Former Mason cross-country and distance standout Bethany Sachtleben, BS Finance ’15, won the silver medal in the women’s marathon at the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru—her first major international competition. The former walk-on, whose name dots the Patriot record books, says it is a moment that will stay with her forever.
Bethany Sachtleben, BS Finance ’15, at the 2019 Pan Am Games
“You feel so many emotions,” says Sachtleben, a volunteer assistant coach for Mason’s women’s cross-country team. “I just felt really proud of myself for running a pretty smart race and proving I can compete here, that I can be a strong runner.”
Sachtleben credits that strength to her time at Mason and her symbiotic relationship with Patriots cross-country and track-and-field coach Andrew Gerard. The alternate patience and tough love Gerard provides are why Sachtleben, who lives in Fairfax and works as financial operations analyst at a tech company in Tysons Corner, Virginia, sticks with Gerard as her coach and continues to work with the Mason team.
Next for Sachtleben are the Olympic trials on February 29 in Atlanta, Georgia.
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