1 day ago
14
By Hong Duy  February 20, 2025 | 05:26 am PT
Australian record-holder Lauren Ryan turned heartbreak into triumph by winning the 3,000m run at the Boston Valentine Invitational on Feb. 15 after her boyfriend ended their relationship via text message.
 |
|
Lauren Ryan holds her head after finishing first in the 3000m run at the Boston Valentine Invitational on Feb. 15, 2025. Photo by Instagram/@laurenryan____ |
In the closing 20m of the race, Lauren surged ahead of Doris Lemngole, crossing the finish line in her personal best of 8 minutes and 41.40 seconds.
"I've got a bit of fuel running inside me at the moment," she told Citius Mag after the victory.
"I just wanted to win so bad, I've just had a tough run the last couple of months with some family stuff - and my boyfriend broke up with me yesterday, Feb. 14, with a text message. The only person that won't let you down is yourself."
Support poured in on Instagram, where fans praised Lauren's resilience and criticized her ex.
"This win and personal is forever. Forget the ex-boyfriend. Well done," one user commented.
Another added, "That guy tried to ruin the race but she turned it around and won it spectacularly. What kind of boyfriend would break up with his girl on Valentine's Day? It's better to just break up with him."
Lauren's performance shaved half a second off her previous personal best, marking her second indoor personal best in two weeks. She finished the 5,000m run after 15 minutes and 8.58 seconds at the Terrier Classic on Jan. 31, at Boston University.
Running professionally for Under Armour, Lauren trains alongside Canadian star athletes Gracelyn Larkin and Regan Yee. During her time with the University of Florida's track team, she finished fourth in the 3,000m at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships.
In 2023, Lauren represented Australia in the 5,000m run at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest and competed in the World Athletics Road Championships in Riga, Latvia. She ended the year by winning the Australian 10,000m title in Melbourne, finishing in 32 minutes and 54 seconds.
Lauren's impressive streak continued in early 2024. On Jan. 27, she set a new Australian indoor record of 15 minutes and 17.79 seconds in Boston, Massachusetts. Just two months later, she broke the national 10,000m record in San Juan Capistrano, California, clocking 30 minutes and 35.66 seconds, surpassing a mark that had stood for 20 years, established by Benita Willis.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lauren placed 13th in the 10,000m final and did not advance to the 5,000m final.
