Michelle began her running career by debating with her high school coach whether she was going to become a sprinter or a distance runner. They settled on mid-distance with the “compromise” that she could run the 400 hurdles, but also had to run cross-country. She was part of the 1998 NJ Meet of Champions winning cross country team, went on to earn All-American status in the 4×800 in 2000, and was named Wendy’s NJ High School Heisman winner in 2001. Michelle planned to run at Virginia Tech, but burn-out and injuries first semester caused her to walk away from the sport.

Michelle started signing up for half marathons and 10-milers as a way to get back in shape between pregnancies. During her third pregnancy, Michelle became motivated to run faster, when she was restricted from exercise for an entire year. She joined NOVA in August 2017, ready to take on more serious training and racing goals. In one season, Michelle managed to drop her half-marathon time by 16 minutes and PR’d in the 5k twice before becoming pregnant with twins.

Five kids later, she’s ready to refocus on her running goals, including dropping her 5k, one-mile and 10-mile times.