"Running is for everyone and that's so important for me as a person. One of the coolest things about the marathon is you could be running on the same course as people breaking world records. You have trained differently but you have put so much of yourself into it. You're not running a marathon alone – your spouse, children, co-workers or friends know that you've been training really hard and given up a lot to make it to the start line, push through the marathon and get to the finish. That's truly really important to me...Finding running looks different for everyone."

In less than four years of marathoning, Gabi Rooker has been a rising star for the U.S. Last year, she was the fourth American at the 2023 Chicago Marathon with an impressive 2:24:35 personal best. She went on to finish 19th at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

With a background in competitive gymnastics, Gabi has taken to the roads super well since her marathon debut in 2021. She spent time elevating her training as part of the Dreamweaver program, which was a program created by Nike to support female athletes aiming for the Olympic Trials qualifying time of 2:37 – .all while balancing her career as a physician assistant in Minneapolis. The performance in Chicago was so good that she signed a pro contract with Nike ahead of the Olympic Trials.

In this episode, we unpack her race in Orlando but also how she’s adjusted to a part-time role as a physician’s assistant and being a professional runner. She shares a bit about her training and preparation heading into Chicago and what part of her story has resonated with the masses.

Time Stamps:

3:10 - How her current marathon build compares to previous builds. 

4:13 - How her life changed after her breakout race at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. 

6:30 - Switching to part-time work, finding an agent, signing with Nike.

9:27 - Her progression from her marathon debut in 2021.

11:25 - How Nike’s Project Dreamweaver aided her improvement.

15:29 - Her training camp in Texas prior to the 2024 Olympic Trials. 

20:57 - What her race plan + expectations were heading into the Trials.

23:13 - The support she experienced while racing at the Trials. 

26:13 - Biggest takeaways from the Trials. 

28:22 - How being a former gymnast has helped her running career.

31:17 - Training professionally in Minnesota.

33:30 - Her race plan heading into the 2024 Chicago Marathon. 

35:13 - Goals for Chicago. 

36:24 - Parting messages to those who hope to follow in her footsteps. 

37:41 - Being inducted into UW La Crosse’s Hall of Fame.

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