Mirna Valerio

Mirna Valerio (born 1978/1979) is an American runner who advocates for inclusion in the running community towards people who do not have stereotypically lean and muscular bodies.

Valerio was raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn in New York City. Her father was a Honduran merchant seaman, and her stepfather worked at the laundry facilities of a hospital. Her mother ensured they had a sit-down family meal every night and strictly kept Valerio to a homework schedule. She had three siblings; her mother and some of her siblings had obesity-related health problems including diabetes and hypertension. She was already overweight by the time she was in high school, though she signed up to play field hockey anyway. She recalls that the first practice, which involved running laps, left her so sore that it was painful to move the following day. Eventually, she came to enjoy running as part of practices. She also discovered her talent for singing, and attended The Juilliard School during the weekends after a successful audition.

Because of her love of music, Valerio attended Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio for college. While there, she studied the Spanish language as well as vocal performance.

After she experienced a health crisis in her early thirties and was notified of artery inflammation, Valerio began exercising more regularly. Soon, she was running a 5K race every week. She found she enjoyed running longer distances, and has since run marathons and ultramarathons; additionally, she participates in trail running. She began documenting her running experiences as a large-bodied woman on her blog, Fat Girl Running, which she started in 2011. While reception to her blog was generally positive, she notes that there have been detractors. She said, "I think there’s some inherent racism and sexism going on, especially with body image and body shape. They don’t like to see me on a cover of a magazine because I do not represent what fitness means to them." A typical running pace for her is a thirteen-minute mile. As of 2018, when not training for an event, she ran an average of 25 mi (40 km) each week.

In 2018, she was named a National Geographic "Adventurer of the Year". She appeared on the cover of Women's Running magazine for their September 2017 issue.

Nichols and Sarah Menzies created a brief video about Valerio with funding from REI called The Mirnavator.

She married Cito Nikiema, originally from Burkina Faso, after they met in New York City. Together, they have a son.