Clara is an accomplished distance runner, having earned All-American honors five times during her collegiate career at Duke University. While there, she placed second in the 5k at the 2005 NCAA Indoor National Championships and second in the 10k at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor National Championships. Following her time at Duke, Clara began competing professionally. She placed eleventh in the 5k at the 2006 US Outdoor Championships and sixth in the 3k at the 2007 US Indoor Championships. Clara put running on hold in 2008 to start a family with her husband, Jeff, a current triathlete and former track runner at UNC. Clara, Jeff, and their new son, Ramsey, live in the Bay Area.