Long distance runners be warned: you cannot outrun the long arm of the law — at least not when the lawyer’s name is Ellen FitzGerald.

An Assistant Attorney General in the Manhattan office of the New York State Department of Law, FitzGerald is balancing her busy trial schedule with a burgeoning career as a competitive marathoner. After placing 13th overall and third among American women at last November’s New York City Marathon, she now has her sights set on qualifying for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials.