Tera Moody (born December 18, 1980) is a retired

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

, who competes in the

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 ...

and other long distance

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

events. Moody represented the United States at the 2009 World Championships in the

. She also placed 17th in the 2011 World Championships in 2:32:04 Moody has had

insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...

since sixth grade. In 2005, she was diagnosed with sleep apnea, and has tried many different treatments, including visiting the

Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...

sleeping pills Hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), or soporific drugs, commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of (and umbrella term for) psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep (or surgical anesthesiaWhen used in anesthesia ...

, a mouth guard, and a device to regulate her breathing. She now takes

melatonin Melatonin is a natural product found in plants and animals. It is primarily known in animals as a hormone released by the pineal gland in the brain at night, and has long been associated with control of the sleep–wake cycle. In vertebrates ...

, a natural supplement. Despite running more than a hundred miles a week, she still rarely sleeps more than a couple hours a night.Moody, Tera (May 3, 2010)
"Miles To Go"
New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-03 In high school, Moody was a two-time

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

champion in the mile for

St. Charles East High School St. Charles East High School is a public four-year high school located in St. Charles, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of St. Charles Community Unit School District 303, Community Unit School Distr ...

, near

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. She went on to compete for the

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in both Cross Country and

Track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

. She won the Big 12 title in the

10,000 meters The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

as a freshman and ran on

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

champion cross-country team as a sophomore in 2000. After graduating from Colorado, Moody took a break from training seriously and became a personal trainer and

real estate agent A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

. She then started her own real estate business. She participated in the 2005 Chicago Marathon with a goal to break three hours. After finishing in 2:50:04, she again ran the marathon in 2006, improving by four minutes. In 2007, she qualified the U.S. Olympic Marathon trials by finishing in 2:46:40. Moody's breakthrough came at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon trials in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, where despite being seeded 152nd, she finished fifth with a time of 2:33:54. This was a twelve-minute improvement of her personal best. Moody was one second behind fourth-place finisher Zoila Gomez. In 2009, Moody participated in a variety of races, finishing fourth at the 25 km U.S. championships in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

. She also finished second at the

Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle The Chicago Shamrock Shuffle is an 8 kilometer road race held in Chicago which was started in 1980. The race is held during celebrations of Saint Patrick's Day in the Chicago area. History For the first couple of decades, the number of particip ...

, and fourteenth at the

Bolder Boulder The Bolder Boulder (styled as BOLDERBoulder and previously BolderBOULDER) is an annual 10-kilometer run in Boulder, Colorado. The most recent race featured over 54,000 runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers, making it the second largest 10k race ...

. At the 2009 World Championships in the marathon, Moody was a part of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

marathon team. She finished 28th in a time of 2:36:39, and was the third American. Moody also ran the 2009 Chicago Marathon, which she finished with a then personal best of 2:32:59, for 9th place. Her PR of 2:30:53 was achieved at the 2010 Chicago Marathon. Moody was selected again for the US team for the World Championships in 2011 in

Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

, South Korea. In warm and humid conditions Moody was the top US finisher in 17th place overall in 2:32:04. At the 2012 US Olympic Trials for the marathon, Moody was a DNS. Tera suffered an injury to her hamstrings in November. Moody returned to the racing at 2013 Houston Marathon after 18 months buildup following the hamstring injury to finish 6th place in 2:39.10 and was the top American woman. Tera ran the fastest US 50 mile road race time for 2017 in 6 hours and 19 minutes. She currently competes in ultra

ElliptiGO ElliptiGO, Inc. is a manufacturer of stand-up and elliptical bicycles headquartered in Solana Beach, California. Elliptical bikes combine the motion of an indoor elliptical trainer with the outdoor mobility of a traditional bicycle. History Co ...

events, and holds the women's 24-hour distance record of 269.7 miles.

Achievements

References

External links

*
Podcast with Moody on Running Times

Tera Moody / Marathon Performance Training Group Athlete Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moody, Tera 1980 births Living people University of Colorado alumni Sportspeople from Boulder, Colorado American female long-distance runners Sportspeople from Kane County, Illinois American female marathon runners 21st-century American women