Olympians aren’t always the big-name athletes we know. Sometimes, they’re people in your own backyard.

Elaine Estes, a high school Spanish teacher in the School District of Philadelphia, is proof of this.

On Dec. 3, Estes competed in the 40th California International Marathon (CIM) and finished in 2 hours 36 minutes and 8 seconds.

She qualified for the Olympic trials with 52 seconds to spare, coming in under the official 2:37 cutoff.

With tears in her eyes, Estes’ 10th- place finish put her one step closer to a lifetime achievement.

“It was such a surreal experience, looking at my paces and knowing what was happening,” Estes said.

Estes wasn’t always a runner. After dancing for most of her life, she decided to try something new during her sophomore year of high school at Oxford Area High School. A group of her friends joined the track team, so Estes gave it a try as well.

“I joined my high school cross country team [to] kinda get a change of pace and do a sport in high school, I guess,” she said, “and turned out, I was much better running than I was at dance.”

From there, Estes went on to run cross country and track at St. Joe’s, and completed her degree in fall 2019.

Her parents, Tara Mather and Bill Estes, supported her throughout the journey.

“She was always a self-starter, and when she had something in her mind, she was going after it,” Bill Estes said. “Seeing that in high school, and then slowly progressing at St. Joe’s, and then what she’s done since graduating, is really kind of incredible.”

“She has a different motor than most of us, and she takes it upon herself to improve and do well. Nobody has ever pushed her to excel. Whatever she puts her mind to, she’s going to do it. Get out of her way, because she’s gonna mow you over.”

Estes has a more humble view on her success.

“Running is just a thing that if you put in enough time consistently, it comes together pretty quickly,” Estes said.

And she’s put in the time, finding ways to balance her need to run with her other commitments.

“Running is my number one hobby,” Estes said. “A lot of my free time is structured around how I’m gonna get my runs in, and I don’t think about it too much. I think for me, and for a lot of people who have run consistently for 10 or more years of your life, you just do it.”

Estes’ efforts have not been in vain. She’s found that her devotion is helping her achieve what once was a distant dream.

“I really didn’t have a structured plan where this was something I thought about a whole lot,” Estes said. “I didn’t think like this year, this Olympic cycle, but more of a lifetime achievement thing.”

Now that the moment is here, the task at hand for Estes is finding time to train while working full time and having limited resources, something her boyfriend, Dave Garton, said makes her story notable.

“It’s definitely special that she’s able to succeed with really limited time, and just doing the best she can with what she has,” Garton said.

Garton believes Estes’ story can serve as inspiration for others.

“I think that most people would assume and really set limits on their goals, whatever that means, running or anything else, because they aren’t a full-time athlete,” Garton said. “But there’s really, probably, a lot more that you can achieve than you would think in the time that you have.”

Garton isn’t the only key member of Estes’ support system. Her best friend, Kaleigh Marr, invites everyone into the fan club, of which she’s the “president,” the friends joke.

“Everybody’s a fan of Elaine,” Marr said. “She’ll drop everything to support everyone else, so we’re so excited to support her through her running journey and all of her races, and especially this big one down in Orlando.”

As Estes prepares for what will be the most important race of her life, she’s making sure to prioritize rest.

“Rest is just generally important, but also because she teaches full time. That’s why she’s on her feet all day, and she’s up really early,” Garton said. “She’s never going to have enough energy to train as much as she wants. I just think it’s extra important for her to take it easy sometimes.”

Meanwhile, her support system is preparing to accompany her to Orlando for the Feb. 3 trials. Her mother who accompanied her to CIM, and her father, who ran out of personal days in 2023 after using them to attend her races, are planning on going, as well as Marr and Garton.

“I’m excited because it’s a loop course which means it’ll be easier to see her multiple times. I won’t be as fixated on just getting from point A to point B in an unfamiliar city,” Mather said. “We’re hoping to do a little bit of Disney after the race, although she said she might need a scooter or a wheelchair to get around the park.”

What comes after the trials for Estes is yet to be determined, but she’s prepared to give it her all while keeping her expectations in check.

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I’m just gonna try for it. You know, see how long I can hang on, and if everything pans out, amazing,” Estes said.

For Mather, after reflecting on her daughter’s experience and seeing how far she’s come, she just hopes to see her continue running and achieving her goals in any way, even if it’s just for her personal fitness.

“I love seeing 70-to-80-year-old runners competing in marathons. I think that’ll be Elaine someday,” Mather said.

This article was first published by the Philadelphia Inquirer Dec. 31, 2023 as part of the Inquirer’s college correspondent program.