BY SAMI JO LIEN
You may remember Johanna Garton, Denver sportswriter, author and running coach, as we featured her in 2021 in support of her book Edge of the Map, which chronicles the life of trailblazing mountaineer Christine Boskoff and her partner, legendary Colorado rock climber Charlie Fowler. On April 2nd, she released her newest sports narrative All in Stride: A Journey in Running Courage, and the Search for the American Dream.
In her new book, Johanna tells the story of American professional distance runners Elvin Kibet and Shadrack Kipchirchir, who recently competed in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando. Born in remote villages in rural Kenya, Elvin and Shadrack made their way to the United States on college distance running scholarships where they met, fell in love and eventually both joined the United States Army to give back to the country that provided them with new lives. Through the gripping story of these two world class athletes, All in Stride explores race, the unique challenges of women in sports, the military, life in rural Kenya and what it means to leave one’s home country to become an American citizen.
With Garton being a frequent runner in Wash Park, and Elvin and Shadrack based in Colorado Springs, we couldn’t resist asking her back to tell us more about her new book!
Your new book ALL IN STRIDE tells the stories of Kenyan runners Shadrack Kipchirchir and Elvin Kibet. Can you tell us a bit about the athletes?
Elvin and Shadrack are married, professional distance runners living in Colorado Springs. In many ways, they are like so many other Coloradans. They both love being active, and they adore exploring Colorado’s trails and outdoor lifestyle. Like so many of us, they juggle their athletic pursuits with being parents and also other jobs. Elvin is currently a sergeant in the United States Army and Shadrack is an Olympian and is sponsored by Puma, so they both have responsibilities outside of running and parenting.
What makes this life of theirs so unique is where it started and what they had to overcome to reach this moment. They both came from incredibly humble backgrounds in rural Kenyan farming villages and made their way to the United States in their late teenage years. What happened in those early years in Kenya is described in the first part of All in Stride. How they created their lives here in the United States and ended up as Coloradans is the second part of the book.
What drew you to the stories of Elvin and Shadrack?
Do you know those people who just light up a room with their presence? Elvin and Shadrack are BOTH those people. They are extraordinary human beings who have boundless optimism and resiliency. I knew immediately upon hearing their individual stories that I wanted to hear more. I knew others would, as well.
I was also drawn to the fact that their stories would allow me to weave together so many fascinating issues that people love to read about and knew immediately this would make a compelling book.
First and foremost, this is a running narrative. Running is such a vital part of their journey, and as a runner myself, I knew there would be an audience for that. There’s a rich history of distance running lore that I was able to explore, both from a Kenyan and American perspective. There’s an immigration component, which I think is always worth exploring because of the ever-changing demographics of our country. Their time spent in the U.S. Army is intriguing. Military life has always been endlessly fascinating to me and it’s a world I don’t think enough of us know about. Finally, there’s the love story, and how the two of them met, fell in love and went on to create a history together.
You’re capturing an entire lifetime for these two. How intensive was the research process? Did you pull stories mostly from Elvin and Shadrack themselves? How much did family / friends / previous educators and mentors contribute to the story?
I spent a ton of time with both of them, individually and as a couple. It was critical for me to hear their stories from both perspectives, and even from the vantage point of others, so I did spend a great deal of time talking with their teammates, coaches, friends and family. It was also non-negotiable for me to spend some time in Kenya, both in their rural villages and in the city of Iten where they both spent a lot of time. Iten is a mecca for distance runners, much like Boulder or Flagstaff, and I needed to be there in order to be able to write those scenes in the book.
You dive into some very prevalent cultural issues in your story, including race and the challenges women face both personally and professionally. Is there one particular topic you cover in your book that you hope resonates with readers?
There are two in particular which I hope linger with readers. The first is the question of what it means to be American. In some sense, Elvin and Shadrack represent more keenly than most of us what it means to be devoted to your country. The sacrifices they made to come to the United States were not small, and it’s a vast oversimplification to assume that every person who leaves a home country for life in the United States has it made once they arrive. The challenges are lifelong, and significant. Yet, even in devoting themselves to the United States, to the point of being willing to die for the country through their military service, they still struggle with those who do not consider them to be “real Americans.”
The second issue I hope leaves an impression with readers is related to Elvin, and what she’s gone through as a female athlete. Her journey has so many pieces that I think women and girls in sport can relate to. Trying to navigate the disordered eating of teammates, her push to be recognized for her achievements in a way that equaled the way her male counterparts were, her desire to have a baby in the middle of her professional running career and how that was received. All of these are concepts that are being talked about more openly now than in previous generations, and I certainly hope that having this story out in the universe will help continue those conversations.
Elvin and Shadrack welcomed their son in 2022. Has either of them shared how having a child has changed their process, discipline or perspective as professional long-distance runners?
They very much run for their son Mylo now. Their attitudes about what constitutes winning has shifted, as well, I think, knowing that at the end of the day they are parents first, athletes second. He’s always on their minds. I was in New York City a couple years ago for Shadrack’s debut in the marathon and I was able to decorate his fuel bottles, which are the bottles pro athletes grab from tables during the race. I decorated every bottle with a little photo of Mylo and Shadrack told me later that it made all the difference in the world to have a reminder every few miles of what he was running for.
You also share a bit about Colorado native Sammy Schultz, who competed in the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, where she finished out her career as a 7-time U.S. National Champion in Modern Pentathlon. What’s her backstory, and what is she doing now?
Sammy’s story was so important for me to include, as it very much overlaps with Elvin’s. The two of them are friends and have shared similar experiences in terms of being women in the world of high performance sports. In the same breath, Sammy’s journey has been wildly different. A Littleton native, she competed in modern pentathlon for years and retired after the Tokyo Olympics. Whereas Elvin has always had positive role models in coaches, Sammy was less fortunate, and so the book highlights her challenges, from poor coaching to a long road in disordered eating. She’s in recovery now, and I’m certain her willingness to talk about her struggles is going to help readers who pick up the book with similar backgrounds. It’s been a real joy to watch her pour herself into coaching younger athletes in her recovery. Speaking up and being more transparent about how hard her path in sports has been is going to be a big part of her story in the years to come.
As a runner yourself, what is your most inspiring take away from the Elvin, Shadrack and Sammy’s stories in All in Stride?
That sports and movement of any form can help you navigate the larger waters of life. I’ve always known this, but to see it play out in these three professional athletes in so many aspects of their lives was grounding. Running and movement has been a tool they’ve used to overcome obstacles both big and small. They’ve had to learn how to use their bodies in ways that serve them well, and not in ways that will be destructive. Sometimes that means moving less or taking time off rather than working out harder or running longer. By finding that balance, all three have been able to overcome the noise they’ve faced. There’s so much in life we don’t have control of, so to watch them learn to honor and treat their bodies with respect is inspiring.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I hope the book strikes a chord, as we head into an Olympic summer! I love hearing from readers and they can reach me at johanngarton.com