It is with a sad heart that I tell you Sally Meyerhoff, our local elite runner, died yesterday, March 8th in a cycling accident. She was an inspiration to me and many others in Arizona and the entire running community. When I first got the email I hoped that the sender somehow had wrong information, that it wasn’t Sally. She was riding her bicycle, training for her next triathlon, probably her 2nd workout of day when she didn't yield at a stop sign. She died at the scene of the accident. She was only 27.
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| Winning 2011 PF Changs Marathon |
Throughout the day she has been in my thoughts; I have shaken my head in amazement that she can’t be dead! I’m furious with her that she didn’t stop at a stop sign. Did she see the truck? Was she in a zone pushing her pace? Oh Sally, you will be missed.
Each time I saw that Sally posted on her blog, RunSal, I rushed over to read about her training, her latest adventure, her latest race, her latest win and of course her dogs. She recently had her application accepted to be a professional tri-athlete and that was in addition to already being a professional runner. She was training for the 2012 olympic trials and an Ironman and just two months ago won the PF Changs Marathon in Phoenix. Sally could be seen in local races of all distances wearing her signature hot pink socks and pigtail braids. I always cheered on Sally in out/back courses as she’s zoomed by me heading towards the finish. On December 31st, I finally had an opportunity to actually meet and chat with her after a race and she was just as pleasant as her she was in her blog.
Sally motivated me with her blog posts about her training and talking about her self-talk process. She struggled with doubt, like the rest of us, recognized it and worked on changing it. She was gracious with her time and running knowledge. She once posted a comment about the various exercises she did after I asked her about what her routine consisted of. She was positive and optimistic and loved her sponsors and thanked them continually. Another great thing about Sally was for an elite runner, she wasn't sickly skinny. So many elite runners are super skinny and Sally was a normal, healthy weight. If she could be an elite runner and not be anorexic, then I too could get faster and be a great runner.
It’s such a shame that this accident happened. She was an inspiration to so many people and touched so many peoples lives. She will be missed.
Sally always ended her post with quotes she found inspirational. Here is a quote from her last blog post.
"When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on or we will be taught to fly"- Frank Outlaw
9 comments:
so very sad
I saw this earlier. So very sad. This is a beautifully written post, Christina.
So very, very sad. I am convinced she had to have been in her zone and did not see the truck. Nothing else makes sense.
So very sad, thank you for this post.
Gosh, I'm crying. I will keep you and her family in my prayers, Christina. Wow. This is so tragic. I think she would be touched by this blog post and your memories of her spirit and accomplishments.
Sally Meyerhoff was only 27, this is tragic!
Although I saw her at quite a few local races, I finally met her in January at a running club meeting. She was so nice, humble, gracious and came off as very genuine. I hope she knew how many people she inspired, including me. She will be missed. My thoughts are with her family and her beloved puppies.
Terrible news, so sad!
So sorry for the loss of a local running friend. It sounds like she was an amazing and inspirational gal. Thoughts and prayers go out to all your running community.
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