For Kassie Parker, the impossible is nothing more than a suggestion.
The talented runner who attends Loras College in Iowa has accomplished incredible things during her time as a member of the Duhawks cross-country and track and field team.
She’s won three national championships, and you will have to count all of your fingers and some of your toes to calculate the amount of school records and Division III records that she’s broken (10 school records, two Division III records and counting.)
She’s competed against elite runners of all classifications and has more than held her own. As I’m writing this story, she’s training to take down another record and accomplish another big goal that she’s set out for herself.
Parker’s running journey has centered around fearlessness, hard work, determination and toughness, which has led to steady improvement and consistency.
Parker grew up in a small town called Guttenberg in Iowa. She started running cross country after her high school’s cross country coach suggested that she give it a try. As a sophomore, she said that she saw steady improvement throughout the season. She went from being the last member of the team to finish a workout, to being one of the top finishers on the varsity squad.
She decided to stick with cross country and track and field, and it paid off for her. She earned a third place finish in the 3000 meter run and finished in the top 10 in the 1500 meter run at her high school state championship meet during her senior year.
“My enjoyment from getting those PR’s and those records – it made me feel good about myself and I wanted to stick with something that I was good at,” Parker said.
Parker went to the University of Iowa with intentions of putting running behind her. But she continued to run and even joined a running club while she was at Iowa. She couldn’t shake off the desire to keep running.
“I kept going out for runs,” she said. “I didn’t know why, but I just wanted to.”
She realized that she wanted to be closer to home and that she had a passion for running, especially after the success that she found during high school. She then started to do her homework on what the next step would be for her.
“I was looking at past nationals for (Division III) and the records, and I was like these aren’t impossible,” she said. “If they can do it, why can’t I?”
Parker said that her confidence came from the consistent improvement that she’d made over time, even as a runner who was relatively new to the sport. After doing her research, she decided to make the move to Loras, which has proven to be the right fit for her.
Parker’s confidence has been evident by her performances so far this season. In addition to winning two indoor national championships in the 3000 meter run and the 5000 meter run, she’s broken four school records and was named the USTFCCCA National and Regional Athlete of the Year.
“It’s definitely shown this year – my confidence,” she said. “Taking a race out from the gun and just being able to prove myself and to everyone else the times I can run, even being Division III.”
“The confidence just rolls with my mindset.”
The road to greatness hasn’t come without bumps or bruises for Parker. She’s experienced the highs and the lows of running on the collegiate level. But the valley experiences made her stronger and has given her a unique perspective.
“The failures, once you fail, it’s either you quit, or you keep going,” she said. “If you keep going, you’re going to reach success. It’s really like that thin line, you might be this close to success, but you have to get up after a failure and go do it. So I think that it’s a big deal.”
Making the decision to continue running and attend Loras has paid dividends for Parker. She, as well as the staff at Loras, got a return on the investment that she made on herself.
“It’s been great,” she said. “Honestly seeing my progress every single year – it opens up the door for more memories…I’m really close with my team, they’re like my family.”
Parker might get the headlines for her individual accolades, but she’s not one to focus on herself. She’s just as focused on the success of her teammates as she is her own success.
“I love my teammates, I have a good bond with them,” she said. “It’s not just about me on my team. It’s also about what everyone else can do and what we can do combined.”
Parker said that before she became a member of her high school’s cross country team as a sophomore, she wasn’t a fan of running. She hated it.
Now, she’s continuing to re-write the record books, one race at a time. When she decided to make the move from being just a student attending the University of Iowa, to becoming a student-athlete at Loras College, she had no idea that she would eclipse the original goals that she set out for herself.
“Honestly, no,” she said. “It was always my mindset to get as close as possible, but now that I’m exceeding those goals I made years ago, it’s kind of crazy to think where I was a couple of years ago to where I am now. And now thinking about all of these top 10 records – it’s really crazy.”
“Once I set a goal, I’m dedicated and passionate about it. I want to get that goal and try as hard as I can.”
