Gabby Thomas

Katie heads to Austin, Texas to sit down with Olympic sprinter Gabby Thomas. She opens up about putting her health first, navigating expectations between global championships, and the daily systems—training, recovery, and mindset—that keep her explosive on the line, plus the honest realities of performing when the world is watching.
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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
What's up, everybody?
Welcome back to another week,another episode of Unfiltered
Waters.
And this week, we took it toAustin, Texas for an in-person
interview.
Always such a treat for me.
And this guest, to me, is theactual definition of brains,
beauty, and brawn.
That's right.
We have Olympic gold medalist,three-time Olympic gold

(00:22):
medalist, Gabby Thomas.
She is also a Vogue cover model.
She's a world champion.
She is SI swimsuit model.
model.
She does all the things and itwas really, really special to
sit down with her.
One, because it has been about16 months in the making.
We've been texting back andforth before Paris and she has
obviously been extremely busy inthe past year.

(00:44):
It was also really specialbecause she trusted me to speak
about a really, reallyvulnerable topic and the fact
that she just announcedliterally the day that we spoke
that she's pulling out of worldchampionships and that is
because her Achilles has beenbothering her for months now.
And she made a really, reallydifficult decision that I know

(01:06):
any athlete can relate to.
It weighs on you.
You're not sure what the rightanswer is.
And it was really, really coolto hear her feel relief in
making a decision that she feltwas really, really right for
her.
So we covered it all.
We talked about Paris.
I had the honor of getting tosee her win her gold medal in
her 200 meter about a year ago.

(01:28):
We talked about her backgroundracing track and field at
Harvard, the fact that she has adegree in neurobiology, her
volunteering at the clinic herein Austin.
She actually majored or got hermaster's in public health and as
well as sleep epi, which is sointeresting.

(01:48):
And just what a whirlwind andjust crazy year it's been and
how it's impacted her.
She just got engaged and, youknow, what she's excited about
that.
But, you know, right now she'sjust taking the time time that
she needs to truly take a resetnot only physically but mentally
and I'm I'm really reallyexcited for her to get to
experience that obviously it'sbittersweet not being at Worlds

(02:11):
but I just I have not spoken tosomeone as grounded as Gabby at
her age in a really long timeand I think for people listening
and watching it's such a goodlesson on how to be a full
person you know it's so easy toslip into that my sport is my
identity I know I did buthearing Gabby talk about her

(02:32):
success later in her career youknow how much emphasis she put
on her education how muchemphasis she puts on just you
know being a really really goodhuman being and in her volunteer
work in the public health spaceit just is a lesson for all of
us and so I know you guys willglean so many nuggets from this
episode before I let you go andwatch and listen I have to say

(02:57):
one more time please subscribeto our channel If you are
enjoying these episodes, it issuch support to us.
So go subscribe and then pleaseenjoy Gabby Thomas.
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(03:18):
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(04:21):
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Gabby Thomas, welcome toUnfiltered Waters.
Thank you.
I'm glad we finally made thishappen.
I know.
I feel like this was 16 monthsof persistence.
Yep.
Yep.
Track season's a long one.
A long one.
Well, and I mean, I, when I waslooking through your year, I

(04:44):
don't like, how in the worldhave you kept track?
Sanity.
Oh, my gosh.
That is such a good question.
I'm not sure that I have.
I mean, truthfully, it's been areally crazy year.
Yeah.
Post-Olympics, track and fieldis a lot, but it's been so much
fun.
Like, I've done so many thingsthat I never even dreamed or

(05:05):
imagined that I'd be able to do.
Yeah.
Like, going into track andfield, like, Vogue cover.
I'm just like, literally, what?
Met Gala.
Yeah.
Like, so many fun shoots,meeting such fun people.
Yeah.
So I think just feeling blessed,being rooted in gratitude,
truthfully, and remembering thatI love what I do.

(05:26):
Yeah.
Have you been able to slow downand have moments of gratitude in
it?
I feel like that's such a hardthing to do.
In short, no.
I haven't been able to slow downyet, which is no pun intended.
But I do have these moments.
I'll be randomly driving in mycar, and I'll take a second, and

(05:47):
I'll be like, Like, Oh my God,is this actually my life?
Like, is this real life rightnow?
Um, so I'll have those momentsor like thinking back to the
Olympics and being like, Oh myGod, like I, I won.
Like I did that.
Yeah.
So that, that is crazy.
That's still kind of likesettling in for me.
Yeah.
And I think when I have a minuteto like, you know, breathe and

(06:08):
step away from track and fieldfor a second, it'll definitely
like all soak in.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's almost like as an athlete,you don't really have the luxury
to do that.
Like, i think the thing thatpeople didn't realize is you you
got back into training yeah sonot only are you getting back
into training you just won threeolympic gold medals you're on
the cover of vogue like i don'teven know how that is such a

