Athlete Stories Hall of Fame Krishna Stanton

Krishna Stanton

Krishna Stanton burst onto the international running scene in 1987, placing fourth in the 3000m at the World Indoor Championships and eighth at the World Cross Country Championships. Growing up in Leeton, NSW, she discovered her passion for running at age 10. Despite setbacks, including severe stress fractures and undiagnosed Coeliac disease throughout much of her career, Krishna’s determination never faded. Now a proud mother to her son Zac, born in 1996, her story is one of resilience, talent, and unwavering spirit.

Story

Krishna Stanton grew up in the small country town of Leeton, NSW, and began her journey in athletics at the age of 10 through Little Athletics. While she found most sports challenging, she quickly discovered a natural talent for running. Her breakthrough came in 1987 at the age of 20 when she burst onto the track scene, finishing fourth in the 3000m at the World Indoor Championships and eighth at the World Cross Country Championships. Although the Seoul Olympic Games were within reach, they ultimately slipped away due to a series of stress fractures—including a severe navicular injury—that left her in a cast and on crutches for nearly two years after an initial surgery failed to heal properly. Throughout much of her professional career, Krishna unknowingly battled Coeliac disease, which further challenged her athletic pursuits. She is also a proud mother to her son Zac, born in 1996.

PEAK

In 2004, after facing multiple complications due to being an undiagnosed Coeliac, Krishna Stanton was forced into retirement. Her condition led to major health issues, including the need for a bowel resection and the implantation of a nerve stimulator.

Tragically, the loss of her fellow athletes and friends Kerryn McCann in 2008 and Jackie Gallagher in 2014 deeply affected Krishna and became a source of inspiration. To honour their lives and achievements, she set her sights on running the 2016 Gold Coast Marathon. In 2015, after suffering multiple calf tears, she searched for a physiotherapist and found PEAK, conveniently located near Churchie, where she was working at the time. However, her comeback was challenged by recurring injuries and an outdated mindset of “just run,” with little focus on injury prevention. Despite the setbacks, Krishna pushed through and crossed the finish line in 2:59.

From Pain to Prevention

After years of frustration from recurring injuries and constant coaching, Krishna Stanton experienced a powerful mindset shift—from pushing through pain to focusing on prevention. She began taking a proactive approach to her health by incorporating regular physiotherapy, strength training in the gym, and truly listening to her body.

This new approach paid off. In 2021, Krishna qualified for the London Marathon. The following year, she shattered the Australian record for the half marathon with a time of 1:21:59 and claimed victory at the Townsville Marathon at age 56. In October 2022, she made history by breaking the world record in her age group at the London Marathon with a remarkable time of 2:48:06. She went on to break her own Australian half marathon record again in Sydney, clocking 1:21:17—a testament to her resilience, growth, and the power of prevention.

Comeback

Krishna Stanton made a remarkable comeback by shifting her focus to longer distance running in hopes of qualifying for the Sydney Olympics, narrowly missing a spot in the 10km event. In 2001, a friend encouraged her to run the Sydney Marathon, which followed the Olympic course. Not only did she run it—she won it with an impressive time of 2:38:11, securing her place at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.

What's Next?

Krishna has recovered from an Achilles Tendinopathy which marred the end of 2023 and early 2024

She has qualified for the World Masters in Valencia in December and is consistently building towards this.

She continues to inspire us and our athletes with her gratitude, humility and message to “run for those who can’t”

Why

Choose Your Pain
Chose the path of discipline to help her achieve the Marathon World Record in 2022.
Want The Ball
Always says yes to any opportunities to help - spoke at our 2023 GC marathon camp Helped us with a running presentation at LSKD - which flowed on to a Trail Running night Attended PEAK charity days and worn the PEAK singlet at several events including London
Raving Fan
The very next day after her first appt, Krish refers a colleague to PEAK - a true Raving Fan. Over 40 direct WOMs since and countless flow ons from this to the PEAK Tribe. Has spoken about PEAK in interviews, podcasts and speaking events