A 37-year-old realtor who ditched elite running for 7 years made a stunning comeback and smashed the US marathon record

• A 37-year-old who quit running for seven years just smashed the American women's marathon record.
• Keira D'Amato ran the distance in a time of 2:19.12, shaving 24 seconds off the previous record.

A 37-year-old who quit running for seven years to focus on her career as a realtor came back and smashed the American women's marathon record on Sunday at the Houston Marathon.

Keira D'Amato ran the distance in a time of 2:19.12, beating the record set by Deena Kastor at the 2006 London Marathon by 24 seconds.

"Part of me just can't believe this is happening," D'Amato told ABC after the race."The other part is like, this is happening because you worked your tail off, Keira.

"Dreams come true, you know?"

D'Amato ran competitively in college for American University, but gave up middle-distance running in 2009 to focus on having a family and her career as a realtor.

After signing up for a marathon with her husband in 2017, however, she started running seriously again. In March of that year, she completed the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach in just over three hours, before in September, she finished the Richmond Marathon in 2:47:00, just two minutes off the Olympic qualifying time.

By 2020, she was competing in the US Olympic Trials, where she finished 15th, and in early 2021, she signed her first ever professional deal with Nike.

In Houston on Sunday, her time saw her become tied as the 22nd-fastest woman in marathon history.

"This morning, with a little help from my friends, I set the American Record for the Marathon running 2:19:12," D'Amato wrote on Instagram.

"I'm confused, pumped, exhausted, proud, in disbelief, sore, more confusion, excited. I could list the roller coaster of emotions for days, but the thought I keep coming back to is how proud I am that I found the courage to give running a shot again and attempt to tackle all this "unfinished business."

"Goals, similar to marathons, can be scary as crap, but again, with a little help from my friends, we had the courage to try."

D'Amato wasn't the only record breaking mom at the Houston Marathon.

During the same event, 38-year-old Sara Hall, who has four daughters, broke the American record in the women's half marathon. Her time of 01:07:15 shaved 10 seconds off the previous record set by Molly Huddle in 2018.

After the race, she shared a picture to Instagram of her celebrating with her husband, Ryan Hall, who holds the American record for the men's half marathon.

"We did it – American Record!" she said. "Matching half marathon records with this guy. Same place, set 15 years apart. Truly a dream come true. What a ride it's been!"