“Devastated but not destroyed” was the banner that Sage Hurta-Klecker hung her hat on during the second half of the track and field season after initially not accomplishing the goals that she set out.
The talented middle distance runner who trains with the On Athletic Club in Boulder, toed the line at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June in the women’s 800m and the women’s 1500m. An unfortunate turn of events took place in the women’s 800m final, as Hurta-Klecker found herself in the infield of Hayward Field trying to maneuver traffic after Athing Mu was tripped up and fell during the first 200m of the race.
Hurta-Klecker finished fifth overall in the women’s 800m, and made it to the second round of the women’s 1500m at the Trials.
In the midst of disappointment, Hurta-Klecker did not let the events that occurred at the Olympic Trials define her as a runner, or the season that was still ahead of her. After the Trials, she took some time off to digest everything that transpired, which helped give her perspective. She also credits being able to get back on track to working with a sports psychologist over the past year.
The work that she put in before and after the Trials and how she was able to bounce back rather quickly speaks to the one trait that Hurta-Klecker believes sets her apart, which is her overall mindset.
“Sometimes I do feel like what makes me elite is my mindset, and being able to show up and mix it up on any stage,” she said. “And so that’s both a skill that I work on, but then also I feel like that’s what sort of sets me apart.”
That mindset led to a successful series of races for Hurta-Klecker in the second half of the season. She finished second at the Sir Walter Miller with her time of 4:19.89, which moved her to No. 6 on the all-time U.S. list.
Following that performance, she went on to run 4:29 to win the Brooklyn Mile, and to cap off the season, she ran a new personal best time of 1:57.50 in the women’s 800m in Croatia – a time that she said was two years in the making.
The struggles that she endured and overcame throughout the season gave her a sense of confidence, which she was able to put into play as she found success in the back half of the season.
“As you go through things throughout life and you come out on the other side of them, it is sort of like a muscle that you can exercise,” she said. “You’re like, ‘Okay, I did that, I went through that – I can keep going.’ I feel like when you also have that mindset, it contributes to that confidence and unflappability of knowing I’m going to do everything that I need to do and everything that I can control.”
Hurta-Klecker felt the support throughout the season from her husband Joe Klecker, as well as her family, teammates, coaches and friends. Their constant and steady support has helped her throughout her journey.
“It wasn’t even like they showed up for me, they were just there for me all the time, which is great,” she said. “They’re on this journey with me. And for me, it doesn’t feel like a ton of pressure.”
Hurta-Klecker made the most of her opportunity, and while her mindset allowed her to accomplish success, it allowed her to continue to express gratitude about all the wonderful things that she’s able to do in the sport.
“There’s a lot of fun things in the track world to do,” she said. “I get to travel, I get to compete, which is super fun, and even if I’m not getting the opportunities that I necessarily wanted to have this year, I’m still gonna make the most of every opportunity that I do have. So I’m in a remarkably good spot right now for it not being the year that I really imagined.”
