Just Athletics is the podcast for the running dog, running geek, track and field enthusiast. It is for someone who finds themselves correcting the local broadcast on TV regarding track or road running, or wondering why everyone can’t convert 23.30m or 6 meters?
Then, we have the broadcast for you. Just Athletics is a group of reclusive coaches and enthusiasts, who love the sport and do remarkable podcasts, giving us new insights into the athlete, the coach, the key player.
Courtney Frerichs, 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials, photo by Kevin Morris / @kevmofoto
Just Athletics will be posted on @RunBlogRun and sister sites on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This Thursday episode is on Courtney Frerichs, done during her buildup for 2021, this episode will help you appreciate the absolute brilliance of her move to Tokyo, where she stole the race and earned an Olympic silver medal.
Episode 51 – Courtney Frerichs
After last week’s glitch in the Matrix, Chris and Dave return for one of the best shows ever with an incredible guest. Want to be inspired? Check out this episode with American Record Holder Courtney Frerichs.
We delve into Courtney’s incredible rise from being a 2:24 800m runner in high school to one of the best runners in the world. Courtney discusses her early days as a gymnast in the episode and her humble career in high school at Nixa in Missouri before she went onto the University of Missouri at Kansas City and started her evolution into the world class runner she is today.
Courtney was a seven-time NCAA All-American in cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field at UMKC and at the University of New Mexico, where she transferred her senior year. She was the top runner on a National Championship Cross Country team at New Mexico and finished fourth as an individual in 2015. She was an NCAA Champion in the steeplechase in 2016 in a collegiate record time 9:24.41.
After graduating from the NCAA ranks, Courtney joined the Bowerman Track Club in Portland. Her success at the professional level has been outstanding, most notably highlighted by a silver medal and second place finish at the 2017 IAAF World Track & Field Championships. She made the 2016 Olympic games in the steeplechase as well. She finished 11th in the final at the Olympics. Courtney also qualified and finished sixth at the 2019 World Track & Field Championships in the steeplechase.
Navigating the covid-19 pandemic, Courtney and her Bowerman Track Club teammates ran a series of time trials this summer, where she achieved a personal best of 14:50.06 in the 5000m.
This is certainly one of the better episodes we have recorded because of how incredible of a person Courtney is. We hope you all enjoy this episode as much as we did.
Thank you Courtney for your time and inspiration!
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