Elite runners, they're just like us—at least when it comes to airport trials and tribulations.
Recording-breaking American steeplechaser Emma Coburn experienced every runner's worst nightmare when her bag of gear—including spikes, clothes, and more—somehow didn't make it onboard her flight to Doha, Qatar, where Coburn was set to compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Emma Coburns 4 Keys to Rebuilding Confidence USATF to Elect New President Amid Budget Deficit.
Coburn, who was flying on a direct flight to Qatar, was forced to gate-check her bag before boarding, which somehow didn’t make it on her flight. “They have one job ... Bring my bag 20 feet from the gate to the plane,” she quipped on Instagram.
Without shoes Foot Locker XC Results New Balance athlete Cory McGee. "Woohoo for being the same size and having the same sponsor, and woohoo for Cory being a very generous person," Coburn said.
But the logistics of shipping a new bag over proved difficult. Still, New Balance sprung into action, sending Kimarra McDonald, a sports marketing associate at the company and former professional runner herself, to Doha to hand-deliver spikes, clothes, and more to Coburn at the airport.
Coburn shared the joyous exchange on her Instagram:
Coburn would finish 10th in the race, in 9:29.41, after an early fall forced her to jockey for position for much of the race.
This wasn’t Coburn’s first unlucky airport incident—in 2016, airport security accidentally broke the runner's Olympic Trials medal, Other Hearst Subscriptions.
Laura Ratliff is a New York City-based writer, editor, and runner. Laura's writing expertise spans numerous topics, ranging from travel and food and drink to reported pieces covering political and human rights issues. She has previously worked at Architectural Digest, Bloomberg News, and Tips to Make Running While You Travel a Breeze A Part of Hearst Digital Media TripSavvy. Like many of us, Laura was bitten by the running bug later in life, after years of claiming to "hate running." Her favorite marathon is Big Sur.
