Kerry Flower

Age: 26
Hometown: Schenectady
Residence: Schenectady 
Family: Mom, Colleen; Dad, Ron; Sister, Julia; Dog Lucy
Sport: Long-Distance Running
Career: Schenectady County Purchasing Dept
Volunteering: Albany Running Exchange events and Delightful Run for Women
Other sports: Bicycling, Swimming, Paddleboarding, Hiking – Anything that gets her outdoors!

By Joanne E. McFadden

Kerry Flower is missing the Stockade-a-thon 15K this year, a race she loves, because she’s chasing a goal she didn’t even know she’d have before she ran the Jersey City Marathon in April. 

“I’ve discovered within the past year that my best event is the marathon,” she said. She had never run over 18 miles when she decided to enter the marathon, yet she was the second overall female finisher with a time of 2:38:13. Her time surprised her. “I was really close to the Olympic trials standard which I didn’t think I would be able to do my first time,” she said. “Last year I was afraid to run over 18 miles, and now I’m chasing the goal of Olympic trials. My view of running has expanded into what’s possible.” 

The area’s running community had a big part in that. 

Kerry’s potential wasn’t always clear to her growing up. Wisely, her parents, Ron and Colleen Flower, started her in swimming. “I have ADHD – I have a ton of energy,” Kerry said. “My parents made me do sports at a young age because I wouldn’t sit still.”  

Her sister Julia Flower, a couple of years older, was a swimmer, too, who ran track and cross country to cross train. Julia ended up excelling in the sports. In fact, she broke a school track record her first season. Coaches saw an opportunity with Kerry, too. “I was heavily persuaded into running because my sister was so good at it,” Kerry said. By the end of eighth grade, Kerry was on Schalmont High School’s varsity track team. She also joined the cross country team. 

Despite her abilities, athletic confidence did not come easy for Kerry. “When I was in high school, I was also a good runner like my sister, but I didn’t see myself as a good runner because my sister was nationally ranked,” she said. The comparisons between the two sisters were plentiful. 

It wasn’t until Kerry transferred from Russell Sage College to the SUNY Brockport to earn her degree in Art and Graphic Design that her confidence began to emerge. Her coach John Davis told her she could make nationals. “I laughed at him,” Kerry said. “It was such a lofty goal.” As he predicted, she did it. The following year, she earned NCAA Division III Cross Country All-American honors. These are just a couple of her college athletic accolades. 

While she had a stellar university athletic career, there were many more successes waiting for her post-graduation where she wouldn’t be limited to a 10K distance. “A lot of athletes kind of drop off after college,” she said. 

Even before Kerry graduated, Karen Bertasso of the Fleet Feet Upstate Racing Team knew from her sister Julia that Kerry liked to compete, so she contacted her about joining.

The invitation was appealing. Many of the women on the team had been Section 2 runners, like Cara Sherman-Udvadia, three years Kerry’s senior whom she and her sister had competed against in high school. “I thought that was really cool where I got to join this elite running team with women who I looked up to in high school.” 

“It’s just been great seeing her come into the different distances,” Karen Bertasso said. “I knew her aerobic engine was going to be huge and that she’d really strive for the longer distances.” 

The Capital Region running community turned out to be a pivotal part of Kerry’s growth as a long-distance runner, broadening her horizon about what is possible. Now, she runs alongside people with a great deal more experience who have achieved goals that she has set for herself. “That was something that I didn’t think I would have post college,” Kerry said. “I feel like I’m constantly learning from them. I’m incredibly lucky to have that.” 

Multiple times a week, Kerry trains in the company of runners, some in their 40s and 50s, who are setting records. She has also watched runners in their late 20s come back to running not long after having a baby. “That was another thing that really opened my eyes up to what’s possible for women in sports,” Kerry said. She cited Fleet Feet teammate Karen Bertasso’s run in the elite field in this year’s Boston Marathon as another inspiration. “It makes me think I can run for a very long time and enjoy it and have a community of people to run with,” she said. This environment has prompted her to elevate her own standards, and she believes she’s an even better runner now than she was at Brockport.

