Status: Track and field athlete. Ranked No. 1 in the world in the 1500 meters event.
DOB: March 10, 1985 In: Plymouth, Indiana
First Running Memory: “The first memory I have of a competitive running situation was not so great. Actually, I didn’t make it to the race. It was at the Blueberry Festival in Plymouth, Indiana. They have a mile race every year on Labor day. My dad (Marty) drove me to the start line – I didn’t want to do it and I started crying, pulling a tantrum. He ended up not making me run. I hated to run back in the day. So that’s my first memory. Not a good one [smiles].”
Last Book Read: “The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho.”
Running Inspirations: “When I first got into running – my older cousin had run cross country. I loved basketball but as a sixth grader going into junior high, they didn’t offer basketball. So I was like, I might as well do something – cross country – to keep me active. So that’s when I first started doing cross country. I never really liked running that much. I never really had that many role models in running, other than my family.”
Hobbies/Interests: “Pretty boring. I like to play board games, cooking and reading books. I’m really into watching Dexter, the TV show. My female teammates will have Glee nights together. We don’t do things that are super active because we’re always recovering from running or doing things like that.”
Favorite Movies: “I like all the Die Hard movies, the Alien movies. I have two older brothers so I’m more into action movies. Rocky.”
First Job: “For the grounds crew in our school system. I mowed the lawns or weed-whacked, did lines on the fields and all that.”
First Car: “Was my grandmother’s Grand Marquis (beige). Awesome, it had a huge engine. It was a really neat car.”
Current Car: “I have a 2008 Ford Escape (green). My last three vehicles have been green.”
Favorite Meal: “Rice and beans.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Non-discriminatory [laughs]. I like them all.”
Pre-race Feeling: “I used to get really nervous in high school before races. I feel in control these days. So I don’t get that anxious. I just try to take it all in. I get anxious but not nervous, these days. I look forward to commencing the race. On the start line – I think that’s the worst part. But once the gun goes off, it’s a lot better.”
Greatest Sports Moment: “Winning the U.S. Championship title this year, outdoors.”
Most Painful Moment: “Falling. Being on the track in Daegu and realizing that the race was still going and I wasn’t a part of it.”
Funny Memory: “Kind of random – two years ago in London, there was an 800 race and Anna Pierce, my teammate, and I shared a lane. And we were trying to come up with something when the camera is on us, we should do something funny. We were gonna do this air punch thing. Then the camera got on us and we were both just so nervous, deer in the headlights, we just stood there. It made us laugh. Like, afterwards, Yeah, we had it all planned out. Didn’t do anything [laughs].”
Strangest Race: “There was one year at NCAA in the final, we started the race and came around the corner. They still had all the hurdles on the track from a previous race which was kind of a shock. That was like the only weird thing that happened.”
Embarrassing Career Memory: “I don’t think so, not yet [laughs]. Hopefully not. I’m sure it will happen someday.”
Favorite Sport Outside Track and Field: “Basketball. I like to play basketball a lot.”
Favorite Place To Compete: “Anywhere in Switzerland. The country itself is very beautiful, like every race I’ve gone to – Lausanne, Lucerne, Zurich are all cities with a lake nearby, or a river. Very scenic. Really good chocolate. I’ve run a few PRs there so that helps.”
Funniest Athletes Encountered: “Alistair Cragg. He’s really funny to be around. I make fun of him because he’s such a schmoozer and I’m really not that social. He makes me laugh, he loves pulling lines on people, whether they catch it or not.”
Toughest Competitors Encountered: “There’s a lot. This year’s kind of a weird year. Nancy Langat, Maryam Yusuf Jamal, Jenny Barringer (Simpson). All these women are really great competitors. Jenny has a really great kick, that’s something I never expected from her before. I’m starting to pick up on cues from other athletes and knowing their strengths. Jamal is one of those people who will go to the front and push the pace and make you work for a win.”
Favorite Athletes To Watch: “I love watching Usain Bolt. Such a great athlete, has a great attitude, the charisma he brings is really great for sports. And anyone of my teammates. I see how hard they work, so I like to watch them race.”
Childhood Dream: “Initially I wanted to be a bagger at a grocery store. It seemed so cool to scan stuff which I still like to do at the grocery store. I always have to scan my own stuff [smiles] and put it in the bag. Outside of that, athletically, I wanted to be a WNBA player.”
People Qualities Most Admired: “Honesty. Sense of humor. I think a lot of times in our sport, people take themselves too seriously. It’s funny, especially before a race, and we’re in the call room, I kinda look around: There’s the people that are very confident and sure of themselves. You can tell they’re relaxed. Composed. And then you see the people who are panicking, rushing to try to put their bib numbers on, their shoes. I think having that kind of confidence in yourself. I don’t know the exact word. But being confident in yourself and putting that in your whole package.”
(This Biofile is in the January issue of Track and Field News, page 44.)
Topics: 2008 Ford Escape, Blueberry Festival In Plymouth Indiana, Board Games, Family Hobbies, Field Athlete, First Car, First Job, Ford Escape, Glee, Grand Marquis, Hobbies Interests, Inspirations, Lawns, Neat Car, Paulo Coelho, Reading Books, Rice And Beans, Role Models, Sixth Grader, Tantrum
Biofile with Morgan Uceny | 