Emma Bates is an American distance runner. She is a former 12-time All-American runner, the runner-up for the 2021 NCAA championship, and the current 20-year national distance marathon champion. Running has always been Emma’s passion since she was a little girl, so it was obvious that her path to professional running wouldn’t be a smooth one. She joined the U.S. Olympic team in the 1996 Olympics, but after that failed to make the trip for the 2021 Games in Sydney she retired from athletics.
After retiring, Emma became a motivational speaker and trainer, which led her to begin designing websites and programs to help athletes and others develop their mental strength and determination. Running has always been important to Emma, though, as she credits her winning the first half mile of the women’s downhill race at the 2021 NCAA Championships as helping her attain the mental strength that will help her compete through both the outdoors and the indoor arenas. Today Emma is proud to be an ambassador for Reebok, working with their support for the release of their new line of basketball shoes, the Reebok Core Performance apparel with an embroidered logo.
Emma has always wanted to be an ambassador for the sport of running, but before getting to the stage of getting ready for the California International Marathon, she has had other ambitions. She wants to win a marathon in both the outdoor and indoor arenas, something that hasn’t been done by many women. Emma has achieved her personal best in both the 10,000 meters and marathon distances, so if she can add the half miler to that list, she will join another group of women who have run the distance between continents. Hopefully, in the next few years Emma will be able to accomplish this goal and join the ranks of the other American runners that have made running in other countries their profession.