Atkins returns to Boston where she holds her personal best time of 2:33:15. A 2014 champion of both the Tallahassee and Twin Cities Marathons (USA National Championships), Atkins finished 11th at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials last year and represented the U.S. at the 2015 IAAF World Championships where she placed second American and 24th overall. Her best half marathon is 1:13:46, recorded with a runner-up finish at the 2016 Jacksonville Half Marathon. Atkins says her proudest moments are from days she accomplished something she didn’t think was possible. “The days that come to mind are winning the DIII 10,000m championships in 2008, running even splits to 2:46:15 for my debut marathon in Berlin, breaking 2:40 in Seville in 2010, running a negative split and huge PR in Boston 2014, and winning the U.S. Championships in 2014 to make the 2015 World Team.”

Atkins ran cross country and track at Case Western Reserve University and in her senior year won the NCAA Division III title in the 10,000m. After graduating with a double major in Music and Cognitive Science, she accepted a Fulbright fellowship teaching for two years in Vienna, Austria. At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, Atkins sang the national anthem before running the race herself. Atkins (née Erb) married elite runner Cole Atkins in 2015 and the couple have a border collie mix named Grace and live and train in Greenville, SC. She works as a private running coach. One of Atkin’s favorite Boston Marathon memories was when she was a spectator in 2013. “I had been slated to run, but after being sidelined by an injury, the BAA let me keep my plans and still come. I will never forget the roar of the crowd that approached like a tsunami as Shalane Flanagan came and passed on the course. It brought me to tears to hear so much well-deserved crowd support for such a huge hero of mine. The next year, I got to hear the roar on the course myself. It was a life-changing experience.”

“Running has provided me so many opportunities for growth. It has taught me to push my own limits physically. It has made me into a better teammate and co-worker. It has taught me how to be a role model and a fangirl at the same time.”