By Kelly Joy — May 2023

Photos provided by Addie Pulley

There are people who watch life float past, scared to reach out and sample its wares, in all its messy glory, and then there are those who grab it with both hands and dive in headfirst, no matter the outcome. Addie Pulley is the latter. Life is a wild ride of highs and lows that to really feel alive you have to get on that roller coaster, throw your hands in the air and scream.

I met Addie for a scheduled run before we sat down to chat. It is a dreary, drizzly, very English weather day (Addie has been to London for a year, so she knows), we set out, hoping we stay dry for as long as we can. Addie is one of those humans, who exudes a warmth and ease of person that makes you feel seen and comfortable instantly. She has a gentle energy that welcomes you in without overwhelming, and conversation is far from awkward. We settled into an easy rhythm and started chatting. Whether we were going to be acquaintances or never see each other again, the beauty of running in that moment is that you are connected by an activity that you both love and the conversation just flows. What I love about running together is that barriers can be broken down quickly and most runners can get under the layers of life fast, whether that be because of increased adrenaline, flow of endorphins or being a kindred spirit in running for the next 60 minutes.

At 23 years old, Illinois born and an Accounting Major from the University of Notre Dame, Addie has experienced more “life” than most people can achieve in their lifetimes. A middle school / high school runner with a 5:02 in the mile, running was not Addie’s love or passion. Running was something she had to do because her parents wanted her to participate in a school sport, and then they would continue to support her first passion of horse riding. For a woman who has just completed the Boston Marathon for the second time at such a young age in 3hrs17 minutes, (which is amazing by the way) Addie would actually cry before nearly every track practice at school?!? Yet she was obviously incredibly good at it.

As I mentioned, Addie's first love was horses, after having her first riding lesson at a young age, she was hooked and went on to develop a love affair with the sport, FYI she can quote “Secretariat” the movie. Impressive, right! Before we move on, I found it really interesting when she mentioned that people talk about running as being therapeutic, but nothing has made her feel calmer than when she was with a horse, that the anxiety levels just fall as she enters the stable, now we can see why horses and riding can be a staple in many therapies. Let the story continue……

Her love of riding and talent took her to become competitive and reach the National Championships. I am supremely impressed, as not only are you learning how to ride and compete, you are now also having to train and teach a horse to do the same, from merely using your body language. Which is a good parallel to her talent in running, as the ability to manipulate and understand your body is something every runner should be in tune with to succeed and stay injury free.

As much as when I write these interviews it is because of the connection we have with running. What makes people most interesting to me, and I feel the readers, is the workings of the person behind the run, the achievement, the time, and goal! What is it that created them to be the person and the runner they are today? For Addie some of this was a history of an eating disorder and depression, two things that affect many, but are not often discussed openly.

Due to a high achieving complex and self-created pressure to be a high-ranking student, Addie’s coping mechanism in Middle and High School was controlling her eating. So much so that her periods stopped, and she forever teetered on the edge of becoming very unwell, she rode the line of just eating enough to survive but she was not thriving. When eventually, so exhausted with her continuous control of her day and food, she took the extremely brave step, to ask for help. With the support of her parents and running coach, Addie went into therapy, with nutrition support, and began to release the need to control her food. By the time she is beginning to get herself at a healthier weight and mindset, Addie enters the highly competitive Notre Dame and is at a loss of who she is as a person. Without an eating disorder to define herself, Addie needs to rediscover who she is. She decides not to run at college, and sadly cannot continue riding with her school location and workload. She continues to run recreationally; however, this cannot push back the creeping, black curtain of depression. Depression again is a condition that is not tangible, unless you have experienced it, it’s exceedingly difficult to understand and therefore help another person within it. It creates a mood of self-hate, an inability to feel the good in life, although the rational part of you can see what it is. It is a lonely disorder that pushes you away from others when at those times you need them. Addie manages to navigate her way through college, although it was not a time of her life that she loved. She was managing herself, trying to figure out her identity, and how she sat in this world. Yet, again, this is the power of Addie, her intrinsic default is that life is for living and no matter how dark she felt, she knew she needed help. Therefore, once again she threw out her lifeline hoping someone would grab it and pull her back towards the sun. Someone did. They helped her to see her own beauty, her love of life, her courage to continue forging onwards.

Let us fast forward, Addie finishes college and gets a job with “Decimal” (a financial accounting software company) as their financial accountant, she is remote, so has the ability to move to Colorado to live, run, work and be closer to her boyfriend. In this period of time Addie at the age of 21 runs the 2021 St George marathon, UT just to say she has done one, and qualifies for Boston with a time of 3:19:00. In 2022 she runs Boston and requalifies for the 2023 Boston Marathon where she has just run her fastest marathon of a 3:17:00 under her current coach Guy Alton, “Boulder Underground,” with a goal to one day break three hours. It was a short training block, where Addie started feeling pretty out of shape, but by the end, knew she could run 26.2miles. We discussed what she loves about running here in Boulder in Guys’ coaching group.

“With Guy he structures my training, so I do not have think about it, with a busy job, it takes the stress out of my training. He enables me to be the athlete I want to be but steps in if I need help as required.”

“I run to be with people, with a remote job, I am on my own all day, to be honest if I did not have people to run with, I probably would not run.”

At the young age she is, what is next for Addie, she says she would like to run some shorter stuff over the summer, with “Bolder Boulder” being next on the cards, and potentially attempt the Californian International Marathon in December 2023. She has so many years ahead, the marathon is a beast that can never be tamed, but with her grounded approach and love of other sports such as skiing and riding, Colorado will be the perfect mix for her to play and train. I am excited to watch her strive forward, to experiencing life in all its glory, to run fast and faster, and see her break three hours in the not too distance future. She is a person that shines bright, is grounded, feels life rather than watches it and from that alone I know she will reach any goal she sets herself.

With our run done and coffee drunk we said goodbye. Knowing our paths will cross again on a dirt road in Boulder someday soon.

ADDIE STATS & FACTS

Sneaker Selection – Trainers New Balance 1080’s, Race New Balance SC Elite – Addie says her feet were made for New Balance.
Fuel – Spring Real Food Gels
Interesting Fact – When in high school Addie was on the cover of the US, UK, and Australia.
Runners World, which makes her bona fide celebrity in my books.
Fastest 5K – 17:20– High School.
Fastest Mile – 5:02 – High School.
Champion Horse – Addies’ Horse Remi whom she sold when she went to college is now a World.

“Running for me is to be with people, a way of connecting with those around me.” - Addie Pulley