Summary: Neely was the first professional athlete that I interviewed with, and she was so sweet to be as patient as she was with the fact that I was clearly starstruck. I think we all have our weaknesses, or biases should I say when it comes to the individuals we admire. To me professional runners are superstars. Throw me in an interview with Jennifer Anniston-no problem- ask me to have a conversation with any human who has held an American flag behind them while wearing racing flats and spandex....whole different story. For those who don't know, Neely is a professional distance runner for Addidas. She has historically competed in distances from the 5000 to the marathon. She twice represented her country at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and was the top non-African runner in 2013. She also ran at the 2011 Pan American Games She attended Shippensburg University and won eight NCAA Division II titles while there. She ran her first half marathon in 2013 then made a marathon debut at the 2016 Boston Marathon, where she was the top American. Neely currently lives in Colorado with her husband and their dog Strider.
