I grew up on the East coast and was competitive from day one. I didn’t just play tetherball for fun, I needed to win. I played tennis, basketball, softball, and lacrosse throughout my schooling. Once I finished school, I was looking for a competitive outlet and started trying some short-distance triathlons. Running was my true love, so I gravitated toward running races and jumped to the marathon distance soon after.
Moving to Boulder, Colorado in 1985 for graduate school introduced me to the world of elite running. I was fortunate enough to meet many professional runners who took me under their wing. Up until this point in my life, I didn’t even know there was something called the Olympic Trials, but I decided that I wanted to qualify for the marathon trials. Never mind that my marathon best was 3:50 and the qualifying time was over an hour faster than that, I decided that was my goal.
It took a year and half and many miles, but in September of 1987, I ran 2:49:24 at the Twin Cities Marathon to qualify for the 1988 Olympic Trials Marathon. Qualifying was an amazing accomplishment, but it also set me on a path of striving and competitiveness that had unwanted consequences.
In 1997, I got married and got pregnant. On September 11, at fourteen weeks pregnant, I was in a single-car accident.
My injuries: ten broken ribs, a broken sacrum, broken, pubic symphysis, collapsed lung, punctured liver, and three skull fractures resulting in brain injury.
The first forty-eight hours were critical, but the doctors acknowledged that our survival hinged on my fitness. I spent six weeks in the hospital. I left for home in a wheelchair.
The next five months were devoted to getting as strong as possible so that I could deliver a healthy baby. I treated my due date as the next race I was training for and set up a recovery plan that included endurance and strength.
Jade was born on her due date on March 12, 1998.
I have devoted my life to finding the optimal recovery methods and one of my true passions is sharing this with as many people as possible. I don’t recommend anything to my clients that I don’t do myself.
Vicki is a certified Foundation Training Instructor, Level I and II as well and a Certified Lydiard Running Coach, Level II.
She qualified for the 1988 Olympic Marathon Trials in a time of 2:49:24 at the 1987 Twin Cities Marathon.
The Story of Vicki Hunter
Vicki is a certified Foundation Training Instructor, Level I and II as well and a Certified Lydiard Running Coach, Level II. She coaches athletes of all levels and abilities and is particularly attuned to the needs of ultra-runners. She qualified for the 1988 Olympic Marathon Trials in a time of 2:49:24 at the 1987 Twin Cities Marathon. She still competes in races ranging from 5k to 50 miles.
Vicki holds her Ph.D in Political Science and is now retired from The University of Colorado where she taught for 23 years. She specializes in deep-water running, running drills and Foundation Training. She is available for private Foundation Training instruction and coaching.
