From the Marines to Marathons: An Interview with Lisa Davis
Imagine growing up in an environment in which you didn’t know where you were going sleep that night. This was Lisa Davis’ childhood. She joined the Marines to escape poverty, get a college education for free, and to see the world. She not only earned an undergraduate degree, but two master degrees. This retired Marine Corps major and 201-time marathon finisher is one of about sixty people in the world and one of only three Blacks, who completed the 26.2-mile marathon "hat trick" which consists of
1. completing at least 100 marathons.
2. running a marathon in each of the 50 states.
3. finishing a marathon on all seven continents.
In 2017 at 47 years old, she set the female world record for finishing marathons on the seven continents in seven days, thirty minutes, and twenty-seven seconds. She was inducted into the National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2024. This is her story.