John Davis, who still coaches her, knew that Kerry had potential to run much longer distances than in college. “She’s somebody who we knew was going to keep getting better every year because she’s so consistent in her training,” he said. 

These days, Kerry runs an average of 70-90 miles a week and bicycles many more miles on top of that. It’s not uncommon for her to finish a long-distance run and then jump on her bike for another couple of hours. She points out, though, that she reached those distances after a decade of consistently running miles and slowly increasing her mileage over the years. “It’s a valuable life lesson for anything,” Kerry said. “That’s how you get good at anything, consistently doing the thing you love every single day. That separates you from being good to being exceptional at something.” 

Testing the Marathon Waters – Surrounded by marathon runners, Kerry decided to try. “At the time it was a bit overwhelming to me,” she said. “I had never run 26 miles, and now I’m going to race it. I didn’t know what I could go into it.” All during her yearlong training, experienced runners gave her a plethora of helpful tips, which she credits as a major factor in her finish time. 

When she crossed the finish line, Kerry wasn’t aware that she was the second overall female finisher. “Finishing my first marathon was a little bit surreal,” she said. She couldn’t walk, and her father was on hand to help her. Her results surprised her. “My goal going into that race was to see what I could do. When I finished, I thought, I can’t believe I did that – I’m close to the Olympic standards.” 

That marathon hooked her on the event. “I might sound crazy saying this – I almost like the feeling that I’m at mile 16 or 17 and your whole body feels like it’s going to shut down,” she said. “I’m proving to myself that my mind is stronger than my body. Even though that sounds very painful, I almost love that experience. I thought my body wasn’t going to be able to move any more, and it went 10 more miles.”

This was a huge takeaway. “In a weird way, the marathon gave me an appreciation of what my body can do,” she said. “I feel really lucky and privileged that I have a body that’s capable of running 80-90 miles a week.”

Consistency is Key – The consistency Kerry learned from running carries her through life. “I think that was a really valuable lesson for me at such a young age,” she said, noting that she doesn’t think she would have done as well in school if she had not been an athlete. In fact, she said she wonders if she would even have gone to college. “I had an outlet where I could ground myself. With endurance sports, you release a lot of endorphins. I think that also helped me focus a lot better in school.”

Running sees her through difficult times. “I feel like for 26 years old, I’ve had a lot of rough patches in my life, but I feel like that’s what makes me a good runner,” she said. “I won’t quit on a hard day. I think sometimes going through any kind of adversity whether it’s in life or in running, it does make you a stronger person.” Not ever giving up, she said, is her biggest accomplishment.

Demonstrating victory over adversity is one of the reasons that Kerry runs. “I run because I guess I’m subconsciously trying to prove to myself and other people that you can go through really hard things,” she said. “I like to prove to myself that I’m stronger than the discomfort I’m feeling and the obstacles I face in my life. I feel like I’ve become more of a resilient person because of it and as a result, I’ve been able to help other people around me who are going through rough patches.”

Looking Ahead – On Nov. 7, Kerry will be competing in the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, aiming to hit the Olympic trials qualifying time of 2:37. “If you told me a year ago that that would be my goal, I wouldn’t have believed you,” she said. 

Her coach and fellow runners believe she’ll make her goal. “Her debut marathon demonstrated that she has the level of fitness,” John said. Taking lessons learned from the first marathon, the two have worked on pacing and fueling while running. “I think 100% that she has the ability to make it happen,” he said. 

Freelance writer Joanne McFadden of Charlton (mcfaddenfreelance@gmail.com) was a distance swimmer in college. She now swims in relay triathlons. In addition, she’s a distance walker with five marathons and seven half marathons under her belt. She’s married to Scott, a distance running afficionado who has an over 794-day running streak.