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American ultramarathon runner (born 1981) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jacquelyn Camille Herron is an American ultramarathon runner and scientist[1] born on December 25, 1981, in Norman, Oklahoma.[2] She is widely regarded as one of the greatest Ultramarathon runners of all time.[3][4][5][6]
![]() Herron at the 2011 NYC Marathon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Birth name | Jacquelyn Camille Herron | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Norman, Oklahoma | December 25, 1981||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 9.5 in (1.77 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | http://www.camilleherron.com/ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Track and Field | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Marathon and Ultramarathon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Conor Holt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal best(s) | Marathon: 2:37:14 50 km: 3:20:58 50 miles: 5:38:41 100 km: 7:08:35 12 hrs: 151.111 km (93.896 miles) 100 miles: 12:41:11 24 hrs: 270.116 km (167.842 miles) 48 hrs: 435.336 km (270.505 miles) 6 day: 901.768 km (560.333 miles) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Herron faced early life challenges, including a near-drowning incident at the age of three and was born with Central Auditory Processing Disorder and hearing loss.[7][8] She has attributed her athletic ability and mental toughness to her upbringing, citing her grandfather, a decorated war veteran, and father as influential figures.[9][10]
In 2024, she was diagnosed with autism and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[11]
Herron's unique running gait and arm swing are attributed to physical anomalies, including an extra bone in her foot and twists in her arm and femur.[9][12]
Herron attended Westmoore High School, where she was a three-time All-Stater in cross country, a three-time State Champion in track and field, and valedictorian.[13] In 1999, when she was 17, Herron and her family lost their home and possessions during the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak. This event served as a turning point for Herron, who began running longer distances on Sundays as a way to celebrate life.[14]
After receiving academic and athletic scholarships, Herron attended the University of Tulsa, where she was a Top 10 Senior and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise and Sports Science in 2005. She began doing scientific research in college to understand why she had stress fractures as a young runner.[1][15][16][17]
Herron obtained a Master of Science degree in Exercise and Sports Science from Oregon State University in 2007. Her research focused on identifying the optimal anabolic stimulus for musculoskeletal health, emphasizing the importance of frequent light mechanical stress interspersed with infrequent high-intensity stress.[18][19][20][21][22]
Herron returned to competitive running as a road racer under the guidance of her husband, Conor Holt, a former elite runner and college coach.[8] She attributes her success in ultrarunning to her scientific knowledge and training approach, which prioritizes short, frequent runs to accumulate high volume consistently.[17]
Herron has contributed to scientific research as a Research Assistant in bone imaging/osteoimmunology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She has co-authored numerous scientific manuscripts in this field.[23]
Herron is partnered with Lululemon Athletica, with whom she collaborates on product development and initiatives such as the launch of a women's trail shoe and the lululemon FURTHER program, which included a 6-day ultramarathon for women in March 2024.[24][25][26]
Herron and her husband manage an online coaching business.[27]
She is a four-time IAU International Ultra Runner of the Year.[57][58][59][60][61] She is also a six-time honoree of the USA Track & Field Ruth Anderson Ultrarunner of the Year award, eight-time USATF Athlete of the Week honoree, the 2017 Ultrarunning Magazine Female Ultrarunner of the Year, and four-time Ultra Performance of the Year.[62][63][64][65][66][67] In 2022 and 2023, she was voted USATF Master's Runner of the Year and the 2022 RRCA Master's Runner of the Year.[62][68][69] In 2024, she was inducted into the Road Runners Club of America Distance Running Hall of Fame.[70][71]
Herron has spoken out about equality,[25][7] anti-doping,[72] mental health,[11] perimenopause,[73] and increasing women's sports science studies.[74]
According to the International Association of Ultrarunners,[36] USA Track & Field,[39] Global Organization of Multi-Day Ultramarathoners,[37][38] and UltraRunning Magazine[75] she has set World Record/World Best performances at the following distances, times, and surfaces:
50 miles (80 km) | Road World Best | 5h 38min 41s | 6:46 per mile (4:12 per km) |
100 kilometres (62 mi) | Track W40-44 (24Hr split) | 7h 35min 50s | 7:20 per mile (4:33 per km) |
100 miles (160 km) | Road Open and W40-44 (pending ratification) | 12h 41min 11s | 7:36 per mile (4:43 per km) |
100 miles (160 km) | Track Open and W40-44 (24Hr split) | 12h 52min 50s | 7:44 per mile (4:51 per km) |
100 miles (160 km) | Trail Best | 12h 42min 40s | 7:38 per mi (4:44 per km) |
12 Hours | Track Open and W40-44 (24 Hour split) | 93.473 miles (150.430 km) | 7:42 per mile (4:47 per km) |
24 Hours | Road | 270.116 kilometres (167.842 mi) | 8:35 per mile (5:20 per km) |
24 Hours | Track | 262.192 kilometres (162.919 mi) | 8:50 per mile (5:30 per km) |
48 Hours | Track Open and W40-44 | 435.336 kilometres (270.505 mi) | 10:39 per mile (6:37 per km) |
300 kilometres (190 mi) | Track Open and W40-44 (48 Hour split) | 31h 7 min 42 s | 10:01 per mi (6:14 per km) |
200 miles (320 km) | Track Open and W40-44 (48 Hour split) | 33h 35 min 31 s | 10:05 per mi (6:16 per km) |
400 kilometres (250 mi) | Track Open and W40-44 (48 Hour split) | 43h 44 min 14 s | 10:33 per mi (6:34 per km) |
500 kilometres (310 mi) | Road Open and W40-44 (6 Day split) | 2d 14:50:17 | 12:08 per mi (7:32 per km) |
600 kilometres (370 mi) | Road Open and W40-44 (6 Day split) | 3d 09:23:38 | 13:06 per mi (8:08 per km) |
700 kilometres (430 mi) | Road Open and W40-44 (6 Day split) | 4d 02:33:59 | 13:36 per mi (8:27 per km) |
800 kilometres (500 mi) | Road Open and W40-44 (6 Day split) | 4d 21:44:55 | 14:13 per mi (8:50 per km) |
900 kilometres (560 mi) | Road Open and W40-44 (6 Day split) | 5d 22:40:58 | 15:19 per mi (9:31 per km) |
300 miles (480 km) | Road Open and W40-44 (6 Day split) | 2d 11:54:28 | 11:59 per mi (7:27 per km) |
400 miles (640 km) | Road Open and W40-44 (6 Day split) | 3d 16:34:26 | 13:17 per mi (8:15 per km) |
500 miles (800 km) | Road Open and W40-44 (6 Day split) | 4d 22:19:17 | 14:12 per mi (8:49 per km) |
72 Hours | Road Open and W40-44 (6 Day split) | 550.542 kilometres (342.091 mi) | 12:38 per mi (7:51 per km) |
4 Days | Road Open and W40-44 (6 Day split) | 691.755 kilometres (429.836 mi) | 13:24 per mi (8:20 per km) |
5 Days | Road Open and W40-44 (6 Day split) | 807.494 kilometres (501.753 mi) | 14:21 per mi (8:55 per km) |
6 Days | Road Open and W40-44 | 901.768 kilometres (560.3326 mi) | 15:25 per mi (9:35 per km) |
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