One of the fastest marathoners in U.S. history, Kim Jones has run 17 marathons under 2:33. Now, at age 45, the Fort Collins resident is hoping for another fast marathon to help her qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials. She'll need to run 2:48 and she's putting in 95-mile weeks to try to get there. She'll find out if she can do it at the California International Marathon in December. "I know I'll never run the times I did as an open runner, so it takes something special to get me out there." She says coaching has helped "rekindle my fire to run and motivate me to train." Jones started coaching a year ago and currently trains 15 runners with Anaerobic Management. She says it's great to help other runners achieve their potential.

Jones is making a comeback after disappearing from the racing scene for a few years. In a devastating accident two months before her 40th birthday, a large sign fell on her foot, leaving her unable to run for more than a year. She says it took several years to be able to run without pain and to get back into racing shape. Now that she's healthy, she says, "I've been eating right and taking care of myself." The hard work has paid off. She recently ran the Easy Street Half Marathon and was the first master with a time of 1:27:00.

During a typical training week, Jones runs hard on three days and easy for four. "It takes a little longer to recover now," she laughs. Her weekly speed workout consists of 800 meter repeats in 2:50 and mile repeats at 5:50 pace. Plus, she'll go for an hour of easy running later the same day. Jones says she loves to run her speed workouts with her daughter, a 23-year-old student at the University of Colorado. On a long run day, Jones says she will run for 2 1/2 to 3 hours with part of the run at tempo pace, then she'll run for another hour that night to try to get in 30 miles for the day. Her favorite place for long runs is Red Stone, a soft, dirt road in Fort Collins. "You just roll up hill for 6 miles and turn and roll down. It's not too stressful on the body."

Kim Jones ran a marathon PR of 2:26:40 in 1991 and at the age of 39, she ran a 2:31 marathon. While some of that amazing speed is lost, her relentless training and passion for the sport is helping her post times that most runners will never see.