ASICS professional athlete and Colorado graduate Makena Morley, a nine-time All-American for the Buffaloes and member of the program's 2018 NCAA Division 1 championship women's cross country team, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to recap her first professional victory Dec. 13 at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Half Marathon in 72:15 and being one of five American women to run twice under 73 minutes for the 13.1-mile distance this year. Morley explains her return to her home state to train under Montana State coach Lyle Weese, and her preparation for both half marathons in Michigan in October as well as Mississippi. She also expresses gratitude for having boyfriend and fellow Colorado graduate Zach Perrin, who finished runner-up among the male competitors in Mississippi, to train with in Montana, along with World Mountain Running Association women's gold medalist Grayson Murphy, a former Utah All-American who placed second among the female athletes behind Morley in Gulfport. Morley revisits the quick turnaround in between Michigan and Mississippi, but also how much she learned from her preparation and competing twice against a pair of strong fields to continue her development in road racing. She shares that with the wave starts of the races in Mississippi, how she never raced against men's winner Cameron Bensley from Berry College in Georgia, who only finished 10 seconds in front of Morley at 72:05, and how much chasing another competitor would have been beneficial in improving her personal-best time. Morley examines her potential racing opportunities early in 2021, including her excitement for returning to the track and competing in the 10,000 meters. She also shares how much inspiration and motivation were gained from following both the Sound Running Track Meet and The Marathon Project in December, and how strong American women's distance competition remains entering next year. Morley, who is considering her first marathon in the next 18 months, also shares how impressive it is for fellow Buffaloes graduates and first-year pros Dani Jones (New Balance) and Joe Klecker (On Athletics) to also have sponsorship deals secured during such an unprecedented year with the Coronavirus pandemic, and to already be excelling while training with their respective groups in Colorado.