Roots Running Project professional athlete Lexi Zeis, a 13-time All-American and three-time NCAA Division 2 national champion at University of Mary in North Dakota, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to recap her 2:32:40 performance and 16th-place finish Dec. 20 at The Marathon Project in Chandler, Ariz., which included her producing the biggest improvement of any athlete in the women's field by lowering her personal best by 12 minutes, 24 seconds from the Olympic Trials Marathon on Feb. 29 in Atlanta. Zeis, 24, reflects on being one of the top 10 Under-25 marathon competitors in American history, along with Syracuse graduate and Reebok Boston Track athlete Paige Stoner, who placed seventh in 2:28:43 at age 24. She also examines being a lower-mileage competitor than many of her peers in the race, with her highest volume week during the marathon buildup being 80 miles and averaging 75-77 miles. Zeis expresses her gratitude for being able to train with teammate Alia Gray for the marathon and how excited she was to see the 32-year-old veteran also achieve a significant personal best by running 2:30:41 to place 14th, in addition to the inspiration she gained from teammate Noah Droddy, 30, finishing second in the men's race in 2:09:09. She also revists her own personal-best effort in December, clocking 32:40 in the 10,000 meters at the Sound Running Track Meet in Southern California, and her motivation to achieve the 32:25 standard in pursuit of qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials in June. Zeis shares her experiences from anchoring the Roots Running Project team at the Michigan Pro Ekiden relay in October, and how she hopes future opportunities exist for training groups to compete in a team format. Zeis looks back on her college rivalry with Kendra Foley of Grand Valley State in several NCAA Division 2 championship races and how it helped her become a better competitor and shaped her decision to pass on graduate school to pursue professional running opportunities. She also analyzes how an increase in mileage, along with the confidence gained from her past two races, will prove beneficial in 2021, and how Roots Running Project hopes to collectively build off its momentum next year.