Colleen Quigley, Jeff Benjamin and Kate Grace, photo by Jeff Benjamin
This is one of the many interviews that Jeff Benjamin has done for us. Kate is one of ourr favorite athletes, who puts it all on the line when she races. We look forward to seeing her in 2020.
7 Quick Questions With Bowerman Track Club Athlete Kate Grace
By Jeff Benjamin
RunBlogRun, 1) How did you get into the Sport?
Kate Grace: “I played various team sports growing up, including rec soccer starting
at age 5. For my first year of high school our soccer coach had the
players run cross country meets in the fall as conditioning. At my
first race, the XC coach (who also coached track) saw me doing drills
and said he wanted me to come out for the track team. It took at least
a year until I fully embraced running (i kept trying to go back to
soccer ;). But i had the most incredible experience with my XC and
track teams in high school and haven’t looked back since!”
RunBlogRun, 2) Did you consider yourself a slow or fast developer?
Kate Grace: “I showed talent potential early. I was winning league races almost
immediately and started going to state or national championships. But
I was slow developing in terms of training. It wasn’t until after
college that I trained seriously year round. I believe that allowed me
to have a longer professional career.”
RunBlogRun, 3) Most memorable Pre- Teenage/ Youth Race – if you were running during this time.
Kate Grace: “Not A runner at this time yet.”
RunBlogRun, 4) Most memorable High School Race?
Kate Grace: “Cross country state championships my senior year, we won as a team and
I won individually. It felt like the perfect culmination of 4 years of
group work. We weren’t necessarily the favorites but we worked hard
and kept improving.
Most memorable college race was probably a 4×800 or 4×400 at League
champs. I always loved running relays, there is more of a team
dynamic. I would run the anchor, and it’s the best feeling in the
world when your teammates rely on you and you are able to pull
through, either winning the title, or at least coming from behind and
passing a few people.”
RunBlogRun, 5) Your Most memorable Race as A Pro?
Kate Grace: “2016 Olympic Trials. It was a major moment for me, and my first Olympic team.”
RunBlogRun, 6) How is it different being a pro athlete from a collegiate one?
Kate Grace: “As a pro you are fully accountable for your performance. The power
dynamic shifts, instead of the team or the coach coming first, you do.
That can be exciting, but also scary. It took me a few years to learn
that it was no use blaming anyone but myself if things weren’t going
well. That I should be the one to address issues, and look for
solutions. It also means as an athlete it’s important to hone in on
your motivation, what drives you. Because without some greater “why”,
life as a pro can feel lonely or purposeless.”
RunBlogRun, 7) What Training philosophy are you following & Who’s Coaching You? Also – Any Shoutouts To your training partners/support staff?
Kate Grace: “Jerry Schumacher coaches me, I train with the Bowerman Track Club in
Nike. It’s an incredible group of all-star runners and I feel lucky
to be a part of it! I have also trained under Frank Gagliano, Drew
Wartenburg and the Little Wing project in Bend.”
