Nate Jenkins moved into the next tier of distance runners thanks to his seventh-place finish at the Olympic Trials in November.

As Nate Jenkins ’03, MA ’05 trained for the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon this past summer, he viewed the race as a turning point in his life. Could he stay healthy long enough to fulfill his dream of becoming one of the country’s elite runners? Or would he finally have to put his dreams aside for a steady paycheck and a 9-to-5 job.

“Going into this race, I was borderline enough that I felt if I didn’t run well, I may have to consider getting a real job,” says Jenkins, who had run only one other marathon but owned the 20th fastest marathon time in the country. The odds were against him as he faced a grueling course in New York City against a field packed with the top U.S. distance runners, including former Olympic medalists.

Still, he didn’t lack confidence. “I thought if everything went totally perfect, I had a shot to crack the top 10,” he says.

In the end, he exceeded even his own lofty expectations, finishing seventh in only his second marathon. With this strong showing, his career path has suddenly become less murky. Now with a decent sponsorship deal and the respect and attention of the national running establishment, qualifying for 2012 Olympics in London is not such a pipe dream anymore.

If he can just stay healthy.

As a student-athlete at UML, he suffered many injuries during his competitive years, forcing him to miss seven out of nine running seasons. He admits he was stubborn and not particularly coachable for most of those seasons, and didn’t take care of his body the way he should have. He finally started listening to track coach Gary Gardner, and a healthy senior year produced results. He was named NCAA Northeast runner of the year in 2003.

“That consistency really helped a lot and I started improving and getting stronger,” says Jenkins. “I felt I had a lot of potential that I didn’t really tap into because of injuries.”

After graduating from UML with a master’s in teaching in 2005, he continued improving, and found success in his first marathon, the Austin Free Style Marathon, in February 2006. He finished seventh, the third American to cross the finish line, surprising himself and many others.

But his body began to betray him again as training, coaching a club team, helping the UML track team, holding down a part-time job and just dealing with life started to wear him down. He contracted mononucleosis and had to shut down all training for eight weeks.

“When you have an injury, you can continue to stay in shape doing other things. But being sick, I couldn’t do any kind of exercise. I became horribly out of shape,” he says. “The big thing was wondering how long it would take me to get back into shape. Once I was better, I focused everything on getting ready for the Trials.”

His strong finish in the Austin marathon earned him a “Roads” fellowship from the Roads Runners Club of America, which allowed him to quit his part-time job and concentrate on training. He was still unsure of his fitness level as the Trials approached, but he had faith in his training.

“I had decided to err on the side of making my training course more difficult than what I was expecting at the Trials,” he says, which helped him with his fitness level.

The first few miles of the Olympic Trials were slow, but then the leaders “put the hammer down” and Jenkins stayed within striking distance in the second pack. “I was scared because the pace was faster than I was expecting. I definitely had the thought that I might end up on the side of the course at mile 20.”

Because of the difficulty of the course, many of the top runners indeed fell by the wayside and Jenkins slowly moved up. He was close to fellow Sacony teammate Ryan Shay, the former U.S. champion, when Shay collapsed of an apparent fatal heart attack early in the race. None of the runners realized the seriousness of Shay’s condition until the end of the race.

When he approached 2004 Olympic silver medallist Meb Keflezighi in the last few miles, he knew he had a chance to pass him. And he did, finishing just ahead of Keflezighi, three minutes off the winning time but well ahead of everyone expectations.

Jenkins says he will continue to compete in select half and full marathons to prove this performance was not just a fluke. His next target is the U.S. Half Marathon Championship in Houston on Jan. 13, competing against many of the same elite runners from the Trials. He also has his sights on races in Japan, Washington, D.C. and, of course, the Boston Marathon.

Now in his third year as assistant coach for the UML cross country team, he finds inspiration in the student-athletes, who help him endure the drudgery of his non-running fitness routine. Feeding off their motivation, he’s ready to take his competitive career to the next level.

“I was definitely a second-tier athlete before this, and this performance moves me into a different group,” he says. “If I can run a similar race, it will officially move me into a different class.”

Most importantly, Jenkins says, “I’ve found a way to stay healthy.”