Meet of Miles

            2013 is a very different year for me. At this point in my season I typically would have already traveled to California a few times to race and would be gearing up for the end of my season and USA’s. I have yet to do a single track meet and I do not plan on traveling to any big meets to race. My plan this year is all about staying healthy and doing some fun runs and then next year try to get back to my previous form. This may seem strange to some who do not know me as last year was my most successful year in my running career culminating with my making the Olympic Trials. But this year I am gearing up for a completely new challenge, becoming a mother.

            I am enjoying the process but I would be lying if I told you I do not miss racing. I love competing and watching my friends and family race is keeping me fired up and eager to jump into a race where I can get my “fix,” the runners high if you will. I love road racing, don’t get me wrong, but there is something about the track that makes me feel fast, something magical that happens when I step on it.

            Some of you may be reading this thinking, “Yeah right.” Round and round and round with only left turns and not much change in scenery may not sound very appealing but believe me it is! The problem is there are not many opportunities for runners to lace up their fast shoes and test themselves on the track.

            This is where the Meet of Miles (M.O.M.) comes in. July14th at the West Seattle Stadium in Seattle, you have the unique opportunity to experience the thrill of track racing by testing yourself in the mile. You can even see how you stack up against the elite athletes who will be putting on a show later in the evening by pitting themselves against each other to see just how fast they can go.

(Roger Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile)

The mile is the premier event in track and field, not too short and not too long. Just enough suspense to leave the audience captivated as the story unfolds in just over four laps. The perfect combination of speed and stamina, the mile is exciting. At tracks earliest beginnings the mile was the race that brought the crowds, testing whether or not athletes could break the once deemed impossible 4 minute mile. Since the era of Roger Bannister and John Landy who were some of the first to break the barrier, the current mile record is an astonishing 3:43 held by Hicham El Guerrouj. But the event is not contested as much in track and field. Now athletes will typically run the 1500m but for fans that can be hard to relate which is why Club Northwest’s elite athletes are working to bring back the mile and get fans excited about track and field again.

Club Northwest is putting on the M.O.M. and like the name says, it is a meet full of mile races on the track. People of all ages and abilities are encouraged to come out cheer, have some fun and see just how fast they can race this distance. The event will have a barbecue, goodies, t-shirts, fun events for the kids, and of course racing, lots and lots of racing.

I plan on being a part of this fun event whether that is in me trying to waddle my way to a “pregnant mile PR,” or volunteering. I am eager to being a part of the excitement and world of track and field again and I encourage all of you to give the mile a shot. It is a fun race and I bet you will come away from the event full of new memories and smiles.

It has taken me many years to develop into the runner that I am today and I could never have reached my goals alone. I have had lots of support from friends, family, and various sponsors including Club Northwest and I know next year and the years leading up to the 2016 Olympic Trials I, along with my teammates, will need all the support we can get to reach our goals.

The Meet of Miles is being put on to help support your local Olympic hopeful athletes. The event is nonprofit and the funds will go to help these athletes with travel and competing costs throughout the year.  Many of Club Northwest’s elite athletes balance their time between work, training, coaching and volunteering and the M.O.M. is a way for you to be a part of their Olympic pursuit.

So come join us this summer for an event you are not soon to forget!