Women's Cross Country | 12/21/2020 12:46:00 PM

The last four years have been a slog. A struggle. A schlepp. A marathon. But Alia Gray kept grinding away through injuries and setbacks.
 
Sunday in The Marathon Project in Chandler, Arizona, the Chico State distance alumna and current Roots Running athlete tasted triumph again with a best-ever time of 2:30.41. Gray finished 14th in an invitation-only field of some of the top female marathoners in North America, and ended the day ranked 56th all time among US females at the distance.
 
The time marked Gray's first personal-record time in any distance in over four years.
 
The post-race schlepp was also real, but oh so worth it. Gray tweeted:
 
"Dropped my shampoo in the post-race shower and was like 'guess I'm not washing my hair today.'
 
"2:30 marathon for me for a 3+ minute PR and my first PR over any distance in over 4 YEARS. My quads are destroyed, but spirits are high. Love this sport, even when it's… brutal."
 
Gray competed in cross country and track and field at Chico winning three CCAA titles and earning four All-America honors over that stretch.

She placed 10th in the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials and also qualified for the 10,000-meter trials. However, she was forced to drop out of the 10K due to injury. Gray hopes to compete in the Olympic Trials 10k again this June in Eugene, Oregon.
 
She's also an accomplished writer. Follow her on Twitter @aliatgray and Instagram @AliaGray.

Gray's Chico State running resume:

• Cross Country
  • 2 x All-American (38th at nationals in 2011 and 34th in 2009)
  • 3 x All-West Region (5th in 2011, 13th in 2009, 12th in 2008)
  • 2011 CCAA Champion
  • 3 x All-CCAA (6th in 2008, 4th in 2009, 1st in 2011)
• Track and Field
  • 2 x All-American (6th in 10k, 2009; 8th in 10k in 2012)
  • 2 x CCAA Champion (2011 and 2012 5k)

Alia Gray's professional racing resume via Roots Running:

• Event PRs:
  • 5k –  15:35 (2015)
  • 10k – 31:59 (2016)
  • Half Marathon – 72:48 (2016)
  • Marathon – 2:30:41 (2020)
  • 2 x Olympic Trials Qualifier
• Career Highlights:
• College
  • 2 x DII NCAA Track & Field All-American (10k)
  • 2 x DII NCAA Cross Country All-American
• Post-Collegiate
  • 9th Place at US 15km Championships (2019)
  • 8th Place – Chicago Marathon (2017)
  • 10th Place – Chicago Marathon (2016)
  • 9th Place – US 20km Road Championships (2016)
  • 10th Place – US Olympic Marathon Trials (2016)
  • 10th Place – US Track and Field Championships (10k) (2015)
  • 8th Place – US Cross Country Championships (2014)
  • 9th Place – US Half Marathon Championships (2014)