2005 - 2012
Piers graduated from college in 1993, but didn’t begin running competitively until 2005 at age 34, after the birth of her third daughter. [4] In 2007, she ran 2:45:37 at the Philadelphia Marathon, which qualified her for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. [5]
At the Olympic Trials in Boston, Piers ran a time of 2:38:46 to place 16th of 148 women. [6]
In 2009, Piers returned to the same course and placed 10th in the Boston Marathon with a time of 2:37:04. [7] In the fall, she placed 10th of 10,171 runners in the New York City Half Marathon, one of the largest half marathons in the United States. [8]
Piers placed 8th at the 2011 Twin Cities Marathon with a time of 2:37:42, which was the first of her Masters National Championship wins at Twin Cities. [9]
In Houston at the 2012 US Olympic Trials Marathon, Piers clocked a time of 2:37:09 to place 24th of 185 women. [10] Only three months later, Piers was the top American and 10th overall at the 2012 Boston Marathon. [11]
Piers was a dominant force in road races in her home state of Maine from 2009 to 2012. She won the Maine Women’s division of the Beach to Beacon 10K in 2009, 2011, and 2012. [12]
2013 - Present
Piers notched 2016 Olympic Trials qualifying times in consecutive years at the Twin Cities Marathon in 2013 and 2014, winning American Masters titles in the process. [13]
Piers was inducted into the Maine Running Hall of Fame in 2014. [14]
In the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Los Angeles, Piers placed 116th of 205 women in hot, sunny weather. [15]
Piers consistently ran between 90 and 130 miles per week over a decade, with only a few days off from running each year. In a 2020 interview, Piers stated that she eats whatever she wants during training, including daily sweets such as Skittles, gummy bears, and Starburst. She also prefers diet soda in the mornings over coffee. [16]
United States