SGT Elvin Kibet

10,000m

It may come as a surprise to her fans, but Elvin did not run competitively until after high school. She had seen her two sisters (both Olympians) succeed in the sport, and thought she could do well, too. And she did, winning an athletic scholarship to the University of Arizona based on her demonstrated potential. Through persistence and natural ability, she broke the school’s women’s 5,000m record – and became a six-time NCAA All-American, three-time Mountain Pacific Sports Federation All-Academic honoree and four-time Pac-12 Conference All-Academic honoree. After college, she ran professionally, and now specializes in the 10k as a WCAP Soldier-athlete.