Jera Crandall

Bio

Jera Crandall is a 20-year-old distance runner from the Dallas-Fort Worth area who made an impressive marathon debut at the 2025 Dallas Marathon, running 3:05:39 to shatter the Boston qualifying standard by over 20 minutes. She finished 13th overall in the women's division and 6th in her age group. A competitive figure skater since age 12, Jera transitioned to serious distance running in late 2024 after running her first 5K in 19:28 with zero formal training. Within her first year of competitive running, she posted impressive times including a 40:08 10K and 1:26:56 half marathon. Jera trains with Team Pegasus under coach Alfonzo Gonzalez Jr (Fonz), regularly logging 60-70 mile weeks. Her powerlifting background and mental toughness from figure skating have helped her avoid injuries while building volume quickly. She's known for her methodical approach to racing, focusing on controllable variables like nutrition, pacing, and race-day execution. Her debut marathon held special meaning as she ran in memory of her father, who passed away in September 2025 during her training cycle. Looking ahead, Jera plans to focus on building speed at distances from 5K to half marathon through 2026 before returning to the marathon at the 2027 Houston Marathon.