“That’s why they run the race,” as they say.
In a season building to the Olympics, within a sport entirely formed around the 4-year Olympic cycle, there’s so much attention on each event that, as fans, it can begin to feel like we already know the likely top 3 before the start.
Yet that’s what makes our sport so great.
Entering this year’s USA Olympic Trials, I partnered with Tracksmith to tell the story of Marisa Howard, an experienced steeplechaser they support, as she aimed to exceed her 5th place finish from 2021.
This profile is the first in a series we’ve titled The 100% Pursuit, exploring athletes giving their all.
The truth is, interviewing someone for a story will endear them to you. I truly hoped that Marisa would race well at the Trials, but even then, I didn’t believe she’d qualify. Not really. The chances were just so small.
Even with the event’s two stalwarts out with injury, her odds at a breakout race, after years of quality racing, seemed quite long.
But Marisa makes magic within those 9 minutes.
I recommend watching her incredible 15-second personal best here. Truly the race of the Trials.
If you’re like me, you’ll end up watching and re-watching Marisa's move at the 3:25-minute mark repeatedly.
Gamers game. Racers make moves on instinct. That’s why we run the races.
Upon reflection, I laughed at myself for doubting her because the threads of Marisa’s success were evident in the profile that I wrote!
“I've had a few races in my career where my brain has been shut off, and I've just been responding. That is such a cool place to get to in this sport. You're not thinking about the pace. You're not thinking about hurting. You're letting your body do what it's capable of,” Marisa marvels at when running becomes a blur of effort and intuition.
Take a moment to enjoy her backstory.
Only 19 days till Marisa steps to the purple track in Paris for her 1st round heat and officially becomes an Olympian.