5 Questions with Kat Morrissey, 2019 Portland 10 Miler Winner

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More than 1,700 runners completed the Portland 10 Miler on April 17th, 2019. For our team, it’s really fun to see runners come back year after year, or from event to event, especially when they break the tape! One of those returning runners is Kat Morrissey, who we’ve hosted in Newport and this year made the trek up to Maine! Morrissey crossed the finish line in 1:01:19, setting a new women’s course record in the process. A few days after the race, we caught up with Kat.

Why did you decide to run the Portland 10 Miler?

I had run the BankNewport 10 Miler last year and loved it. It was a beautiful race and I wanted to make sure I came back to do the whole series. I run for 18 Maple which is an Endurance Training brand from home and am coached by Sarah Kelly. She thought it would be a good idea to rope in a bunch of our friends and enter the series as a team. We’re a group of pretty competitive athletes, so are always looking for a challenge, and what better way to run than with friends in beautiful places.

What was your favorite part of the Portland 10 Miler, or your weekend in Portland?

My favorite part of our weekend in Portland was being able to take the city in with my friends and husband. My first and most important stop was the Holy Donut on Sunday morning so we could make sure we refueled after the race properly because who doesn’t love donuts? We also got to enjoy Gritty Mcduffs and Sebago Brewing company during the weekend, which were both fantastic.

What do you love about the 10-mile distance?

I absolutely love the 10-mile distance because you have to run hard but still have working legs and are able to function after the race. It’s a challenge mentally because the distance isn’t really common and makes you adjust your race plans, fueling strategy, etc. Plus, right around ten miles is where I start to not like the half marathon distance, so it’s great to be able to be done when it starts getting rough.

How do you prepare for race day?

I’m a bit of a planner and have a list for everything, so I go over my list of everything that I 100% need for race day and make sure it’s packed, make sure I have my list of extra things that I may not necessarily need, but have just in case, and plan my breakfast for race morning which is always a bagel and then a GU waffle about half an hour before race time.

If you had a time machine, would go back in time or into the future? Where (er, when) would you go to and why?

I would go back to last year’s Boston Marathon and be at the finish line to see Des Linden win. Watching it on tv was absolutely amazing, and I can only imagine how incredible it would have been to be there (I’d change the weather a little bit, though, if given the opportunity!)