Nichole Porath crosses the finish line in world record time. (Photo courtesy of Runner’s World)
Northfield, Minn. – Former Gustavus cross country runner Nichole Porath `05 set a new world record for indoor marathons at the Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon held on the campus of St. Olaf College on Saturday.
Finishing in a final time of 2:57:34, Porath shattered the previous world record by more than 10 minutes. The former record, set last year by Melissa Gillette, clocked 3:08:53. The marathon entailed 150 laps around the indoor track in the St. Olaf field house.
Porath, a native of Arco, Minn., was an All-Conference performer in each of her four years under the direction of Head Coach Scott Jerome, taking home the honor in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Porath finished inside the top-10 at all four MIAC Championships with her best finish coming in 2002 when she placed third after crossing the finish line in 18:50.3 at the meet. She was a member of the first Gustavus women’s cross country team to win a MIAC Championship in 2003, placing fourth with a time of 18:55. Porath advanced to the NCAA Championships three times, placing 68th in 2001, 43rd in 2002, and 45th in 2003.