Aug. 31, 2012
For immediate release
Former Rocklin High standout trains with wife Lindsay in Mammoth Lakes
Tim Tollefson counts his blessings. Fresh from a personal-best in the marathon and a trip to the U.S. Olympic Trials, he’s living and training in a beautiful natural setting with a woman who understands the highs and lows of his sport.
That would be his wife, the former Lindsay Nelson, a talented distance runner who also ran in the U.S. marathon trials in Houston in January.
The two were married in April and then settled into life in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., where the nearly 7,900-foot elevation makes every run a challenge.
But when you’re doing it together, it’s easier.
“It’s really been pretty amazing,” said the 27-year-old Tollefson, who recently joined his wife on the Sacramento Running Association’s Elite Team.
“We can completely relate to each other, both the highs and the lows. We can understand and share the excitement. When there are the lows, we’ve been there ourselves.
“I don’t think people outside of competitive running would know how heartbreaking it is to do poorly.”
Tollefson, who like Lindsay ran for Chico State, heads out the door most mornings in the pre-dawn darkness to squeeze in a run before going to his full-time job as a physical therapist. Lindsay works for a property rental company.
“We train at the same time,” he said. “Although we’re not running the same pace, we’re both out there suffering at the same time.”
After running 2:21: 59 to place 25th at the Chicago Marathon last October, Tim Tollefson
delivered a personal-best 2:18:26 effort at the California International Marathon in December to finish ninth and earn a trip to the Trials.
But a week after delivering that performance, Tollefson couldn’t walk. He said a staph infection ballooned his right foot to twice its normal size.
Antibiotics cleared up the problem, but Tollefson lost valuable training time. He still savored his trip to the Trials after finishing 79th in 2:27:00.
“The Trials experience was pretty amazing,” he said. “I didn’t have the race I necessarily wanted to but I knew it wasn’t going to be anything spectacular coming off two marathons.
“It was sort of an honor to be there.”
Tollefson, from Rocklin High School, said he enjoys living and running in Mammoth Lakes.
“Every run at altitude is a challenge,” he said. “It’s really good for marathon training. You learn to suffer.
“At sea level it’s a nice change. Your legs feel snappier.”
Tollefson, who enjoys bike riding and watching HGTV and movies on Netflix with Lindsay, earned a Master’s degree in physical therapy from Sacramento State in 2011 after picking up a B.A. in exercise physiology from Chico State in 2008.
He’s focusing on the Chicago Marathon again before helping the SRA Elite Team for the last part of the cross country season. Another goal is to win the Boston Marathon team title in 2013 with SRA teammates Kevin Pool, Daniel Tapia and Miguel Nuci.
“I’m hoping to improve on my CIM time from last season,” Tollefson said of his plans for Chicago. “Training’s been going well. I’m hoping to drop into the 2:16s. Any improvement from 2:18, I’ll be happy.”
Tollefson said the SRA helping with travel expenses has helped him remain sharp as a competitive runner.
“It really takes a load off,” he said.
The Sacramento Running Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding ways to encourage people of all ages and abilities to run. The SRA is committed to developing new, quality running events that appeal to a broad variety of runners.
SRA events include the California International Marathon, which celebrates its 30th anniversary on Dec. 2. Already, 8,000 runners and more than 600 relay teams have registered for the race.
Other SRA events include the Lake Natoma Four Bridges Half Marathon on Oct. 28, The Super Bowl Sunday 10k Run on Feb. 3 and the Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run on April 7.
SRA beneficiaries include the American River Parkway, youth fitness programs, local running venues and aspiring young runners.