D'Amato Looks To Rebound From Missed Opportunity At Sound Running Track Meet Thanks To Support At Home, Work-Life Balance

By Theresa Juva Brown for DyeStat

A bout of food poisoning stopped Keira D'Amato from chasing the Olympic 10,000-meter standard Saturday at the Sound Running Track Meet, but the missed opportunity can't take away from an otherwise extraordinary year of running for the 36-year-old mother of two, who last month set a new 10-mile American record for a women’s-only race.

“I never planned to go down this road, but slowly but surely, one step at a time, I got here,” said D’Amato, who is a full-time realtor in the Richmond area of Virginia.

“Once I reach a goal, I’m quick to say, ‘What’s next?’”

After earning Division 1 All-America honors as a distance runner at American University, D’Amato struggled with an ankle injury in her 20s, but emerged in her 30s with a fresh perspective on running. 

“My priorities have changed, and the way running fits in my life now is much more balanced,” said D’Amato, who finished 15th at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February.

“The biggest thing is I’ve managed to keep it fun.”

For D’Amato, keeping it fun includes running some of the fastest times in her life. 

Over the summer, in a 5,000-meter time trial on a track with her training partner, D’Amato ran a staggering 15:04, well below the 15:10 Olympic standard and a personal best by more than a minute. 

Eager to keep pushing herself, she organized a tiny race called the Up Dawg 10-Miler to go after the 10-mile American record in a women’s-only race. 

On Nov. 23, she ran a stunning 51:23, crushing the previous mark set by Janet Bawcom in 2014. (Incredibly, D’Amato was holding the finish line tape for Bawcom that day.)

Despite life’s upheaval due to the pandemic, D’Amato’s running is actually coming together just the way she planned. 

“My success in 2020 was very intentional,” she said. “For years now I’ve been putting in the work for a great 2020 (Olympic Year), so it’s no coincidence I’m having a breakthrough year.” 

As she eyes the 5,000 and 10,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials next summer, she hopes to keep her fire burning well into 2021.

“I want to perfect this craft and see where it can take me,” she said. “I want to see how fast Keira can run.” 

Team Keira 

Although D’Amato is currently unsponsored by a major brand, she is not without a solid team of supporters. She describes her husband, Anthony, a member of the Virginia Air National Guard, as a “rockstar” partner.

“I am so lucky he understands the dedication and sacrifice it takes to run at this level," she said. 

The couple also relies on their parents to help with their children, Tommy, 5, and Quin, 4. 

And, of course, her longtime coach, Scott Raczko, who understands all the responsibilities she has to juggle every day, has played a huge role in her success.

"I am so thankful for his individual approach to my training to make it work with 'Keira the Runner,' but also fit in my life as 'Keira the Mom,'" she said.

 A typical day starts early in the D’Amato house, where she wakes up between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. and gets her kids ready for school. After school drop-off, she goes on her first run and jumps right into her real estate business. She squeezes in a second run in the late afternoon before picking up her kids. She and her husband make dinner, give the kids a bath and put them to bed. D’Amato finishes her real estate work and finally gets to sleep — and does it all over again the next day. 

Since being sick last week, D’Amato is focused on recovering in time to compete in the Marathon Project on Dec. 20 in Chandler, Ariz., her final race in an unforgettable year.

“Head up, baby, keep moving forward,” she wrote on Instagram.