Life’s journey doesn’t come with GPS. One minute, you’re on a scenic route, wind in your hair, and the next, you’re dodging potholes. That pretty much sums up Sara Vaughn’s marathon escapades. But on November 3, she wasn’t just running the New York Marathon—she was leading the American squad, clocking in at 2:26:56 and snagging sixth place overall. Sure, it might not have been first place, but there’s a lot to cheer about here.

For starters, Sara was only 2 minutes and 20 seconds behind Sheila Chepkirui, the day’s queen of speed. And let’s not forget, for most of the race, she was the lone American keeping pace with the lead pack—talk about holding the fort. Oh, and here’s the plot twist: she pulled this off just three weeks after COVID-19 took her out of the Chicago Marathon. Yep, nine miles in, and she had to tap out despite a promising start. It was the kind of setback that would make anyone want to binge-watch sad movies and eat ice cream straight from the tub. But not Sara. Today, she bounced back and left behind some big names: Sharon Lokedi, Jessica McClain, Edna Kiplagat—the list goes on. That’s enough to light a fire in any athlete’s heart. But wait, there’s one more twist in this epic tale.

On November 3, Sara Vaughn could have missed competing in the New York Marathon 2024. Why? Her daughter, Calia, had her Colorado state championship cross country meet scheduled for Saturday. The loving mother had to accompany her daughter to the meet. So that coincidence of the schedules could have made Vaughn miss her comeback race after suffering from COVID. But Calia paved the way for her. 

According to Sara, her freshman daughter told her, “Mom, you gotta go to New York.” The mother obeyed the order and reached the Big Apple to make her attempt to snag the title. However, she fell short of adding the title to her cabinet. But in her brave attempt, the proud mom cruised past Kellyn Taylor, the runner who had topped the Americans’ list last year. Her ranking also outsmarted Jenny Simpson, the legendary American runner. 

Today Simpson had entered the event, captioning it as her last in her vast career. However, the 38-year-old ended her race in 18th position and thus put a curtain on a career that holds medals from the world championship and the Olympic Games. A not-so-suitable ending to a phenomenal career! However, talking about her career, after back-to-back fateful results in the Olympic trials and Chicago Marathon, Sara Vaughn had her reasons to miss the New York Marathon as well. Yet she decided to go on. Any special motivation? Maybe the answer is her selection of idols. 

Sara Vaughn once found her icons in the Magnificent Seven 

On November 3, Sara Vaughn displayed several examples of having her fitness level top-notch. At 38, while Jenny Simpson has taken her retirement, Vaughn is showing no signs of stopping. Surprisingly, this is not the first time her fitness level has been discussed among the camps. In 2022 as well, she was asked several questions regarding her fitness regime. Sara didn’t keep her mouth zipped while discussing those. 

In an interaction with The Nerd in 2022, the runner mentioned two things working on her side. First, she used to break her routine into blocks and take her time off to neutralize the stress coming from training. Another came up as her advice. There, she said, “My advice to high school girls is to always eat more than you think you need. You function better when you’re fueled and you don’t get injured as often.” Wise words, right? Fueling up is the name of the game! And let’s talk about her idols.

Back in her school days, she was all about the Magnificent Seven, the legendary gymnastics team that rocked the 1996 Olympics. But as her running journey blossomed, she found herself drawn to marathoner Deena Kastor. Could these icons be the secret sauce behind her long-lasting fitness? It sure sounds like they’ve helped her keep her game strong. What do you think?