} Camille Herron (born December 25, 1981) is an American

ultramarathon An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of . Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of to over . 50k and 100k are bot ...

runner. She is the first and only athlete to win all three of the road IAU World Championships for 50K, 100K, and 24 Hours. She won the 2017

Comrades Marathon The Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon of approximately which is run annually in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It is the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon race. The direc ...

and holds several World Record times at

distances, along with the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for the fastest marathon in a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

costume. She is known for running with her hair down, drinking beer, and eating tacos during ultramarathons. In November 2017, she broke

Ann Trason Ann Trason (born August 30, 1960) is an American ultramarathon runner from Auburn, California. She set 20 world records during her career and is considered to be the most successful female ultrarunner of all time. Life Trason was a top runner in ...

's 100-mile Road World Record by over an hour in 12:42:40. She broke her 12-Hour and 100 Mile World Records in February 2022 at the Jackpot 100/US Championship, won the race outright and beat all of the men. In April 2022, she became the youngest woman to reach 100,000 lifetime miles. She is the first and only woman to run under 13 hours for 100 miles, exceed 150 km for 12-Hours, and to reach 270 km for 24-Hours. Herron has overcome multiple challenges in her life, including injuries as a young runner and her family losing their home in the

1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak The 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak was a significant tornado outbreak that affected much of the Central and parts of the Eastern United States, with the highest record-breaking wind speeds of . During this week-long event, 154 tornadoes touched ...

. In February 2019 she won the Tarawera 100 Miler in

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

, New Zealand in a new course record of 17:20:52 just two weeks after surviving a rollover car accident.

World Records

According to th
International Association of Ultrarunners
an
Ultrarunning Magazine
she holds the World Record performances at the following distances and surfaces:

Early life and career

Camille was born on Christmas Day in

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma C ...

. Due to body quirks, she adapted a unique running style well suited for ultrarunning. She credits her athletic ability and steely toughness to her grandpa, who earned two Purple Hearts in World War II, and her dad, both of whom played college basketball at

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

for 3-time Olympic Team Coach,

Henry Iba Henry Payne Iba (; August 6, 1904 – January 15, 1993) was an American basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head basketball coach at Northwest Missouri State Teacher's College, now known as Northwest Missouri S ...

. Hearing stories of her dad practicing six hours without water, as a 7-year-old she would practice basketball without water until she would black out. When she was 17, her family became homeless when they lost their home and possessions in the

. She started running long on Sundays to celebrate her life. She was a 3-time All-Stater in cross country, 3-time State Champion in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

, and valedictorian at

Westmoore High School Westmoore High School is an American four-year public high school located in south Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The school was founded in 1988 and serves the ninth through the twelfth grades as part of the Moore Public School District. Westmoore ...

. She accepted academic and athletic scholarships to the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...

, where she was a top 10 senior and earned a B.S. in Exercise and Sports Science in 2005. As a young and growing runner, she experienced many injuries and was inspired to understand why so that she could keep herself healthy and running for a lifetime. She got back into competitive running as a road racer in her fifth year of college coached by her husband and former elite runner, Conor Holt. In 2007, Camille graduated from

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...

with a Masters of Science degree in Exercise and Sports Science. She worked as a Research Assistant in bone imaging/osteoimmunology at the

University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center is a public medical school in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is the health sciences branch of the University of Oklahoma and serves as the primary place of instruction for many of Oklahoma's health p ...

and has co-authored numerous scientific manuscripts. She and her husband manage an online coaching business.

Honors and Notable Performances

She is a three-time Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, 21-time

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

winner, and

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

holder for the fastest marathon in a Superhero costume, running 2:48:51 dressed as Spiderwoman. She represented Team USA in the marathon at the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

, finishing 9th. She came back 13 days later to finish as the 3rd American and 18th overall at the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...

. She was the first 3-time winner of the

Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is an annual marathon in Oklahoma City, OK that began in 2001. The event now hosts over 24,000 runners and walkers from every state and several foreign countries. The event consists of a marathon, half mara ...

. As an ultrarunner, she's won five USATF titles (50K Road, 50 Mi Road, 100K Road, 100K Trail, 100 Mi Road). In 2015, she became the first ultrarunner to win two World titles in the same year, winning the

IAU 100 km World Championships The IAU 100 km World Championships have been held annually since 1987, at different locations, and is organized by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU). Due to lack of sponsorship, the 2013 event, planned for Jeju Island, South ...

and the IAU 50 km World Championships. In June 2017, she became only the 3rd American to win the

, leading from start-to-finish. In a memorable finish, she accidentally stopped at the wrong timing mat after receiving the penultimate baton and rose. A male runner came from behind, tapped her on the shoulder, and pointed that she wasn't done yet. She went into a sprint the final 200m to win. As of April 2022 (and pending ratification), she has set 18 Open and Masters American and 11 World records on the road and track. In October 2015, she set the 50-mile World/American Road Best of 5:38:41 at the Fall 50, surpassing

's 5:40:18 performance from 1991. Her first 100 Mile World Record of 12:42:40 at the 2017 Tunnel Hill 100 is also the fastest women's time on trail, averaging 7:37 per mile. For her 100 Mile and 24Hr World Records, she won the races outright beating all of the men. She was the top ranked American 24Hr runner, including both men and women, going into the 2019

IAU 24 Hour World Championship The IAU 24 Hour World Championship is an annual international 24-hour run competition organised by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU). Preceded in 2001 by the IAU World 24 Hours Track Championships, as a track running event, this ...

, where she won her third World title and bettered her 24-hour World Record by running . In 2020, she won the Black Canyon 100K, USATF 50K Road National Championship, and the

JFK 50 Mile The JFK 50 Mile or the JFK 50 Mile Memorial is an ultramarathon that takes place annually in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The first race was held on 30 March 1963, one of numerous races that year. After the Kennedy assassination, ma ...

. In 2021, she won the Javelina Jundred in 14:03:23 and finished 4th overall, breaking the previous course record by 49 minutes. She came back six weeks later to break her American and track World Records for 100 miles in 13:21:51 at the Desert Solstice Track Invitational. In 2022 as a newly minted 40-year-old Master's runner, she won the Jackpot 100/US Championship outright beating all of the men by almost 30 minutes. She set the 50 Mile age group 40-44 World Record en route (6:08:24, 7:22 per mi/4:22 per km) and broke her 12-Hour (94.5 miles) and 100 Mile World Records (12:41:11, 7:36 per mile/4:43 per km). On April 7, 2022 at age 40, she became the youngest woman on record to log 100,000 lifetime miles. She is a four-time IAU International Ultra Runner of the Year. She is also a five-time honoree of the USATF Ruth Anderson Ultrarunner of the Year award, seven-time USATF Athlete of the Week honoree, the 2017 Ultrarunning Magazine Female Ultrarunner of the Year, and four-time Ultra Performance of the Year.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Herron, Camille 1981 births Living people American female long-distance runners American female ultramarathon runners American female marathon runners Sportspeople from Norman, Oklahoma Sportspeople from Oklahoma City Track and field athletes from Oklahoma University of Tulsa alumni Oregon State University alumni Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 Pan American Games Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States 21st-century American women