Ashley Anklam, a second year medical student at the University of Minnesota, was one of the top U.S. women runners at the Boston Marathon. Her daily running route often takes her near the “Witch’s Hat” water tower in the Prospect Park neighborhood. Anklam’s next marathon will be in February when she plans to run in Japan.

When one arena closes ...

When I went to college [at Drake University] I actually had no intention of running. I was really into basketball, so I tried out for the basketball team and ended up not making it. The coach and a couple of friends said, "You should go out for running -- it's a good group of people and you have the times [from competing at Holy Angels High School]." I ended up running cross-country, indoor track and outdoor track. It was amazing, it was probably the best time of my life. The team was great, and I loved competing.

Stress relief of the long-distance runner

When I finished college I wasn't really ready to stop competing, and I loved to run. I figured I'd start training for marathons just for fun because I'm in med school now [at the University of Minnesota], and I planned to run just as a stress reliever. Twin Cities Marathon in 2007 was my first one, and it ended up going better than I expected. I started to run a little harder and ran in Phoenix to try and qualify for the Olympic trials, but I missed it, and that's how I ended up at Boston. The longer the distance the more competitive I am.

Boston Marathon debut, 2008

I had no idea where I was in the race, but there were a couple people cheering "U.S.A." so I thought, "That's kind of weird." When I crossed the finish line the man at the finish line said I was the first American. I started laughing and said, "Are you joking?" I was definitely taken by surprise. I ran 2:48:43, so the average miles were in the low 6:20s. One step after another It's a lot of fun for about the first half or two thirds and then up until the last 5 miles or so it's really, really tough just because you're not really out of breath but your legs are so tired, and you're just ready to stop. But you see the finish line, and it's the most amazing feeling when you finish because you feel like you really accomplished something.

Regards to running

It's completely changed my life in so many ways. I feel like it keeps me a healthy person both physically and mentally because obviously it helps deal with stress and it's good exercise for your heart. It's just something I enjoy, and I think it's been beneficial all around.

SARAH MORAN