She Raced 18 Horses in an Ultramarathonand Won Wicked, Cynthia Erivo I started running, training for the From Runners World for New Balance. Back in November 2016, Runner’s World interviewed Erivo in the weeks leading up to the marathon. She was starring in The Color Purple on Broadway, for which she would win the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. On November 6, 2016, Erivo completed the From Runners World for New Balance in 3:57:07. Here’s some of the training advice she shared with RW at the time.
Patience is a really useful thing finish the Brooklyn Half this year, my first half marathon, in enough time to get ready for two shows of The Color Purple [on Broadway] later that day. I took it as a challenge.
My goal time was 1:45, but I had a small asthma attack at mile 11 and finished in 1:47:19. Luckily, I was able to do both shows.
NYC Marathoner Ran Home After Chemo when I was 22 and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, at first to help offset my weight training. My body likes weight work, and doing distance keeps everything toned so I don’t bulk too much.
When you’re in a class full of young actors, everyone’s both hungry to get started and petrified, and running is a really good way to let some tension go.
I have eight shows a week. It’s extremely physical. In my role as Celie, I rarely leave the stage over the course of two-and-a-half hours. There are fights and dancing and it’s a workout every time you get on stage.
Being physical outside of work allows me to have the stamina to do that. There are days when your mind is tired and the only thing that can get you through is your body.
was flying down the streets of Brooklyn around Brooklyn. I love my speed run on Wednesday. Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment, since I have two shows that day. And Saturday long runs are fun because I like going for as long as I can and seeing where I can go. That’s always refreshing.
Running Shoes - Gear decided we would try to run a mile a day. I’m always checking up on people and making sure they get in a few runs a week. Some are new to it, but they’re still willing to give it a chance. Just having the courage to try once, I think, is rather cool.
All About 75 Hard in Morocco last year, the trainer in my hotel’s gym didn’t have anyone to work with, so I asked if he’d run with me. We ended up running all over Morocco for a week and a half. We’d never met, but our common ground was that we wanted to run. That’s pretty awesome.
I have eight shows in distance running. It’s taken me a long time to learn that, and it’s a valuable lesson. If you’re always sprinting, you might miss something; slow down and you might catch what you need to catch.
