For one Penn State student, Thanksgiving break was not entirely lost to turkey leftovers and quick naps in between football games. Lauren Philbrook, a graduate student, took to the streets of Philly on Sunday, Nov. 23 and achieved second place among women in the Philadelphia Marathon.

Philbrook finished the 26.2-mile race with a time of two hours, 42 minutes, and six seconds, setting her pace around an impressive six minutes per mile. She crossed the finish line a mere two minutes and six seconds after the women’s first place finisher Leonora Petrina. In addition, Philbrook’s time qualifies her for the Olympic trials, sneaking in below the two hour and 43-minute cutoff time for qualification.

Originally a native of Hopkinton, Mass., Philbrook is currently in the midst of graduate studies at Penn State. A Ph.D. candidate in Human Development and Family Studies, Philbrook has mastered the art of balancing her full schedule of graduate classes, lab research, and marathon training. In an interview with Runners Feed, Philbrook revealed that she regards running as her personal release from stress: “[Running] helps clear my head, and keeps me happy.”

This November’s Philadelphia Marathon was not Philbrook’s first time participating in difficult timed races. Back in 2011, Philbrook completed her first marathon in Pittsburgh, finishing the race in two hours, 45 minutes, and 11 seconds, and earning her the seventh place overall and second place American titles. Since then, Philbrook’s accomplishments have only continued to impress and inspire. In the 2012 Women’s Olympic Trials, she finished her second ever marathon with a time of two hours, 39 minutes, and 47 seconds, coming in under two hours and 40 minutes and thus achieving one of her personal goals.

In 2013, Philbrook participated in the Boston Marathon, one of several Penn State students and alumni running the ultimately shocking and tragic race. However, she remained accounted for and safe, and later that year, Philbrook was competing once again, this time in the Philadelphia Half Marathon. She was the ninth female to cross the finish line, and ended with a time of one hour, 18 minutes, and one second. Looking at her most recent Philadelphia race and her incredible achievement of women’s second place, we can expect only more bright performances in her future.

It is clear that Philbrook, although already having several titles under her belt, is far from finished with racing. “I really want to train to reach the next qualifiers four years from now,” she revealed in a 2012 interview with Club Running. “People say you don’t hit your peak till when you’re around 30, so I have some time left!”

With 2016 quickly approaching, we send along our wishes of good luck and our congratulations. Continue to make Penn State proud, one mile at a time.