About me

My name is Holly Zimmermann and I was born in Providence, RI, USA with the maiden name Morrison...yes, the fierce Scottish clan! My birth certificate confirms I’m not twenty- nor even thirty-something, but my ‘inner clock’ tells me I just turned 26 years old. I am the middle child of three girls, and as a kid, I was active in team sports including soccer, softball, gymnastics, basketball, field hockey and even cross-country running (although I hated it then!)

I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Aerospace Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, then at The University of Rhode Island I finished a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering concentrating in the thermal sciences, and finally completed my education with a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) at The College of William & Mary. I worked for several years in research and development for military applications including antenna and radar jamming systems for tactical fighter aircraft (F14s, F15s) and later acoustic damping for submarines.

In 2000, I moved to Germany with my Berlin-born husband with whom I have four children. I still work part-time in the technical industry, but every free minute I spend running and taking part in races of all distances, including the 257-km Marathon des Sables across the Sahara Desert and the Polar Circle Marathon, or simply writing about my adventures.

In 2018, I was the first international woman in the Everest Marathon, the highest marathon in the world.

I am an enthusiastic vegan and encourage a healthy lifestyle not only within my family but also through motivational speaking in companies, at sporting events and for local charities. Public speaking events (in either English or German) include a discussion on ‘Quality in Endurance Sports’ at Continental Corporation, Regensburg; and ‘How Can Role Models Motivate Others?’ at the Annual Meeting of Retired Professional Athletes, Schwandorf, Germany.



My first book, Ultramarathon Mom: From the Sahara to the Arctic, was released in April 2018. The second book, Running Everest: Adventures at the Top of the World, was released in April 2020.