Essie Garrett is an American ultramarathon

Ultramarathon

An ultramarathon is any sporting event involving running longer than the traditional marathon length of .There are two types of ultramarathon events: those that cover a specified distance, and events that take place during specified time...

 runner and instructor at Emily Griffith Opportunity School

Emily Griffith Opportunity School

Emily Griffith Opportunity School is a public technical college in downtown Denver, Colorado. Founded by Emily Griffith in 1916 as Opportunity School, it was renamed in her honor in 1933...

 in Denver, Colorado

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

.

Biography

Raised in Riesel, Texas

Riesel, Texas

Riesel is a town in McLennan County, Texas, United States. The population was 973 at the 2000 census, and 1,023 according to a July 2009 estimate. It is part of the Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...

, Garrett joined the Army at age 16 and served for three years before settling in Denver.
Since 1981, Garrett is estimated to have run 25,000 miles and raised over $1 million for charity. Beneficiaries include Children's Hospital Colorado, Colorado AIDS Project, Denver Rescue Mission, Emily Griffith Foundation, Max Funds Animal Adoption Center, Rainbow House and Sacred Heart House. Every Thanksgiving since 1991 she has run for 48 hours in laps around the Colorado Capitol building to raise money for the homeless.

Political and philosophical views

Garrett is a follower of Sri Chinmoy

Sri Chinmoy

Chinmoy Kumar Ghose, also known as Sri Chinmoy was an Indian spiritual teacher, poet, artist and athlete who immigrated to the U.S. in 1964., the founder of the religious organization "Sri Chinmoy Centre Church, Inc." better known as "Sri Chinmoy Centre"...

 and maintains a vegetarian diet.

Awards

• 1992: Hall of Fame inductee, Sportswomen of Colorado
• 1996: Olympic torchbearer for the state of Colorado

External links

• Run, Essie, Run! official website