Earlier this year, Allie Kieffer posted a picture of herself flexing on Instagram. The caption read: Strong is empowering. Its knowing you belong in the free-weights section of the gym, holding your own amongst grunting men. Strong is seeing the number on the scale, but knowing it isnt tied to your self-worth. Its the feeling that you can accomplish all of your goals. Strong is standing up for your values regardless of what others say. Its the confidence to be unapologetically you. Strong looks like you!
Strong is seeing the number on the scale, but knowing it isnt tied to your self-worth.
Surely Kieffer looked strong when she stood at the start line of the 2017 New York City Marathon. Not that anyone really noticed. She was virtually unknown. She didnt have a sponsor or even a coach. In fact, she had quit running five years earlier, after injuries and a drained bank account seemed to have doomed her postcollegiate professional career.
I moved to New York in 2013 to be a nanny and didnt have any friends, and people were like, Whats your hobby? Thats how you meet people, Kieffer, now 31, says. So I started running again, then it got a little more serious with each year, and I started coaching myself to run the New York City Marathon.
Kieffer finished in 2:29:39fifth place among women, and the second American woman behind Shalane Flanagan. The world took noticeof both her dominance on the course and her appearance. Running message boards lit up with talk of how Kieffer must be doping, how theres no way a woman with her build could run that pace.
Watch Allie Kieffer recount her surprising NYC Marathon finish:
It wasnt the first time Id been told Im too heavy to be a good runner, says Kieffer. Im just a firm believer that the way I look does not affect my ability to do my job. In fact, Kieffer attributes her earlier injurieswhich forced her to withdraw from the Olympic trialsto her low body weight, which made her look, but not perform, like an elite marathoner.
Running has such a negative diet culture. I wasnt doing any strength work at all and wasnt feeding myself enough food, she says. Leading up to the New York City Marathon, on the other hand, I was lifting in a CrossFit gym , I was stronger, and I was running really well. That was the turning point for me in realizing I dont have a racing weight. I dont have to be a certain leanness to be a great runner.
In response to the negative chatter about her body, Kieffer began blasting back and posting video responses on Instagram, saying, The words that Im too old and Im too big and Im doping? Those hurt. Im not too big. And Im not doping. Im here to stay. Next up on Kieffers list? Qualifying for the 2020 Olympics while continuing to be vocal about body positivity.
The more we build on this conversation, the more we help women get to a healthy place of self-love, she says. For Kieffer, opening up on social media was therapeutic. I thought, Im going to be vulnerable and let this out because it will help me, she says. Then people started connecting with me and writing messages, and I realized how helpful it was for them as well. Its created a community where we all support each other. Speak it, sister.
This article appears in the July/August 2019 issue of Womens Health. For more intel on how to live a happier, healthier life, pick up a copy on newsstands now.