Free Press photos by Pat Christman
Minnesota State women's cross country and track coach Jen Blue was the women's winner of the inaugural Mankato Marathon. 
More than 2,000 runners make their way down Stadium Road during the start of the Mankato Marathon Saturday.
No one can say Minnesota State women’s track and cross-country coach Jen Blue doesn’t practice what she preaches.
Feeling ill at around the 24-mile mark of the Mankato Marathon, Blue wasn’t about to let herself or her team down by quitting on account of a queasy stomach.
Blue kept on running and fought off her ails just long enough to cross the finish line as the women’s winner of the inaugural race Saturday. Blue didn’t merely survive the 26.2-mile race, she thrived. Her 3 hour, 3-minute, 6-second time was a personal best.
“The last two miles I really felt like I was going to throw up,” said Blue, who finished 21st overall. “I didn’t feel good at all. (I) just got through it with grit and determination.”
When told that members of her team were waiting for their beloved coach at the finish line, Blue said, “I told my girls that they can’t ever stop, so I had to follow my own advice.”
“I’m not surprised at all that she won,” track and field sprinter Brittany Henderson said. “She wants us to be better runners, but she has high expectations for herself, too. She’s so inspiring.”
“She works so hard,” adds Henderson’s teammate, Lauren Stelten. “She’s always telling us to push through, and she showed she does the same.”
Blue, who trained for about 12 weeks but is also a year-round runner, was a member of the marathon’s planning committee and helped design the running course.
For the complete Free Press story, go to http://mankatofreepress.com/sports/x154641567/Sorenson-Blue-win-inaugural-Mankato-Marathon
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