by Larry Eder
RunBlogRun and NIKE Present:
The Journey To Compete
Episode 4
Karissa Schweizer,
Two-time Olympian (Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024),
NIKE Elite Athlete, Bowerman Track Club
This was an interview that I had wanted to do for several years. Karissa Schweizer is a fierce competitor, who has seen the highs and lows of an elite athlete.
Karissa Schweizer set the AR for the indoor 3000m (8:25.70), at the Last Chance Invitational, on February 28, 2020, which was faster than the iconic 3000m outdoor AR of one Marhy Slaney. Karissa’s AR has since been broken.
Karissa is a six time NCAA champion, while at the University of Missouri, 2014-2018. Karissa has been a member of the Bowerman Track Club, coached by Jerry Schumacher.
USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships held at Hayward Field, University of Oregon, June 23-26, 2022, photo by Kevin Morris
Karissa Schweizer has a PB at 5,000m in 14:26.24 and her 10,000m PB is 30:18.22. At 1,500 meters, Karissa has come oh so close to 4 minutes flat, 4:00.02. Karissa told RBR that she still wants to break 4 minutes for the 1,500 meters and 30 minutes for the 10,000 meters.
At the US Cross Country Championships, Karissa made the World Cross country team, taking 4th in 34:18.2 on the Glendoveer golf course! At the World Cross Country Champs, Karissa was 4th US women, taking 17th in 33:58 on th tough Tallahassee course on January 11, 2026.
In this interview, we spoke about Karissa’s experiences in high school, the challenges of moving from high school to college to elite athlete status. It is a fascinating interview.
Thanks Karissa for your time. Thanks, Paul Moser, NIKE sports marketing manager for putting us together.
Find all of our Socialing The Distance interview series here: https://bit.ly/34czL0e
Find all of our Athletics Chat episodes here: https://bit.ly/2GkVoDD
Find all of our Conversations with Larry here: https://bit.ly/30io2vY
#SocialingTheDistance #RunBlogRun #theshoeaddict
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Special thanks to Mike Deering, original member of The Shoe Addicts, who edits, clips, manages and produces the podcast for Fortius Media Group, LLC and RunBlogRun.com.
Special thanks to Karissa Schweizer for this thought-provoking interview and NIKE Sports Marketing’s Paul Moser for their kind support. NIKE Sports Marketing and NIKE running believes that we build the sport, one athlete and one coach at a time.
To learn more about NIKE Running, please go to www.nikerunning.com We highly recommend the NIKE Vomero Premium and the NIKE Pegasus PLUS ! (And the new NIKE Structure PLUS!)
