Start Line Stories: Setting wild goals with NYC runner Yasmeen Elsakary

Yasmeen Elsakary at the 2024 New York City Marathon.

If I started running, I wouldn’t say anything, but there would be signs — isn’t that how the TikTok trend goes? Actually that first part might not apply to running (because we all know runners can’t not talk about running), but the “there will be signs” part works perfectly for New York City runner Yasmeen Elsakary.

Yasmeen — like many millions of new runners across the globe — took up running during the pandemic. In 2022, she ran her first marathon and three years later she has six marathons under her belt and a self-defined “wild goal” in her future: to break the Egyptian National record of 3:21:42 for the women’s marathon (Yasmeen holds dual citizenship in the US and Egypt).

In the pursuit of that audacious goal, the signs of running’s positive impact on her life show up.

“Running has given me this wild goal of breaking the national record, and that makes me imagine where that type of mindset could take me in other aspects of my life,” Yasmeen said. “If I applied the same level of wild imagination, discipline, and consistency to other areas of my life — where could I be?”

Read more about Yasmeen’s big goals in her Start Line Story below:

Name: Yasmeen Elsakary

Age: 31

Where are you from and where is home now?

I’m from New Jersey and I currently live in Queens, NY.

What’s your local run club or training group and tell us about it?

I started running during COVID and was introduced to lots of local run clubs pretty soon after that. Being a runner in New York, you could go to a different run club every single day of the week! Each one has its own flavor, but at the core of all of them is this amazing sense of community. I really love running with the World’s Fair Run Club out of Flushing, NY. The whole run club culture here has been a huge part of where I am in running today. It’s the people I met in run clubs who inspired me to be where I am today getting ready for my seventh marathon.

Why Eugene 2025? 

Someone I met in my run club brought up Eugene last fall. I was looking for a spring marathon, so I read about the race and the history of running in Eugene, so I became interested in it, and I signed up.

Current Total Marathon Count:

6

Favorite road race or racing experience?

I’ve run the NYC Marathon three times and there’s just such an emotional connection to running through the streets that I train in everyday. It’s always very special, especially being a New York City runner as you go through every borough, you’re gonna see familiar faces, along with thousands of strangers.

What kind of training plan are you following and do you have a specific goal on race day?

I’m very fortunate to have Julia Lucas (former Eugene resident and Oregon Track Club Elite athlete) guiding my training this season and my goal is break 3:45 in Eugene. Training is going well, knock on wood, but that’s the beauty of marathon training: there’s always a little bit of doubt. But I feel good about where I’m at right now.

Finish the sentence: What I love so much about running is _____

__ that it’s a different experience every time I run; no two runs are the same.

Why the marathon?

I do not come from a running background, but I started running during COVID and gave a marathon a try in 2022, and have been doing it ever since. Because I don’t come from a running background, it's been great to see how much I can improve. Breaking the 4-hour barrier was a huge goal of mine and after I got that, I started eyeing a Boston Qualifying time and I realized that the Egyptian National Record in the marathon is not far off my BQ time. A BQ for my age group is 3:30, and the Egyptian National Record is 3:21.

What started your running journey?

I started running during COVID and not too long after that, I joined my first run club run and it was ironically on the day of a long run. I didn’t think I could do it, but I did and it was just really inspiring to run with others and that’s when I really caught the running bug. Then, last summer at the kick off event for the No Name Run Club, right before the Olympics in Paris, I ran into Coach Julia. She was flying to Paris and in passing I told her about my goal to break the Egyptian National Record.

When she got back from Paris, she said: Yasmeen, can I talk to you? She had met an Egyptian running coach in Paris and she learned that there was going to be a push in Egypt for running, especially for women’s running and that there could be a real possibility to not only break the record but to compete for Egypt in the 2028 Olympics. That just blew my mind. This winter has been rough training, but having that wild goal and Julia’s belief in me has really gotten me through. 

How has running impacted your life?

Running has given me this wild goal of breaking the national record, and that makes me imagine where that type of mindset could take me in other aspects of my life…  If I applied the same level of wild imagination, discipline, and consistency to other areas of my life, where could I be?

… 

Yasmeen will be on her way to chip away at that lofty goal when she toes the start line in Eugene. Wish her luck on race morning, and give her a follow on Instagram: @callmeyasmeen2