Kimberly Knauff Penzone had her daughter in the car when Athletic Director Jeff Hart called to tell her she was going into the Alden High School Athletic Wall of Fame. She says it was a complete surprise, and that her late father, who had talked for years about nominating her, would be smiling.

Knauff Penzone, Class of 1989, was inducted on Oct. 16. WACS reporter Olivia Ripstein interviewed her by video call for her tribute video.

She ended up in the 400-meter hurdles because her coach needed someone to run it at an invitational. She had never run the hurdles, even at practice. She ran it like an open 400, and it turned out to be her fastest time ever.

At Alden, she earned 11 varsity letters and won an ECIC hurdles title in 1987. In 1988, she ran a leg on the 3,200-meter relay that set a school record, won sectionals and competed at states.

Her running career was only getting started. Since then, she has finished more than 50 marathons and ultramarathons, 12 of them 100 miles long. For her 20th wedding anniversary, she and her husband ran the Transalpine Run, an eight-day stage race through Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. “That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever been able to do,” she said.

She also recognized an assistant coach who showed up after full days of work to run, and race, with the team. Her advice to Alden runners who aren’t the fastest on the team: don’t worry about it. “Don’t be afraid to try and don’t be afraid to fail,” she said. “Failure is just your way of getting closer to success somewhere else.”

Video by Olivia Ripstein, WACS. Watch all four 2026 tribute videos and the full induction ceremony at youtube.com/@WACSNetwork.