Trials and Triumph: How Jacob Heslington Overcame the Odds to Finish 21st at the US Olympic Marathon Trials

When Jacob Heslington was sitting in the ICU as a 21 year-old recovering from severe blod clots, he probably didn’t imagine that only 9 years later he would be running in the Olympic Marathon Trials. Qualifying alone would have been an impressive feat. His success didn’t stop there though. In only his 2nd ever marathon, Jacob managed to finish 21st in a time of 2:15 and while competing against a field of over 100 incredibly talented elite and semi-elite runners from across the country.

He’s the ultimate everyman runner, balancing his training with a full-time engineering job and 3 kids. There’s a lot you can learn from the training of elite athletes. What makes Jacob a special role model to runners is that he has achieved such incredible success in the face of adversity countless times. This is a real-life story of an athlete that has overcome the odds to make his running dreams a reality.

He’s joining us on the Run to the Top Podcast so that other runners can find inspiration to achieve their own goals. We’ll cover topics including:

• How Jacob Heslington went from being unable to walk to competing at the Olympic Marathon trials
• How Jacob finds time to train at an elite level while balancing work and a family
• Why Jacob made it his goal to try to compete in running at the highest level
• What is the mindset required to comeback from a life threatening illness
• What advice Jacob has for other athletes going through life struggles

We’re excited for Jacob to share his incredible story with you. His unique insights into the intersection of elite performance with the stressful life of “normal” runners will be sure to inspire you.

Jake’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/heslingtonjake

Personalized coaching from Jake Heslington: customfitrunning.com

Connect, Comment, Community

• Follow RunnersConnect on Instagram
• Join the Elite Treatment where you get first dibs on everything RTTT each month!
• Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community 
• RunnersConnect Facebook page
• GET EXPERT COACHING AT RUNNERSCONNECT!

This week’s show brought to you by:

Previnex Joint Health Plus

Joint Health Plus from Previnex is clinically proven to reduce joint pain, joint stiffness,and improve joint flexibility in 7-10 days. 

In fact, it is clinically proven to be up to 5 times more beneficial than glucosamine and chondroitin alone or in combination.

I saw immediate results when I started using Joint Health Plus and that’s why I reached out to Previnex to see if we could put together an offer for you guys.

If you’re suffering from joint pain or simply want to get a jump start on protecting your joint health as you get older, head to runnersconnect.net/joint and use the code RTTT15 to save 15% on your first order.

Lever

Have you seen top athletes like Eilish McColgan and Kara Goucher using the LEVER system lately? If not, let me fill you in on why this might just be the game-changer you've been waiting for.

The LEVER system is an innovative way to reduce your body weight while exercising on a treadmill, which means less impact on your joints.

Whether you're coming back from an injury, looking to increase your running volume, or wanting to add some serious speed work to your routine, LEVER has got you covered.

Our own has been using it and onl