When Shelby Houlihan took the call from Runner’s World, Houlihan getting her stride down at an early race.
The killer August workout back in 2018, which was prescribed by Bowerman Track Club coach Jerry Schumacher, began with four mile repeats, with 90 seconds rest in between the intervals. Then, she started two sets of 800 meters followed by back-to-back 400-meter repeats with just one minute recovery. Between the 800 meters and the 400 meters, she had only another minute of recovery, and in between the two 400 intervals, she was given a mere 30 seconds.
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If the program doesn’t sound grueling enough, add this fact to the mix: The workout was done in Park City, Utah, where the altitude leaves exercisers gasping for air at 6,700 feet.
Houlihan found her strength and finished the session, totally tapped out. Pushing her body to her limits is actually a feeling she craves.
“I like to see how long I can ride the line of dying,” Houlihan said with a laugh to Runner’s World by phone.
This fearless, daring approach in workouts is a mentality that was shaped years ago as a child by overcoming a rare, hereditary blood disorder that, at times, wouldn’t allow her to run a full mile without having to stop to walk. It’s a far cry from where she is now—after setting another American record of 3:54:99 in the 1500 final at the 2019 World Outdoor Champions, and a continual top contender in the major races. She even Courtesy of the Houlihan family shattered her own American 5K record.
Houlihan was born in Sioux City, Iowa, to parents Bob and Connie. In just the first few weeks of her life, her parents knew something was wrong—their baby wouldn’t stop crying. After doctors ran several tests, they diagnosed her with spherocytosis, a rare hereditary blood disorder characterized by defects within red blood cells. Houlihan’s red blood cells are sphere-shaped, rather than the normal flat-disc shape, and fragile, meaning they are much more easily destroyed by her spleen.
The disorder came down from her father, and despite the 50/50 chance of passing it on, Houlihan was the only child of seven to get the disorder, which she jokes made her the “chosen one.”
For years, she had to get periodic blood transfusions to combat the disorder, which would leave her anemic, produce gallstones, weaken her immune system, and make her feel severely fatigued after even light physical activity. Houlihan says the anemia made her so pale that her mother used to put blush on her face to add the appearance of color. Her spleen was also three times the normal size.
Despite suffering from severe fatigue, she stayed active, and participated in sports like soccer and gymnastics. Houlihan was inspired to take up running by her mom, an elite runner who competed at the 1987 World Championships and World Cup in the marathon.
Houlihan says that watching her mother show so much passion for running inspired her to take up the sport. To this day, Connie is the first person that Houlihan calls after every race.
“Watching her love running taught me how to love it,” she said.
When she was five, Houlihan started to compete in one-mile cross country races, but would tire quickly and had to eat snacks consistently throughout the day to keep her blood sugar at a normal level. She still remembers one cross country race where she got so tired halfway through the course that she started crying and had to walk the remaining distance.
Her health reached a turning point when she was 8, and she had her spleen and gallbladder removed. Houlihan remembers having a quick recovery after the surgery, even doing cartwheels a week later. She no longer had a spleen that destroyed every red blood cell in her body and made her anemic. As a result, Houlihan gained energy and a new outlook on her life.
“My mom jokes that because I could never do the things that I wanted to do when I was little, I was a little bit of a terror when I did get my spleen out,” she said. “I always wanted to do everything on my own and prove that I could do what everyone else was doing.”
By the time Houlihan reached high school, she was a star on the track. She graduated from East High School ranked nationally in events ranging from the 800 meters to the 3,000 meters, all of which helped her earn a scholarship to Arizona State where she became an NCAA champion in the 1500m and a 12-time All-American.
She joined Bowerman in 2015 and has thrived under Schumacher’s training, with an 11th-place finish in the 2016 Olympic 5K final, a fifth-place finish in the 3,000 meters at the 2018 World Indoor Championships—not to mention the record-breaking 1500m in 2019, or smashing of her own 5K record in July.
Houlihan looks at the accomplishments of her career as a reflection of her mindset that was shaped by overcoming that obstacle.
“I have a hard time showing weakness. I’m always going to throw myself into things just because I want to do it myself,” she said. “I think it just made me a lot tougher.”
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
