Marty Shea Geissler could run and run and run all day. Then when she was done, and her competition was left in the distance, she could run some more.
"She could run all day," said Terrier distance coach Bruce Lehane, who coached Shea during her final three years at BU. Her coach her freshman year, and the person who recruited Marty to BU was Joan Benoit Samuelson.
"Marty's strong suit was her stamina," continued Lehane. "She was also tremendously enthusiastic. She loved to run and to train."
These qualities are still very evident, as she works as a personal trainer.
As a Terrier, she ran both the 5,000 and the 10,000-meter runs. As a senior, she won the latter at the Greater Bostons, while she was second in the former. As a freshman and junior, she won the New England 10,000-meter event, while she won the Greater Bostons as a freshman and junior. As a sophomore, she became the first Terrier to qualify for the Nationals.
Even with these impressive credentials, her best sport was cross country.
She was the team MVP her freshman, sophomore and junior years. Her junior year, was her best season as she won the first ever Greater Boston Championship title, the New England cross country title and went on to earn All-America honors. Then, her senior year, she repeated as the Greater Boston winner.
She continued running after graduation and qualified for the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials at 10,000 meters and in 1996 won the World Duathlon Championships in Ferrara, Italy.
"Marty would wear the competition down and then put on a final surge in the long races," said Lehane. "She could run 10 or 20 miles at a time and not blink an eye."
