DO Student Places 2nd in Philly Marathon

PCOM's Margaret Vido  (second from right) placed second in the Philadelphia Women's Marathon.
Credit: NBC10

Running is all about reaching your personal best. First-year DO student Margaret Vido attained her personal best in last week’s Philadelphia Women’s Marathon—and came in second in the process, with a time of 2 hours, 44 minutes and 40 seconds.

“My best time before this marathon was about five minutes slower,” she says. “I was trying to hit the women’s Olympic trials qualifying time.”

Mrs. Vido has been an avid runner since middle school, and she ran track and cross country as a high school student in her hometown of Nazareth, Pa. She continued to run as an undergraduate student at Penn, and this year’s marathon was her third. She says that running also helps her maintain her personal best as a medical student as well.

“Training for the marathon has helped keep me sane,” she says. “It helps me relax when classes are stressful, and helps me maintain balance in my life.”

She added that learning anatomy has been of particular interest to her. “As a runner, you know how the body functions, but it’s been really interesting to see it first-hand in the anatomy lab,” she says. “I’ve just finished my first course, but I’m looking forward to learning more about that.”

While she did not quite reach the time needed to qualify for the Olympic trials in February (that time is 2 hours, 43 minutes), she says she’ll continue to try to reach it. Mrs. Vido says she is unsure of which specific race she will run next, but is looking forward to continuing with her training.