For Ariane Hendrix, the Olympic Trials Marathon Is Just the Beginning

This article originally appeared on Womens Running

When Ariane Hendrix, 35, ran her first marathon in Bismarck, North Dakota, in 2012, she started off on a similar trajectory as many new recreational runners. She had one goal, which was to complete the race without walking, and ended up finishing in 3:57:51.

From there, she spent much of the next few years chipping away at her times while conquering other milestones like qualifying for the Boston Marathon (on her second marathon in Los Angeles in 2013) and breaking three hours, which she accomplished with a 2:57:00 finish at the 2018 Ventura Marathon in southern California, near her hometown of Oxnard.

In new territory as a sub-elite athlete, Hendrix set her sights on qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Trials Marathon, held in Atlanta on February 29. She aimed to do so at the 2020 Houston Marathon, which took place on the final day to qualify, and while she didn't hit the women's standard of 2:45, she ran a new personal best of 2:54:25. Shortly thereafter, Hendrix, like many runners, had to put her racing goals on hold as the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. She never lost motivation, however, going on to run a 2:44:33 virtual marathon that April.

"It was obviously too late to qualify for the Trials, which were in February, but I wanted the boost of confidence and to prove to myself that I could run that time, especially after trying twice to hit the standard and not getting it," Hendrix says.

Not only did Hendrix manage to stay in it, but she continued to bring down her race times, going on to run a new personal best of 2:42:51 at the 2022 Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, Michigan. By then, however, the Trials standard had been tightened to 2:37 for women for 2024, which only added fuel to her fire.

Hendrix did a shorter speed segment in the summer of 2022 in preparation for the California International Marathon (CIM) in December, spending more time on track work that was 5K- and 10K-focused. She also brought her overall volume down from the 100-mile weeks she had been doing before, which she believes contributed to three stress fractures (one in her tibia and two in her sacrum) in the previous two years.

"The goal was to try to make my marathon pace feel more comfortable when I would eventually start the CIM block," Hendrix explains. "I think that change and really figuring out that [lower but consistent] weekly mileage in the 80s worked best for me was key."

Making the List

The adjustment paid off. Hendrix ran her current PR of 2:35:13 at CIM, not only punching her ticket to the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando on February 3, but also becoming the second-fastest American-born Black woman in history.

While Hendrix was somewhat familiar with the List of Black women who have run under three hours in the marathon (which is maintained by historian Gary Corbitt, son of Olympian and founding NYRR president Ted Corbitt) since she first went sub-three herself, it's only been in the last few years that she's become invested in what it means in terms of representation.

"I know in the last two years especially, the List has become more prominent and more people know about it. I'm really honored and proud to be a representative of not just African American women, but also of the LGBTQIA community," Hendrix says. "For a long time, I felt like I was trying to prove to myself and the running community that I belonged, that I was fast enough to be around. I'm so excited to be someone who people like me can see themselves in and say 'Hey, I can do that, too,' or, 'I belong there, too.'"

RELATED: New Study Highlights Critical Steps Toward Equity in the Running Industry

Looking ahead to the Orlando Trials, Hendrix, who lives in Portland, Oregon, with her fiancee, Veronica, has earned the support of women's apparel brand Oiselle. In September she was named to the brand's "Year of the Underbird" sponsorship roster, along with Carrie Verdon, Molly Bookmyer, Elena Hayday, and Briana Boehmer. The program serves to support athletes in their build-up to the Trials by providing a monthly $2,000 health and training stipend and $1,000 stipend for Oiselle apparel and gear, as well as covering their travel and lodging expenses in Orlando. Applying for this sponsorship was a no-brainer for Hendrix (who also works as a test analyst for HOKA) not only because she'd been a fan of the brand's apparel for many years, but because of the conscious efforts she'd seen Oiselle make in recent years with regard to representation and inclusion of marginalized groups

"Qualifying for the Olympic Trials is the biggest thing that I've done in my athletic career, and having a brand like Oiselle supporting me like this is just amazing," Hendrix says. "I check a lot of boxes in that I'm African American and I'm gay, and I've seen a lot in terms of community, diversity, and representation from Oiselle, and this is important to me when it comes to who I want to associate myself with and partner with."

Since running her marathon PR at CIM last year, Hendrix has also brought her half marathon and 5K PRs down to 1:15:50 and 17:20, respectively. She also moved down to number three on the List, which is currently made up of only 31 women, after professional runner Erika Kemp debuted at the distance in 2:33:57 at this year's Boston Marathon. But Hendrix is not only seeking to improve her PR yet again in Orlando--hopefully breaking the 2:30 barrier in the process--she's hoping to make her way to the top of the List.

"My family has not seen me race a marathon since I first broke three hours, so I'm really excited for them, as well as my three young nieces, to see me running in the Olympic Trials," she says. "Having them all there cheering for me as I chase these goals is going to be something really special."

As far as what's next both before and after the Trials, Hendrix, who is currently self-coached, plans to run some shorter-distance races including two half marathons and a 10K as part of her preparation. Beyond the Trials, she hopes to try her hand at ultra distances and eventually run in the elite field at the Boston Marathon.

"Boston is one of my favorite races, so being in the elite field and having my name on my bib would be really special," she says.

For exclusive access to all of our fitness, gear, adventure, and travel stories, plus discounts on trips, events, and gear, sign up for Outside+ today.