Jenny was born in Monroe, WI, but her family moved soon after to Rockford, IL, where Jenny spent her childhood, and where her love for distance running began.

After being cut from her high school basketball team her freshman year, Jenny looked for another sport and discovered she liked running long distances. She joined the very first cross country team at her high school for girls, and almost immediately became her team’s “top gun”. She participated in the inaugural Illinois cross country state championship for girls, and raced to second in the state.

Jenny attended the University of Iowa as a full scholarship athlete, where she was All American in cross country, and led her team to Iowa’s first and only Big 10 Cross Country Championship. In track, Jenny was All American in the 10,000 meter event.

While at Iowa Jenny became intrigued with the idea of racing a marathon. Her coach Jerry Hassard supported the idea, and they came up with a training plan. In 1983 Jenny lined up at the famous Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, MN, and stunned the field with a win at age 19. Her time of 2:33:51 set a new 19 and Under World and American record.

She was hooked and raced the marathon again at Houston in January 1984, finishing in a time of 2:36:52, second overall only to marathon great Ingrid Kristiansen. Later that same year Jenny lined up at the inaugural US Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials in Olympia, WA, and finished with a time of 2:40:18. During this race Jenny broke a metatarsal in her left foot half way through the race, but still managed to finish with an impressive time.

After working as a computer programmer for ten tears, Jenny made the bold decision to quit her job and train for the 1996 Olympic Trials. Her former college coach agreed to help again, and so Jenny moved to Iowa City and trained with the Iowa track team. Together they worked hard on speed training, and after the summer they both agreed Jenny needed to step up the distance training for the marathon.

Through her running connections, Jenny next moved to Santa Monica, CA, to train with the great Joe Douglas and the SMTC (Santa Monica Track Club). By February 1996 Jenny was in the best shape of her life, and headed to Columbia, SC, for the 1996 Women’s Marathon Olympic Trials.

On February 10, 1996, Jenny shocked the running world by finishing first in a then trials marathon record of 2:29:54, on a difficult and hilly course. She was the very first US Olympian to qualify that year, male or female, in any sport.

Achilles heel injuries caused setbacks over the next few years, but in October 2003 Jenny lined up at the Chicago Marathon, and set a new American masters record finishing the race in 2:32:38, just twenty months after giving birth to her daughter, Kelli. At 40 years of age, Jenny finished a minute better than her marathon time as a 19 year old! At this point Jenny became (and still is) the only American athlete ever in any running event, male or female, to simultaneously hold a national junior record and a national masters record.

The next year in St. Louis, MO, Jenny participated in the 2004 Women’s Marathon Olympic Trials, and finished 9th overall and 1st master, in a time of 2:36:30.

Since then Jenny has raised a family, started and leads the Jenny Spangler Racing team, and coaches many adult distance runners.