COROS Athletes Watch, #7: After her Olympic dream was taken off her, Emily Infeld returns to make a mark at the world championships on home soil

This is our seven  COROS Athletes Watch, and the focus is on US athlete Emily Infeld. Emily Infeld was the exciting World Champs bronze medalist in the 10,000m in Beijing 2015, where she gained the bronze in the last steps of the 25-lap race. Emily Infeld had just missed making the 10,000m team in mad dash to the finish with Natosha Rogers, who took third by centimeters. Infeld regrouped and prepped for the 5,000 meters at the US Champs. 

Emily Infeld is competing in the 5,000m heats tonight at 4.25 PM Pacific time zone at the Oregon 22 World Championships of Athletics. 

To learn more about COROS, please click here.

After her Olympic dream was taken off her, Emily Infeld returns to make a mark at the world championships on home soil.

Updated August 23, 2022 

When US runner Emily Infeld returns to the World Championships for the first time since 2017 in Eugene, she will be desperate to add to the bronze medal she won over the 10,000m at Worlds in 2015. 

Almost seven years after she earned that medal and lots have changed. In her track career and, most importantly, her life.  Infeld is, however, determined to put all that behind her and ensure she gets yet another global medal for herself.

After setting a 5,000m Personal Best indoors in 2016, Emily suffered another injury that threatened her Olympic chances. In yet another testament to her toughness and talent, she made her outdoor debut at the Olympic Trials and finished 2nd in the 10,000m to make her first Olympic team. At the games in Rio, she finished 11th in the deepest women’s 10,000m ever, setting a then PB of 31:26.

Emily is as kind off the track as she is ferocious on it. She began her track career in middle school, competing at the AAU level in the Race Walk, of all things. When she decided to stretch her legs out a bit more, she met instant success, winning her first of four Ohio State 800m titles as a freshman.

However, the last couple of years has not always been easy for Infeld, a popular fixture in the sport known for her upbeat personality, who has suffered difficult injuries and personal trauma. This year, she made the US team for the first time after competing at the trials and finishing second. 

In June 2020, Craig Donnelly, a man who had been stalking Infield since 2018, posted on LinkedIn that he was coming to Portland to kill her in an exclusive interview on ESPN last year. He indeed rented a room several miles from Infeld’s house, the outlet reported. Other tenants where he was living reportedly complained about him, and he was kicked out. He then rented a room even closer to Infeld’s house, according to ESPN.

Infeld and her fiancé, Max Randolph, fled to Atlanta, Georgia, where she says she was stressed and couldn’t focus on training exercises.

“I’d worked so hard to become a good runner, but in a singular moment, it felt like all of that was being taken away from me,” Infeld told ESPN. “My life was no longer in my control. I mean, I was running away from my home, and I kept thinking, ‘Is this even real? Is this really happening to me?'”

In June 2021, Infeld finally was able to get her mojo back, putting behind her the ordeal and competing in the Olympic trials, but she ended up in eighth place and didn’t qualify. For many outsiders, the fact she could turn up and the race was already a success considering what she had been through. But Infield knew she could run better.

“[It was] probably one of my worst races,” she told ESPN. “It’s never a fun place to have one of your worst races at the trials. … I feel like I’m fitter than that race showcased.”

A year after, Infield is looking in pristine shape. Earlier this year, she left the Bowerman Track Club and now trains with coach Jon Green, who is developing the Verde Track Club in Flagstaff, Arizona, where Infeld and her husband, Max Randolph, have recently bought a home in Oregon, the venue of this year’s world championships.

Last month at the US trials and in a field of most runners in their twenties in the 5,000m, Infeld finished third in 15:49.42 and made Team USA for the ongoing world championships.

Infeld came close to winning the race as she was only 0.27 seconds behind the winner, Elise Cranny, and 0.1 seconds behind the runner-up, Karissa Schweizer.

“I feel so thankful,” she said after the race. “This is so special.”

Now in Eugene, Infield will hope to ostracize all these demons of the last five years and potentially get another medal at the world championships.

Update: Emily Infeld competed at 5,000 meters at #WCHOregon22. In the heat, Emily Infeld ran 15:00.98, placing sixth in the heat and moving on to the final. In the final of the Women’s 5,000m, Emily Infeld placed 14th in 15:29.03. 

We look forward to seeing Emily Infeld racing in the fall. 

Emily Infeld is one of the fine American athletes sponsored by COROS.

COROS is a performance sports technology company that helps athletes train to be their best when it matters most. We combine high-grade hardware with innovative technology to provide athletes with the gear they rely on to EXPLORE PERFECTION in their training. COROS products are designed, tested, and perfected for the athlete by the athlete. At COROS, creation and innovation are never-ending. Join our community @COROSGlobal on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about COROS, please click here.

COROS is a performance sports technology company that helps athletes train to be their best when it matters most. We combine high-grade hardware with innovative technology to provide athletes with the gear they rely on to EXPLORE PERFECTION in their training. COROS products are designed, tested, and perfected for the athlete, by the athlete. At COROS, creation and innovation are never-ending. Join our community @COROSGlobal on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about COROS, please click here.