After eight years of professional running, Alexa Efraimson is hanging up the running spikes.
The talented 1500m runner made the announcement on instagram on Wednesday.
“After competing professionally for 8 years, I am ready and excited to move onto the next chapter of my life,” she said on Instagram. “Before this season, I wasn’t expecting it to be my last. I started the season with the same drive I always did, especially after a rough 2021 season. I was disciplined, excited, and training was going well! Racing was a little bit of a roller coaster, but I eventually came to a point in the season and realized: I’m not enjoying this. I had no fight or fire in races.
“I was fortunate enough to run professionally for as long as I did and highly valued the growth I made as a person, on and off the track. Though running can teach you endlessly about yourself, it’s not adding to my life anymore. With the help of those closest to me, I was able to make this decision- it was hard (and a little scary) in the sense that I was closing a chapter of my life that I had known for so long, but it also felt like the right time because I’m so incredibly excited for the next chapter.”
Efraimson had a storied high school career in the state of Washington, winning multiple state championships in track and field and cross country. She was coached by her high school coach, Mike Hickey for 10 years before making the switch to train under Pete Julian and the Union Athletics Club.
Efraimson set the American junior record in the 1500m at the Prefontaine Classic in 2015, and secured a bronze medal at the Pan Am Games in 2019.
