RICHMOND, Va. β L.L. Cool J. hasn't called Keira D'Amato. At least not yet.
The marathoner and former Richmond resident was back in town over the weekend signing copies of her new book "Don't Call It A Comeback," borrowing the title from the first line of the rapper's 1990 hit "Mama Said Knock You Out."
"It's funny to me because it's not a comeback story," D'Amato explained at a book signing at Slack Tide Fish Co. in Scott's Addition. "That would imply that I returned to the person that I was. Instead, I've become a new version of Keira."
We first profiled D'Amato in 2020 when the mother of two was training for the Olympic marathon trials. She finished 15th in that event but has since gone on to set American female records in both the half and full marathons.
Throw in an 8th place finish at the 2022 World Championships, a victory in the Monument Ave 10k, and winning Female Athlete of the Year at the inaugural RVA Sports Awards, and you have a story worth putting to paper.
"I've learned a lot, I've failed a lot, and I've laughed a lot," D'Amato said. "But I didn't come back to where I started."
As impressive as it has all been, D'Amato wasn't sure it was worthy of a book, finding the idea more than a little self-indulgent. But the more she was asked about her resurgence as a runner, the more the idea grew on her.
"I felt like I had it in my bones to write a book but that I didn't have a story to tell," D'Amato explained. "People would tell me 'You need to write a book', and I would answer 'Well, I don't have an ending yet'."
And she may not for some time. She will train for the World Championships in both the half-marathon next year, and the full marathon in 2027. Putting in the work for those is far easier for her than finding the opening line for a book.
"The first step in anything is the hardest," D'Amato admitted. "When I started running again, that first step was the hardest. The first word of the book was the hardest. But once I got going and figured out what I wanted to say, it flowed pretty naturally."
Written with Runner's World contributor Evelyn Spence, D'Amato's book aims to inspire people to find whatever motivates them.
"I want people to find the courage to start," D'Amato said. "Find something that scares them but makes them happy. It doesn't have to be running, but something that makes them happy and feel fulfilled."
D'Amato now lives and trains in Utah, but Richmond is where her return to running began. She still counts Pocahontas Park in Chesterfield as her favorite place to train in a career that is far from over.
"This book is written, but it's not the whole journey."
You can find Keira's book at Fountain Bookstore in Shockoe Bottom or wherever books are sold.
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