Mother‑daughter marathon feat
Perry and Abby Shoemaker both qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials — Abby’s qualification comes just seven years after her mother, a rare generational achievement in distance running (runnersworld.com). Their story underscores both family legacy and the depth of U.S. distance running this Olympic cycle (runnersworld.com).
Abigail “Abby” Shoemaker won the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon on March 1, 2026 in 2:35:50, a time race organizers listed as a new women’s course record. (napavalleymarathon.org) Official result lists show Abby’s 2:35:50 as the women’s winner (Jennifer Sandoval was second), and MarathonGuide’s published results also record her 02:35:50 victory. (marathonguide.com) Race reports gave Abby near-even half splits of roughly 1:17:32 and 1:18:18 for an average pace of about 5:57 per mile, and organizers noted the performance also achieved an Olympic Trials qualifying mark. (hk.running.biji.co) (napavalleymarathon.org) Perry Reeves Shoemaker reached the Trials standard at the 2019 Eugene Marathon with a 2:43:33 performance, earning her spot in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials at age 48. (atlanta2020trials.com) (runwashington.com) Perry’s profile notes she began focused marathon training after age 40, raced with Potomac River Running/DC Elite, worked as a preschool teacher, and has three daughters who compete in running; Abby is the eldest. (atlanta2020trials.com) (runnersworld.com) USA Track & Field set the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials women’s entry standard at 2:37:00 (chip times accepted), so Abby’s 2:35:50 is inside the USATF standard and counts toward Trials entry. (usatf.org) (marathonguide.com) USATF said the 2028 standards were chosen to target roughly 200-athlete fields and set the marathon qualifying window to open on September 1, 2025, placing Abby’s March 1, 2026 result well inside the official window used for 2028 Trials entry planning. (usatf.org) (citiusmag.com)
