a goldmine for jaw-dropping stories, like the 60-year-old who crossed the finish line with a brand-new liver or the Chicago native who survived a near-death experience after a herd of deer decided to play bumper cars with him. But hold onto your running shoes—there’s more! One runner, in particular, is really making waves this season: she’s a full-time sixth-grade teacher who made an epic comeback from a knee injury that took her out of the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Meet Susanna Sullivan! Not only did she come back to race, but she also conquered the marathon! After an impressive 2:24:27 finish at the London Marathon in April, she crushed it at the Chicago Marathon, shaving off over two minutes and finishing in 2:21:57, landing her seventh overall. Now, she proudly holds the title of the 10th-fastest American woman in history and the second-fastest of this year. And just a year ago? She couldn’t even walk!

Bouncing back from injury to the Chicago Marathon!

Flotrack recently dropped a clip on Instagram featuring Susanna Sullivan chatting with the media after her amazing marathon run. They captioned it, “A year ago, Susanna Sullivan was suffering with a broken kneecap. Now, she’s finished the 2024 Chicago Marathon in seventh as the top overall American.” In the video, Susanna shared her journey, saying, “Well, this time a year ago, I couldn’t really walk very well without pain. I definitely couldn’t run.”

Can you believe that just a year ago, she was struggling with a fractured kneecap while her coach had her back, believing in her when it seemed like a long shot? As she cruised through the last 10K, Susanna couldn’t help but feel grateful for how far she’d come. She opened up about her epic training, saying, “The training has gone really, really well.”

Susanna Sullivan, who represented Team USA at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, revealed in her Olympic Trials bio earlier this year that she “got a patellar stress fracture (super rare) right before [the London Marathon] but didn’t know it … I finished the marathon on a broken kneecap.” Just before the Trials, she revealed to Runner’s World, through her agent, that she wouldn’t be hitting the track due to a knee injury that just wouldn’t quit and a round of COVID that had her sidelined.

It’s wild to think she spent months in recovery, mostly hanging out in the pool before getting back to running. Now, with a seventh-place finish in the Chicago Marathon and claiming her spot as a top American runner, Susanna’s comeback is just straight-up inspirational! But what has her personal journey on the track been like?

How did Susanna Sullivan train for her grand return?

She’s a celebrated distance runner for Team USA, making waves in track and field, road racing, and cross-country. With victories in numerous championships and marathons under her belt, her journey has been nothing short of inspiring. In 2021, she made her mark at the Boston Marathon, finishing 15th, and she hasn’t looked back since. Her impressive records include a spot among the top 10 at both the London Marathon and the Budapest World Championships, solidifying her status as a standout athlete.

She’s crushing it with 90 miles a week and squeezing in six hours of cross-training in the pool and a Pilates-inspired class called Solidcore. Last year, when she snagged 10th place as the top American at the London Marathon with a time of 2:24:27—47 seconds, it was faster than her best at the Chicago Marathon! “am confident that the best is yet to come!”

Before that, she was racking up solid times at Grandma’s Marathon and Boston, showing off her growth with some pretty sweet personal records. Plus, she’s rolling with the Capital Area Runners and has posted some killer times like 16:00 for 5,000 meters. With her TCS sponsorship as of 2023, she’s kind of an ambassador for Team TCS Teachers, giving props to fellow educators with marathon entries and VIP experiences!

Sure, Susanna’s making waves at the Chicago Marathon, but let’s not forget how she’s balancing all this with her teaching gig! According to Runner’s World, Susanna is out here teaching pre-algebra to a squad of 104 sixth-graders at an elementary school in Falls Church, Virginia, working a solid 40 hours a week. And just when you think she’d kick back, she dives into tutoring older kids in the evenings, racking up at least 12 more hours. Talk about running her own classroom marathon every day!