Kellyn Taylor

Three weeks into Fire Academy and I feel like a shell of my former self. Not a shell in the sense that I’m disappearing but more so evolving. I’ve spent 15 years being pretty good at what I do. Running came natural and I seemed to thrive off of the hard work. Jump to now, where every day is a little scary and a bit of a struggle. I’m not the smartest or the strongest. I don’t have years of experience. This is all new. And new is scary BUT new is also exciting and gives you the opportunity to lean in with everything you have. It gives you the opportunity to grow and learn. To choose to be what you want to be. I had an assignment to write about why I wanted to be a firefighter. I’ll share a short bit of what I wrote. I think it so soundly applies to anything that we tackle and find ourselves a bit out of our element or place of comfort. …Academy has just started and most days I feel like an idiot who has failed over and over again but there’s something really beautiful in that. It forces me to wake up each day ready to work to get better, to be better, not only for me but for my team. I’m ok not being the smartest or the strongest. I will always show up and always do my best to get better at the things that need improvement. Just realize that there is beauty in the struggle. I have honestly loved every minute of the past few weeks. It has solidified that I’m where I should be and has made me so thankful for the opportunity. I’m still out here grinding…trying to run (even though it’s much less than normal and always on super tired legs😵‍💫), be successful at my new job and raise my feral beasts. This is life.

Kellyn Taylor is back on I’ll Have Another podcast after a huge few weeks of racing! She won the Austin Marathon in 2:33 and then turned around and ran 2:27 for second place at the LA Marathon. Kellyn called LA the hardest marathon course she has ever raced, which makes that time even more impressive and feels even sweeter after a tough year last year loosing support from her long time sponsor and working through some injuries that kept her from performing. I’ve had the privilege of interviewing @kellyn_taylor many times over the past decade, it’s been an honor to witness and hear about her career all these years. She is one of the most respected marathoners in the sport, with five top-10 finishes at the New York City Marathon and several close calls at the Olympic Trials. She is also a mom of four, has been a foster parent and is now stepping into a brand new chapter after being accepted into the Fire Academy, something she has dreamed about for a long time. Kellyn talks about both marathons, what this season has looked like, and what it means to keep chasing big goals in running while also preparing for a demanding new career. Listen to this conversation on any podcast app! Just search I’ll Have Another with Lindsey Hein. #runner #womensrunning #motherrunner

After 2024 I lost a lot of support. It wasn’t a bad year, but sometimes that’s just how this sport goes. What I did find though was a village. I’ve been part of a team my entire career, so having people to train with matters. It makes you better, but it also makes this sport a lot more fun. My friend @bbjamin15 believed in me enough to take me on as an athlete. I struggled most of last year and raced very little, but his belief never wavered. There were times I felt like I was wasting his time, like I wasn’t producing the results his coaching deserved. Honestly, I felt like I was failing the people around me. @runflagstaff also stepped in to support me, and I hadn’t exactly delivered results for them either. At some point leaving for runs and heading to the gym started to feel wrong—dropping the girls at daycare while I trained without much financial support behind it. So I made a change. I pulled them out. I shifted my life. I let go of a lot of the pressure I had put on myself and held onto the support that I did have. I realized how special it is to have people in your corner, even when you’re at your worst. And that’s when things started to turn around. I started this year by getting my dream job, winning and setting a course record at Austin Marathon and finishing 2nd in 2:27 at the Los Angeles Marathon on one of the toughest courses I’ve run. Not because everything suddenly became perfect but because the right people kept believing when things weren’t. Sometimes losing the support you thought you needed makes room for the people who actually matter. So thank you to the people who believed in me this past year and throughout my career…my family @kyle_l_taylor has been my rock & @kylyn.taylor my inspiration…she impresses me every day, coach Ben…his training is smart and intentional, @stephrothstein my forever training partner/friend, Run Flagstaff for setting me up with some great product and exceptional service, @mjyones for keeping me healthy , @joshcox @icarriecox for believing,supporting and representing, and the friends I’m lucky enough to train with here in Flagstaff that truly make all the difference. Let’s keep doing hard shit

Second marathon in three weeks 2:27:36 2nd place at the LA Marathon But that’s not really what stayed with me Somewhere between the miles and the rhythm of one foot after the other, it hit me…this is it. I’ve found my happy. Running may no longer be my job, but I still get to do it. I still get to be out here hurting, pushing, and finding out what’s on the other side of the hard. And that feels like a privilege. I saw something recently that stuck with me. It is a privilege to wake up. A privilege to have opportunity. A privilege to be challenged. A privilege to build a life you are proud of. You only get one shot at this thing. That made me think and the word that best comes to mind is thankful This next chapter is still unwritten, but I know I’m thankful and excited for it. Running isn’t going anywhere…I’m just learning what it looks like in this new season of life. Thank you to everyone who has been part of the journey so far. In many ways… it feels like it’s only just beginning. Next stop, Fire Academy to learn from the best! 🚒

#TribunaRunning 45-year old Priscah Cherono 🇰🇪 won the 2026 Los Angeles Marathon 🇺🇲 in 2:25.20 🥇. Kellyn Taylor 🇺🇲 finished second 🥈in 2:27.37 Antonina Kwambai 🇰🇪 placed third 🥉 in 2:28.50

