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Springfield, Ohio 鈥� Meeting so many interesting people in the world of athletics has led Wittenberg graduate Sarah Gearhart to a fulfilling career path as a freelance sportswriter.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in Annapolis, Maryland, Gearhart graduated from Wittenberg in 2006 with a degree in communication and a minor in writing. Just four years later in 2011, she was headed to New York City to serve as senior producer for USA TODAY Sports and in 2015 transitioned to full-time freelance writing to pursue stories and projects that align more with her passions. Her work has taken her around the world and has appeared in Runner鈥檚 World, ESPN, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Vice Sports, Outside Magazine, and Victory Journal.

Rubbing elbows with so many sports stars in her young career, Gearhart has interviewed and featured such standouts as former pro basketball player Dwyane Wade; pro football players Troy Polamalu, Adrian Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Randy Moss; pro baseball players CC Sabathia, Ryan Howard, and Dustin Pedroia; soccer player Abby Wambach; runners Meb Keflezighi, Wilson Kipsang, Kara Goucher, and Shalane Flanagan, and boxer Andre Ward, just to name a few.

鈥淚 actually didn鈥檛 consider pursuing freelance early in my career mostly because it can be quite risky, especially living in one of the most expensive cities in the world, but I always knew I could take my writing and skillset to another level, and I think when you believe in your ability, you find a way to align opportunities,鈥� said Gearhart, who was a member of Wittenberg鈥檚 cross country team for four years and ran track for two years. She was also vice president for the class of 2006 for four years, a writer for The Torch, a writing intern for two years with the Office of University Communications, a member of Build a Better Wittenberg (BABW), and the founding editor of Links, the alumni newsletter for the department of communication.

鈥淪ports journalism is a field I fell into after college because my first job after I graduated was as an assistant editor for a magazine and media company that focused on sports performance,鈥� said Gearhart, who specifically pursued journalism after falling in love with writing at the early age of nine. 鈥淚鈥檝e remained in sports media for my entire career to date (nearly 14 years now), but I鈥檝e expanded into other categories, including food and travel. I鈥檓 living my dream. I can鈥檛 fully express how much I love what I do. It doesn鈥檛 feel like work, even though I 鈥榳ork鈥� nearly every day. I enjoy that I鈥檓 constantly tasked with talking to so many interesting, talented, and successful people, from professional athletes to chefs and designers. I鈥檓 grateful that I get to engage in really thoughtful conversations.鈥�

Gearhart鈥檚 work consists of a variety of responsibilities ranging from researching, interviewing, writing, copy editing, organizing photo shoots, and creative directing. Her career has taken her all over the world, from Paris, London, Berlin, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Mexico City.

鈥淚 hope to continue on this path because it inspires me to do more and connect with people from so many different cultures. I like the dynamic nature of what I do,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e always capable of more than you realize. There鈥檚 so much more I want to do with my career. For one, it鈥檚 my long-time dream to report at the Summer Olympics. I also want to expand into making a sports documentary as well as have more photo exhibitions around the world. I had an exhibition in Berlin in 2016. And I also want to write more books. I鈥檝e currently written four.鈥�

And with all of this work, Gearhart somehow finds time to continue being an athlete herself. She has finished 14 marathons with hopes of running the London and Tokyo marathons in the future, which would complete her goal of the World Marathon Majors -- six of the world鈥檚 biggest and most prestigious marathons. She hopes to run her 15th marathon this fall or in 2021 once COVID-19 becomes less of a health crisis.

鈥淚 ran my personal best of three hours and 26 minutes at the 2017 Berlin Marathon and would like to take it down to 3:20 or so,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 got into running when I was 15 because I wanted to be on a sports team in high school and that was the outlet I chose. I ran throughout high school and also college and have continued since I graduated in 2006. When I鈥檓 not traveling, I鈥檓 dedicated to yoga, which I do about five days a week. I really like Pilates as well. I don鈥檛 have time to dip into anything else, so no triathlons on deck for me at this time.鈥�

Gearhart has written about her racing experiences in the past for outlets and founded a travel guide series in 2017 for runners called 鈥淥utside/In鈥� producing versions for Berlin, Boston, and New York City.

鈥淭he idea is to share a cultural and informational resource illustrating how to connect with a city in a way that a typical travel guide doesn鈥檛 suggest: through running,鈥� Gearhart said. 鈥淚 do that partly with conversations with local runners as well as a lot of on-the-ground exploring.

鈥淪o many of my experiences were pivotal in shaping my writing development,鈥� she added. 鈥淔rom writing about sports, profiles, and music for the school newspaper, The Torch, to interning with Karen Gerboth in the University Communications Office and being commissioned for my first cover feature as a senior in college to being asked by Dr. Matthew Smith to create an alumni newsletter for the communication department--I just can鈥檛 imagine being able to do all of that had I gone to college anywhere else. It was incredibly special. I loved Karen鈥檚 constructive feedback and her approach to editing. Her advice is still with me.鈥濃��

Gearhart found a perfect home at Wittenberg that satisfied all her passions.

鈥淚 honestly believe that if I didn鈥檛 attend Wittenberg, I wouldn鈥檛 be where I am in my career,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 actually had my heart set on going to the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. I got into Syracuse, but not the journalism program. I wanted to run in college. Enrolling in a DIII school allowed for that opportunity and much more. I could exercise my interests in ways I know I wouldn鈥檛 have been afforded at a larger university.鈥