Sara Hall’s love for athletics can hardly be put into words. Imagine, she chose to celebrate her 41st birthday this year, doing what she relishes the most- running a marathon in Boston. Now, she may have finished 15th, but the feeling of having contributed to the cause, “Loans for Women in Ethiopia” was very special to her.

Well, it’s not just her, but even her husband who shares a close tie with the country. Sara Hall’s husband is a marathoner himself and the two are often taking training trips to Ethiopia. Why so? And what else is known about her partner? Here are all the details about the track and field couple.

Learn about Sara Hall’s husband, who is also her coach

Sara Hall is married to Ryan Hall, a fellow marathoner she met while she attended Stanford University. The two shared the same passion and had been among the top performers, where Sara was a 7x All-American and Ryan had set the American record in the men’s marathon category. They tied the knot in 2005 and turns out, they were equally driven towards philanthropic activities, leading them to found the ‘Hall Steps Foundation’ in 2009.

Ryan is a retired two-time Olympic runner, who is now a coach and Sara Hall herself is one of his pupils. After the two graduated from Stanford and turned pro, both of them got sponsored by Asics. They often traveled internationally to various races and training camps. Surprisingly, he never intended to be a coach, as he found it very cliche. Until, he got a cold email from a an NYC runner from Stanford, who was looking for a coach.

And that’s how he began with a single student, till they later thought, “It just made sense” for Ryan to coach Sara too. Coaches need to know everything about you, she thought, “how you sleep, how you eat, what makes you tick.” And Ryan definitely knew all of that. Although Sara missed sailing through to Paris by a hair, the fact that she’s balancing motherhood with her profession is itself commendable.

The Couple Adopted Four Sisters from Ethiopia

Now about the Ethiopian connect, in 2015, Ryan and Sara Hall adopted 4 sisters from the country. Notably, all four girls take by their parent’s love for running! When the two first thought of growing their family, they agreed on adoption, aimed at providing underprivileged children a beautiful abode. And when they learnt of these four sisters who’d been waiting to be adopted since 4 years, they’re heart melted.

When they first met Hana, Mia, Jasmine, and Lily, they were in tears when they learnt about their adoption. Next, they give a little pep-talk to the children, about having to move to the USA and navigating the changes in culture and language together. However, the girls were their family the moment they gave ‘H’ necklaces, signifying their new surname, Hall.

Today, Hana is the oldest and watching her navigate her life, transition to high school, were emotional milestones for Sara and Ryan Hall. While Sara tries to use running to influence her daughters, she also agrees that balancing a career with kids is difficult. But, her kids have grown older and gotten more self sufficient over the years. Thus today, she tries to motivate other women around her, who are in their late 30s too, to chase their goals. What do you think about this marathon couple? Let us know below!