This past year was nothing but resistance… the more I pushed the worse off I seemed to be. Letting go of all the THINGS led me to the chapter I’ve been waiting for. A life where the parts I love most…family, firefighting, and running…finally complement each other. There will always be some give and take, but that’s part of the journey. I had so much fun just being a part of a race at the @austinmarathon In past years races always had to make sense based on my training and goal race and a million other things and I think that made me fall out of love with this sport a little. I don’t do this for the perfect setups. I do it for the challenge. For the opportunity to get out and see how good I can be on any given day. I don’t know exactly how this chapter is going to play out but I’m really excited to find out Let’s see how fun we can make this one😉

When Flagstaff, Arizona 🌲 resident @kellyn_taylor stepped to the line at the @austinmarathon on Sunday, she had been competing at the marathon since 2015 and was in about a decade a half in professional running to that point. Her PR stood at 2:24:29. Austin wasn’t supposed to be a major milestone. In fact, Taylor’s spring marathon build was actually aimed at peaking for the LA Marathon in March. Austin was supposed to the warm-up. A long, progressive workout. Maybe the performance was a sign. That she’s not done. She scorched over 26.2 miles with a new course record in 2:33:29, downing a mark stood since 2022 (2:35). What’s crazier is this: Taylor says these next races may be her last few as a professional. She’s working toward becoming a full-time firefighter 🧑‍🚒 and after her race in LA, she’s putting her full attention toward the career. At 39, she’s earned it. Again and again. #keepaustinfit #runATX #marathon

@kellyn_taylor comes forward through the bright scatter of confetti, red shoes striking their final argument against the pavement, arms lifted not in display but in the astonishment of arrival. The blue ribbon strains across her path, that last thin sentence of resistance, and then, sundered. History gives way. On this anniversary morning, when the city marks its long fidelity to miles and sweat and stubborn hope, something rare has occurred. Not one record but two have fallen, the men’s and the women’s, as if the course itself, grown bold with age, demanded to be rewritten. See how she runs through it: through color, through noise, through the accumulated memory of thirty-five Februaries, and leaves behind not merely a victory but a new measure. Congratulations Kelly! @austinmarathon #austinmarathon #marathon #26point2 #austintx

💥💥 OKAY KELLYN TAYLOR Kellyn Taylor SHATTERS the Austin Marathon Course Record, and runs 2:33:29 to win and break the previous record by about two minutes. 📺 Watch live on FloTrack

ATHLETE ANNOUNCEMENT: The Marathon Project is thrilled to announce that 2:24 marathoner, @kellyn_taylor , has joined our Women’s Professional Field. Kellyn has been a consistent force on the American distance running scene for more than a decade, having competed in her first Olympic Track and Field Trials in 2012. She made her marathon debut in 2015 at the @chevronhoustonmarathon , running 2:28:40–the sixth-fastest U.S. debut ever at the time. A year later she finished sixth at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon and fourth in the 10,000 at the Track Trials. In 2017, she was eighth at the @nycmarathon —kicking off a string of five top-10’s in NYC, including a sixth-place finish in 2021. Her marathon PB came in 2018 at the @grandmasmarathon when she ran 2:24:29 to win by four minutes and set a then course record. Her second fastest time came at TMP 2020 where she was third in 2:25:22. She’s also won two @usatf national titles on the road, a bronze medal at the Pan American Games, and NACAC gold medals in cross country and on the track. We could not be more excited for Kellyn to join a TMP women’s field that includes fellow Americans Jackie Gaughan (2:24:40 PB) and Paige Wood (2:26:02 PB) as well as Blanka Dörfel (GER) and Alicja Konieczek (POL) who will be making their debuts at the distance. Let’s go Kellyn!! #TheMarathonProject #AsFastAsPossible

Always fun to get out and be in a race atmosphere. Had a good work day at @snohomish_running_co river run half marathon. Ran exactly what I planned to in prep for NYC marathon in 3 weeks. Goal was to feel strong and I did. 71:30 in the midst of a 100mi week. Which isn’t flashy but exactly what I needed. I’ve gotten away from racing and I think that’s something I’ve been missing. The early morning preparations, the stillness of the start line, the tactics and flow, and even breaking the tape every once in a while. All things I don’t take for granted. I’m thankful that this is something that I still get to do. Still loading fitness (and as always trying to get/stay healthy…no easy task with the little kids) but excited for the big show in a few weeks #running #fitness #fitmom #nycmarathon

She came to us when we weren’t even looking. Dealing with the loss of another pup 13 years ago we encountered a terrified pup. To be honest I wasn’t interested in bringing her into the family but she was truly a sad sight. She pulled me in and ultimately made me fall in love with her. True to her name Kismet (fate/destiny…without knowing we chose each other). She loved her people, running fast, sleeping under the covers and of course eating treats. In her younger years she was known for jumping out of our 6ft fence and wandering the golf course without a care in the world. She was terrified of storms and only wanted to be near you. She gave us a great 13+ years. She was the best girl. She watched all of my babies grow and put up with them hanging on her and smothering her with affection. I’d say she was the kids favorite dog. She was special and we’ll miss her.