Hailing from Santa Clara, CA, Emily attended Santa Clara H.S. prior to UCLA, where she studied Biochemistry and Biomedical Research. Emily is a relative newcomer to distance running, having begun her career as a sprinter and hurdler. She was recruited to the Bruins and competed as a 400m hurdler for two years before stepping away from the team to focus on academics. Her first marathon race came on a whim in October 2013, winning with a time of 2:51.44 at the Nike Women's Marathon San Francisco. On February 2, 2014, she shattered the women's marathon record at the Surf City Marathon by nearly 17 minutes, qualifying for the Olympic Trials with a time of 2:39.58. Between these two races, she averaged just 55 miles/week running, maxing out at 65 miles. Emily's presence in the distance running world came relatively quickly, and when asked about her discovery in the field, she states, "In a matter of 5 months I went from a recreational triathlete in the club team at UCLA to a winning marathoner. Before that I was a 62.84 400m hurdler, olympic lifting 5 days a week and doing explosive, short workouts. New talents are there, you just have to discover them."
When not putting in the miles, Emily is a huge biochemistry and food science geek, hoping to eventually return to school for a Masters or PhD in the field of study and to get involved in the athlete food science industry. Emily is excited to take her running career to the next level, as she joined Team USA Minnesota in March 2015.