Gabi Rooker is one of the best marathoners in America, and the world is starting to find out.
Rooker, who recently signed with Nike, has continued to show improvement in the event, especially since making her marathon debut in 2021. She’s improved her time by over 30 minutes over the past three years, with her fastest time taking place at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon back in October, where she ran 2:24.35 in the race.
Rooker, who runs for Mill City Running in Minnesota, has always been involved in sport and competed in gymnastics in college. When she’s not training or competing on the roads, she works as a physician’s assistant – a role that she says that she’s the most proud of.
You’ll see Rooker in Orlando, competing against the best women in America in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials on Feb. 3. for the chance to make the U.S. Olympic Team that will compete in Paris this summer. I had the opportunity to chat with Gabi recently about her excitement headed into Orlando, signing with Nike and more.
Dom: First and foremost, you’re a Nike athlete, which is awesome, congratulations. How does it feel to be a sponsored athlete, especially heading into Orlando?
Gabi: It feels really exciting. The support I’ve already received from the Nike team has just been incredible. They’ve been really excited, they’ve been very positive. They’ve already just made me feel like a part of their team. They’re feeling really supported. And so now to kind of officially get to be a part of the team and going into the Trials. There’s a big energy to it, and I’m really excited.
Dom: Was it kind of a whirlwind just trying to get everything together? You’re with an agency now – the only thing that’s really missing, which is unacceptable, is that you don’t have a blue checkmark next to your name on social media.
Gabi: That’s okay, I’m alright with that. But very overwhelming in an incredibly positive way. But just after Chicago, things really accelerated and changed and a lot of things. Just moving at a million miles an hour and trying to hold on.
Dom: The one thing about you that I appreciate when you run is that you always have this sense of joy. You’re smiling at the finish line, which is so hard to do, I can imagine after 26.2 miles. Where you find the strength to smile is beyond me. But there’s just joy, there’s passion, where does that come from when you are running? Because it’s very evident.
Gabi: I think I’m a pretty 100% or nothing kind of person. So I find a lot of passion in the day to day training as well as racing. And I think just that determination when things get tough, questioning yourself and continuing to push and continuing to believe in yourself, and then getting to the end and just being so happy that you did continue to push and did continue to believe in yourself is really rewarding.
Dom: Let me ask you this. How important is the community aspect to you? Because you’re running group – this is the first time I’ve ever heard that there’s over 900 people in a running group, which is terrifying, just trying to think about how somebody manages that. But at the same time, it speaks to the power of community, it speaks to the power of running, and it just speaks to the power of the joy of the sport. And you have not been shy in mentioning your teammates, mentioning in the team, your training partners, and how much it’s meant to you. How important is that to you?
Gabi: So finding Mill City was a pretty big game changer for me. I was mostly training alone, running alone. And then all of a sudden, I’m at all these local races in the Twin Cities and elsewhere. And you’ll hear “go Mill City, go Mill City,” because Mill City Running is on the kit. And I was like, I want to be a part of that, what’s this Mill City thing? So I checked it out. And the owners, (Bekah Metzdorff and Jeff Beck Metzdorff) are just these super positive, really warm, welcoming people, and they make it very clear that this is a space for everybody. It doesn’t matter your pace, it doesn’t matter your goals, it just matters show up and support each other and be kind be positive. If there’s someone new, they make sure they feel supported, make sure they feel welcomed. And if you’re someone who’s been with the group for 10 years, you’re welcome. So it’s a huge kind of herd collective with lots of different goals. But everyone is there to make each other feel good. And finding that group was the way I found my closest training partner, Kim, and we have a team, and a lot of us are Mill City runners as well. So it’s really meant the world to me.
Dom: What is also impressive is that you are thriving as a Nike athlete, working seven days a week (as a physician’s assistant), one week on, and then chilling the other week. And you’re still able to thrive in the midst of it. I guess how do you do it? And how, how has running been a benefit to you In the midst of it all, especially with a hectic work schedule.
Gabi: At first, it was really tough. Those first few days were just recovery days. After seven days of working in a hospital, eventually, it’s something you kind of adjust and get used to. And you know, anything that’s new is always overwhelming and exhausting. But then when it’s kind of a couple years in, you get used to that. So I think I was able to kind of find a balance of doing less during that week on, where training is a little less intense. I don’t have as much responsibility, but then just really honing in on training in that week off.
Dom: The Olympic trials are approaching fast and furious, which can serve as a point of anxiety. I hope I did not bring any anxious energy in saying that. Are you excited?
Gabi: I’m excited to get there and just experience what it feels like to be in a trial situation leading up with all these other athletes and so many competitors that have just worked so hard putting in thousands and thousands of miles. and I hope everyone gets the time to reflect back and celebrate all that hard work, because I know we’ve all been just grinding it out for many years. And I’m excited for that kind of that pre race stuff that’s going to be unique to the trials that I haven’t experienced before. And then I am excited for the race itself. I would love in some ways to be a spectator, because I think it’s just such a, you know, women’s field is so deep and there are so many, just unbelievable, highly decorated athletes that I’m really excited to run with and eventually against. And just to experience the drama of what will be, hopefully a great race.
Dom: Is it crazy to think that maybe the people you grew up watching, you have a chance to beat them to make your first Olympic team?
Gabi: It’s pretty wild to think how far I’ve come in the last 2 1/2 years. I’ve enjoyed the journey and I just want to keep enjoying it. So I’m really trying to soak in these last couple weeks of training and getting into the taper, and seeing what we’ve got. I’m excited to give it my best shot.
