Keira D'Amato, 37-year-old mom of 2, sets American record with 2:19:12 at Houston Marathon

Keira D'Amato's running journey included years away from the road, the birth of two children and an injury letdown at last year's U.S. Track and Field Olympic qualifiers. 

None of that held her back from becoming the fastest American woman to run a marathon. 

On Sunday in Houston, Texas, the 37-year-old crossed the finish line in 2:19:12, breaking the previous mark set by Deena Kastor at the London Marathon in 2006 (2:19:36). 

Breaking the record was on D'Amato's radar after a strong showing at the Chicago Marathon (fourth place) and winning the USATF national championships in the half marathon on Dec. 6 in South Carolina. 

"I’ve never won a marathon before, so that’s a big goal of mine," D'Amato told "Women's Running" last month. "Right now I think I’m in sub-2:22 shape, which is really exciting. I know the American record. I know what that is. If I’m around 2:20 shape, we’ll definitely go for it. If I’m close enough I’ll go for it and see what happens — if everything goes well this month, if I’m in a position where I think that’s a good goal."

A hamstring injury caused D'Amato to pull out of the marathon and 10,000 meter Olympic qualifiers in June. 

She took seven years off from running after getting married, "LetsRun" reported, and was originally an 800-meter or 1500-meter runner. As of 2019, D'Amato had never run faster than 2:40 in the marathon.

"It seriously blows my mind," she told LetsRun on Wednesday.

D'Amato now works as a real estate agent and lives in the Richmond, Virginia. 

In addition to D'Amato's record, Sara Hall, 38, ran the fastest half marathon for an American women ever in 1:07:15. 

Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.