Episode 61: Rachel Schilkowsky on Running with a Full-Time Job, Body Image, and Overcoming Self-Doubt

Introduction / Bio: Rachel Schilkowsky (née Sorna) has been running competitively for 10 years. After a successful senior year of high school which culminated in a 3rd place finish at the 2010 New Balance Outdoor Track & Field Nationals in the 2000m Steeplechase, she began her collegiate career at Cornell University. While at Cornell, she earned a total of five All-American honors, including two 4th place finishes in the 3000m Steeplechase at the 2013 and 2014 Division 1 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Since graduating, Rachel has transitioned primarily to road racing where she has found great success, particularly over the longer distances. She won the Hartford Marathon - her debut at the distance - in October of 2018 with a time of 2:41:03. That performance earned her a spot on the line at the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta, Georgia. In March of that same year she set a personal best of 1:15:52 in the half marathon. She is a member of the USATF club, New England Distance, and is professionally sponsored by rabbit running apparel and Topo Athletic running shoes. When she wasn’t busy training or racing at Cornell, Rachel was hard at work earning first a Bachelors in Biological Engineering and then a masters in Mechanical Engineering, also from Cornell. Upon graduating in December 2014, she started her career as technical consultant at a medical devices consulting firm in Boston, MA.