Julia Sullivan looked around at the starting line outside the Rose Bowl and noticed she was the only female in the first corral at the second annual Pasadena Half Marathon.
Winning never crossed her mind. Following standout careers at Northampton High School and American University, the 25-year-old was just dipping her toes into the road racing waters.
After a couple miles, however, she felt strong enough to change her goals. By the end of the 13.1-mile race, she was still the only female.
Sullivan won the female division at the Pasadena Half Marathon Sunday, crossing the finish line inside the Rose Bowl in 1 hour, 26 minutes, 15 seconds.
“I thought on a good day I could be top five,” Sullivan said. “I thought that was reasonable going in. I didn’t think I’d win.”
Sullivan was 38th overall. Julia Patkowski, of California, was second (52nd overall) in the female division, crossing in 1:27:46.
More than 8,000 runners participated in the half marathon and 5K that supports the Pasadena Ronald McDonald House.
The race was a little out of the way for Sullivan, who lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, and works as a youth engagement coordinator for Grand Canyon Trust, an environment nonprofit.
“I was planning to run the Rock ‘N’ Roll Phoenix Half (on Jan. 14), but I had a conflict,” Sullivan said. “I have a friend who lives in LA and this was part of his build up (for the LA Marathon). He mentioned it to me and I wanted to visit.”
Sullivan ran cross country and track & field in high school and college. She took a couple years off from running after graduating in 2014. Following a brief stint as a coach at Northampton, she spent 2015-2017 in Panama working as a community environmental conservation volunteer with the Peace Corps.
When Sullivan returned to the states and moved to Arizona, she decided to get back into running.
“I started running this past October,” she said. “I liked the idea to ease back in with a longer road race.”
Running on the East Coast and at 7,000 feet in Flagstaff proved to be a big adjustment. For assistance, Sullivan leaned on the guidance of her high school coach Nate Kraft.
“It was rough,” Sullivan said. “But then I had a series of runs and a long run in particular in early November where I felt it clicked.”
When it came time for the race, the elevation change made a difference.
“Breathing. I was at a level of ease I don’t experience,” Sullivan said. “I felt really good. Fresh.”