Jennifer Houck Hopes To Make Grandma’s History

All her marathons have gotten progressively faster.

Jennifer Houck doesn’t consider herself to be a professional runner, but some would argue with her about that point. All eyes are on her she makes her final preparations to race this weekend’s Grandma’s Marathon. The reason: She may make Grandma’s history, becoming the first Minnesotan woman to win the race in 20 years.

Houck’s coach, Chad Salmela, thinks shes ready for a win. “This will be her first mental test and her first chance to win a marathon,” he said. “She’s fit, she feels better than when she ran the Boston Marathon in April. On a decent day she could be in the top five. On a great day she could challenge to win.”

Houck is 27 years old and lives in Bloomington, Minnesota. Her track record with the marathon has been impressive: each race gets faster: she took 38th in the 2009 Twin Cities Marathon in 2:47:42; 17th in the 2010 Boston Marathon in 2:39:02; 19th in the 2010 Chicago Marathon in 2:37:16; and 18th in the 2011 Boston Marathon in 2:34:28 on April 18.

For More: Duluth News Tribune