Mirna Valerio, a native of Brooklyn, New York, is a Spanish teacher, diversity practitioner, cross-country coach, ultrarunner, OCR enthusiast, and blogger. Valerio's blogs about all things running appear at Fat Girl Running and in Women's Running Magazine. Her story was featured in the Wall Street Journal and Runner's World and on NBC Nightly News. Valerio is a global ambassador for Merrell, an ambassador for Skirt Sports, and an athlete for Swiftwick. She is married to Cito Nikiema, and together they have a basketball-loving teenage son, Rashid. She loves being in nature and frequently runs trails in the North Georgia mountains.
“[Valerio’s] memoir, A Beautiful Work in Progress, tells the story
of her journey to running ultramarathons…But as she listens to fan
after fan and signs book after book with care for every word she
writes…it’s clear [her] passion for running goes beyond just
feeling good or staying healthy for herself. It’s a love she wants
to pass on to others.” —Daily Mail
“For the Brooklyn native, distance running is part wellness
practice and part pursuit of happiness…It’s a lifestyle she’s made
her own…” —Elle Magazine
“A Beautiful Work in Progress, which details Mirna Valerio’s
journey to becoming a long-distance runner,…[is] her attempt, she
said, to frame her own fitness story.” —Atlanta
Journal-Constitution
“Mirna is truly a She’s It woman. She is dedicated to promoting the
idea that ‘Everybody is Different and Every Body is Different.’ A
Beautiful Work in Progress tells Mirna’s story, from her youth in
Brooklyn to her marriage to her adventures in running, starting and
ending with the Javelina Jundred, a 100-mile trail run.” —She’s
It
“In A Beautiful Work in Progress, Valerio goes deeper into her
journey from being a first-time racer to the endurance runner she
is today. ‘I wanted this book to be a celebration of running and my
own body…’” —Brit + Co.
“Although her story speaks to anyone who’s ever felt discouraged
from running (every runner ever, really), it also speaks to a more
specific group—African Americans who have felt uncomfortable and
even fearful entering the woods…” —Blue Ridge Outdoors
“A stereotype-busting jaunt through the author’s journey as an
unlikely ultrarunner.” —Outside Magazine
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