9:03.22 was what it took for Valerie Constien to run her way onto the Olympic Team, as well as into the history books for the women’s 3000m steeplechase.
In a highly competitive race at the U.S. Olympic Trials last month in Eugene, Constien took the lead with a little over 300m to go and never looked back. Her time not only earned her the win and a spot on her second Olympic team, but it was a new Olympic Trials record in the event.
Constien was filled with joy and emotion after the race was final, and made sure to celebrate at the Gordon Hotel with her family with a 16 ounce New York Strip steak and mashed potatoes, which she described as very filling and satisfying. The meaning of her celebration was far beyond making the Olympic team, but it represented perseverance in the midst of adversity.
Constien, who runs for Nike and competes in Boulder, Colorado, suffered a major injury last season during competition. At the Doha Diamond League meet last May, Constien tore her ACL while competing in the women’s 3000m steeplechase. She didn’t have the normal amount of time to train for the Olympic Trials, especially since last September was the first time that she was able to jog on the ground since her surgery. While her road to recovery wasn’t easy, Constien trusted the process every step of the way.
“A year ago, I was just starting to walk for longer than 45 minutes, and I just started to get to a place where I could kind of start to weight lift a little bit again,” she said. “And I was just thinking, oh my gosh, considering everything, considering how little time I had to train and prepare for this – it is incredible that I was able to kind of turn around so quickly and run a 9:03. And so I’m really proud of myself and my whole team for making this happen.”
Constien had a remarkable season leading up to the Trials, as she ran incredible times in the races that she competed in, including a then-personal best time of 9:14.29 at the Prefontaine Classic. Throughout her journey to returning to the sport post-injury, Constien documented the process for her fans to hear her thoughts and how she maneuvered the adversity that she overcame.
She admitted that the goal was to be honest, but positive for those who followed her and watched her videos. But the positivity that she displayed for her viewers and the encouraging feedback that they gave her allowed her to be positive for herself as well.
“And so I think that in a lot of ways my fans who were supporting me commenting on my videos, liking and subscribing – they helped me through this journey as much as maybe I helped them,” she said.
The women’s 3000m steeplechase will be a sight to behold at the Olympics in Paris. Team USA will send a very talented group of women led by Constien and includes Courtney Wayment and Marisa Howard that will look to showcase their elite skill set on the biggest stage. While the competition that Team USA will line up against will be stiff, Constien believes that the USA women are capable of fast times, especially with the work they’ve put in individually.
“I think if the race is fast, we could see quite a few people running sub nine at the Olympics,” she said. “Everyone’s so fit. I don’t see why Courtney and Marisa couldn’t get close, because we’re all so fast. So I think it could be freakishly fast.”
Setbacks and adversity made Constien stronger, and it reinforced why Constien, who considers herself a blue-collar runner, trains, competes and continues to enjoy what she does. It’s her love for running that is unwavering regardless of the season of life that she faces.
“I think I mean, at the end of the day, I just love to run,” she said. “I mean, there’s really no other motivation, because for so long, when there weren’t sponsors, when there wasn’t anyonehelping me pay to get to these races, I just had to love it. And so it’s a genuine love for the sport. Even if no one paid me, even if I wasn’t this good, I would just still be trying and excited. So I’m just really lucky.”
The track and field portion of the Olympics kicks off on Aug. 2.
WATCH: Valerie Constien sets TRIALS RECORD in chaotic steeplechase final
