Sheri Piers

Last updated
Sheri Piers
Sheri Piers.jpg
Personal information
Born (1971-05-15) 15 May 1971 (age 54)
Westbrook, Maine, United States
Sport
CountryFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Event(s) Marathon, Half Marathon
College team Saint Joseph's College of Maine
TeamDirigo RC
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) Marathon : 2:36:59
Half Marathon : 1:14:27
10 km : 34:17

Sheri Piers is an American distance runner who specializes in the marathon. She won multiple USA Masters Marathon Championships in her 40s, [1] and placed in the top 25 in the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in 2008 and 2012. [2]

Contents

Early life

Piers grew up in Westbrook, Maine and attended Westbrook High School. She was the Maine state champion in cross country her junior year, while also playing basketball for Westbrook. After high school, she opted to play basketball rather than run competitively at nearby Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. [3]

Career

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]

Piers is one of only five Maine-native women who have competed in at least two U.S. Olympic Trials and won the Maine Women's division of the Beach to Beacon 10K, along with Emily Durgin, Susannah Beck, Kristin Barry, and Erica Jesseman. [17] [18]

Personal

Piers lives in Falmouth, Maine, with her husband and works as the medical director for her alma mater, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. [19] She has three children. Her youngest daughter, Karley, runs collegiately for Florida Gulf Coast University. [20]

References

  1. ↑ Greder, Andy (2015-10-15). "Twin Cities Marathon: Mbarak Hussein, Sheri Piers are masters winners". Pioneer Press. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  2. ↑ "Women's Olympic Trials Marathon Results". Marathon Guide. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  3. ↑ Kenney, Sarah (2008-04-18). "Sheri Piers". Runner's World. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  4. ↑ "Sheri Piers: Maine Running Hall of Fame". Maine Running Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  5. ↑ "Sheri Piers: World Athletics". World Athletics. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  6. ↑ "Women's Olympic Trials Marathon Results". Marathon Guide. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  7. ↑ Gambaccini, Peter (2011-03-31). "A Brief Chat With Sheri Piers". Runner's World. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  8. ↑ "Sheri Piers: World Athletics". World Athletics. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  9. ↑ Greder, Andy (2015-10-15). "Twin Cities Marathon: Mbarak Hussein, Sheri Piers are masters winners". Pioneer Press. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  10. ↑ Lorge, Abigail (2013-03-05). "More to Prove". Runner's World. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  11. ↑ Jordan, Glenn (2012-04-16). "Maine runner first American woman in Boston Marathon". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  12. ↑ Lowe, Mike (2012-08-05). "Piers survives heat to defend her title". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  13. ↑ Greder, Andy (2015-10-15). "Twin Cities Marathon: Mbarak Hussein, Sheri Piers are masters winners". Pioneer Press. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  14. ↑ "Sheri Piers". Maine Running Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
  15. ↑ "2016 Olympic Trials Marathon Results". Flipsnack Results. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  16. ↑ Burdick, Allie (2020-01-06). "She's A Highly Successful Runner Who Fuels On Candy". Women's Running. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  17. ↑ "Tag Archives: Beach to Beacon". New England Runner Magazine. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  18. ↑ "2008 USA Women's Olympic Trials Marathon – Complete History 1984-2008". Marathon Guide. Retrieved 2025-08-13.
  19. ↑ Fox, Kit (2016-02-03). "The Medic: Sheri Piers". Runner's World. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  20. ↑ "Karley Piers". Florida Gulf Coast Athletics. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
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