Shelby Houlihan set for return to Drake, competing in Grand Blue Mile
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCAU) – After being on the outside looking in during the Drake Relays the past four years, Sioux City native Shelby Houlihan will be back in Iowa competing in tomorrow night's Grand Blue Mile.
Houlihan has made the most of her first few races following her four-year ban, returning from her suspension in January with a victory at the Razorback Invitational in Arkansas – running a meet record 8:31.56. In March, the U.S. 1500m record holder claimed silver at the world indoor championships in China.
Now, Houlihan is excited to return to racing in Iowa with a new point of view.
'I think coming in now I get to go back to Iowa and I get to race, so coming in with that perspective with everything that I've gone through and what going home means to me, it's pretty special. Out of all the tracks that I've raced on throughout my career, I think Drake is still my favorite one, so I'm really excited about it,' Houlihan said.
Houlihan is part of an intriguing field that includes former Team USA Olympian and Iowa native Karissa Schweizer that looks to take down one of the oldest records at the Drake Relays, a mile time of 4:40.02 set by 5x Olympian Francie Larrieu in 1975.
The Grand Blue Mile is set to take place tomorrow at 6 p.m. in Des Moines.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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