ended up in 1st for women and 3rd overall. However, upon further inspection, only
about 25 people signed up to run the crazy race!! As she was leaving Graham was
thinking about how she would never run another ultra distance. That was until
someone at the awards ceremony told her to come back next year and run the “real”
race! And so it was. Graham went back in 2010 to run the Vermont 100 mile. She
finished in 20:39:55, which meant she came in 25th overall and finished 6th for
women. That year the field was slightly larger, just under 300 people participated.
Again, she walked away thinking she would never run another ultra. But as they say
distance makes the heart grow fonder…..

Until her next Ultra she continues to work on her marathon time. She has run 8
marathons and has most recently been a guide for a disabled runner at the NYC
marathon. Currently, Graham has a PR of 3:13:06. However, Graham does not seem
so focused on her past running achievements so much as finding her next challenge.

Have a nice run….