Rachael Gallap’s running journey blossoms to top female finish at first ever Kalamazoo Marathon

KALAMAZOO, MI – Running always felt like an afterthought to Rachael Gallap.

In all actuality, she never really got off on the right foot with the sport. Whether it was stress fractures, joint tendonitis, or just lingering, nagging injuries, the 2016 Portage Northern High School Graduate said the thought of running competitively in college was laughable.

But Kalamazoo College didn’t think so. The Division III school saw something in the 24-year-old – they kept calling and persuaded her otherwise. And with time, Gallap unearthed her buried running savvy.

Turns out, Gallap was just a late bloomer.

And so, after signing up for last month’s Zeigler Kalamazoo Marathon on a complete whim – her first ever 26.2-mile trek – just weeks before the late April event, naturally, it was Gallap who broke the finish line not only in the top 10, but as the event’s top female finisher.

The Portage Northern track and field and cross-country assistant coach stamped an impressive time of 2:59:00 – a decorated achievement that left her in tears at the finish line.

“It was the most incredible experience I’ve ever had in my life so far,” Gallap said of her first-ever marathon. “It meant that much more because it was in my hometown, it’s where I was raised and where I went to college and the place I’ve known for my entire life. To cross the finish line and be surrounded by the community of Kalamazoo, but also close friends and family, that made it so much more incredible, too.”

Officially finishing in ninth place out of 309 competitors, Gallap’s time was over 11 minutes faster than the female runner-up, Mattawan’s Melissa Wiliams (3:10:20). It’s just the crown jewel on what’s been a gradual ascension to running prowess.

In fact, Gallap, who has plans to attend medical school, transformed into one of K-College’s top shelf cross country runners during her collegiate career, earning Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Athletics (MIAA) (Division III) Runner of the Week in 2018 and 2021, All-MIAA second team twice, MIAA Academic Honor Roll twice and All-Region honors her senior year after finishing 35th at the NCAA Regionals in 2021-22.

Gallap was also a member of the Hornets’ track and field team, and competed in the 1,500-meter 5,000-meter and 3k Steeplechase events in 2022 – a second place finish in the 5,000-meter (18:50.53) during the Calvin Spring Thing meet was her best performance of the year.

However, getting to this point was no easy task for Gallap.

She took a swing at soccer growing up, but knee injuries forced other avenues. That’s when she took up cross country during her junior year at Portage Northern for fun, and joined the Huskies’ track and field team that spring.

“I didn’t really start taking it seriously until my junior track season,” Gallap said. “I ran my senior cross country season pretty solidly, but then I actually got a stress fracture my senior track season. So I really only got one year of running in high school and when I went to K-College, I didn’t ever think I was going to run – I was not fast.”

The Hornets insisted that Gallap join the school’s running teams, and that’s where Gallap developed a passion for the sport.

“That’s where my career really started to take off and I started to realize that running is my thing,” she said.

And from there, the stars started to fall in line. Gallap said a pair of coaches – K-College cross country coach Kristopher Koster and Kellog Community College assistant cross country coach Rob Lillie – were instrumental in her running evolution. It was Koster who made Gallap believe in her abilities, and Lillie was there for mental fortitude.

“Rob has made the biggest difference for me just with the mental side of things, especially with how many injuries I’ve dealt with,” Gallap said. “When I first started running, I was battling injury after injury and he was my strength coach and was there to give me workouts – he was just always in the background to be a constant presence. He’s just incredible, but I would not be here without all of my coaching, honestly.”

Lillie assisted with the psychology behind the sport, and together, they created a simple, yet powerful mantra:

“I am strong, and I do belong.”

So during times when things get challenging, there that lifeline was to keep placing one foot in front of the other. Gallap said the sport of running has been there to provide sanity – and a form of meditation in the midst of struggles.

“Running hurts, it hurts a lot,” Gallap said. “But to be able to persevere through that pain and to be mentally strong enough to believe that I’m fit enough and I’m strong enough – all those things that go through your head can be brought into how I live my life every day.”

The lifestyle of running has fully embraced Gallap, and the community has, too – she’s part of a running group in Kalamazoo called “Five Guys Project”, which consists of area running coaches and enthusiasts. It’s that group that persuaded Gallap to sign up for her first marathon – something that was originally planned as just a 5k.

But after some persuasion, Gallap registered for the Zeigler Kalamazoo Marathon just seven weeks beforehand. Five Guys runners Paul Teini and Dan Damaska were there to help keep Gallap’s pace during the race, especially when she hit the 10-mile threshold.

“After the half marathon runners split off, the amount of people plummeted and that’s when reality set in and the doubt shortly after,” Gallap said. “In my mind, I had to keep telling myself that I was strong – you have to have something in your brain that makes you feel safe and comfortable. A marathon is a long time for your mind and body to be engaged and you definitely flow in and out.

“I always give runners props because I know how much your mind fights with your body sometimes,” she added. “But you have to find that happy place and go there, and I went there a lot.”

With that message on loop, and the support system around her, Gallap crossed the finish line to an electric ovation from family, friends and her inner running circle. Her father, Clayton Gallap, was there front row, and her mother, Rose Kirsch, was away in Scotland but on FaceTime when she crossed.

It didn’t take long for Gallap to be swept by overwhelming emotions.

“It was incredible to see all the runners from the community that are working hard to achieve their goals and pushing themselves,” Gallap said. “I was just astounded by the amount of people that came out to support me and that truly cared about it. I’m so fortunate to have such a great support system.”

But this is just the beginning for the Kalamazoo native. In fact, Gallap’s sub three-hour finish qualifies her for the oldest and one of the world’s best-known road racing events, the Boston Marathon.

Spring is in the air, buds are starting to blossom. That couldn’t be more true for Gallap, the late blooming runner.

“I want to relive how awesome that feeling felt for the rest of my life,” Gallap said. “If you can put yourself in a tough, challenging situation and make it out alive, there’s nothing you can’t do.”