(06:31):
good point i think there is suchlike such a misconception
misconception about olympicsports and about like how you do
the olympics and then you'rejust like you're good like yes a
piece and like no we're gettingback to it so soon because the
world's is next exactly worldchampionships and the training
cycle for these events are solong yeah right in track and

(06:54):
field we get about six weeks ofan off season and I took eight
weeks last year which was superlong and I mean that's it and
then you're back to it andyou're training like October
through January then indoorstarts and then outdoor starts
and then it's a majorchampionship and then you take a
couple weeks and you're back atit so yeah there is no stopping
there's not really an off switchyeah and even when you're off

(07:17):
well I'm just so curious aboutthis for running because in
swimming when you are off youcompletely lose your feel for
the water like you take 10 daysoff like you walking around
right now I would imagine it'slike us swimming slow all the
time but I could be so wrongabout that like when you come
back after you know six weeks doyou lose your feel for speed

(07:38):
that's it yeah you definitely dookay no we I totally get what
you're saying and that's why youcan't take that long off yes
right because you you have tomaintain that fitness and you
have to maintain a certain likeI don't even know how to word it
but yeah when you come backafter off season of track yeah
it takes a while to ramp back upokay and it's because we're also

(07:59):
we're going so fast I know itmight be different for distance
runners for example becausethey're probably not losing a
lot of fitness in such a shortamount of time but when you're a
sprinter it's like you use it orlose it you know like that fast
twitch that speed that runninglike you have to be doing it so
yeah unfortunately we can't takethat long off and not only is it

(08:21):
like physical but it's also likemental like you you want to stay
like mentally in it you don'twant to be too far away from
like your your a game so takingtoo long off is just I don't
know it can be tough mentally tocome back for sure yeah I feel
like it's we always talk toathletes on here and I felt the
same when I competed it's likethis really tight rope walk of
you have to take time becauseyou need the mental clarity and

(08:43):
balance but you don't want tolose your feel where you get
back and you're like, oh my God,this is going to take me months
to get back.
Exactly.
You don't want to do that andput yourself in a deficit.
But that's also why I say, and Isay this all the time with
younger athletes who want to gointo track or any type of sport,
is even though you're on, it'slike making sure that you have
that life balance while you'realso competing, while you're
training.
So when I go back to track andfield, it's not like one lane,

(09:07):
pun intended, but it's not liketrack is life, nothing else
matters, right?
You're doing other things thatfill your cup so that you can
have long careers, you can havelongevity, and you can feel that
burnt out because of how longour season is.
Yeah.
No, I think it's so important.
And I think I want to talk, youknow, further back in your
career of just, I feel like it'sa learned thing of balance.

(09:29):
And I think athletes that are16, 17, 18, haven't quite
learned that skill.
I know I hadn't.
And so I love that you'retalking about it because I hope
that it's one athlete hears yousay that.
And it's like, Hey, maybe I, Ican go take up violin.
Maybe I can go, you know, itjust, it makes a huge difference
of that.
not the only that's not all ofme it's just one part I really

(09:50):
hope so too especially now Ithink I see so much like
specialization and people youknow getting younger and younger
because we see athletes andpeople that we look up to on
social media and you see whatthey're doing and you want to be
that and you know parents wanttheir kids to have that too but
it's really important to knowlike what it took to get there
for a lot of us too yeah and sofor me I didn't over specialize

(10:13):
right I did so many other sportsgrowing up and athletics to me
was fun and it was an escape andit was a way to see my friends
and it was a way for me to getbetter and the goal wasn't you
know to be the best track runnerin the world the goal was just
to be the best version of myselfthat I could be and to be the
best runner that I could be andthat was a really important
mentality for me going intotrack and field and going in to

(10:34):
the professional landscape yeahso I would really love for
people to see that part of ittoo and then even when you get
to the professional world rightthere are other things about you
like you said that other partsof your identity that you can
can nourish.
For me, it was academics.
It was volunteering at a clinicand it was maintaining
relationships on and off thetrack.

(10:55):
So that is so important.
And I think definitelycontributed to my success and my
path to being an Olympicchampion.
Yeah.
I mean, I have so manyquestions.
I was looking, I'm like, youliterally are like beauty brains
bronze.
Like seriously, I was like, I'mlike, Oh, I like, I want to talk
about Harvard.

(11:16):
I want to talk about the, youknow, why, why you studied
neurobiology and then, you know,moving into getting your
master's sleep.
I'm going to say this wrong.
Sleep epi.
Oh yeah.
I practice it for it.
I'm still going to screw it up.
Sleep epi.
Epidemiology.
We call it epi.
We just call it epi because noone has time for that.
But yeah, epidemiology.
And then yeah, I focused onsleep.

(11:36):
Yes.
Um, which I feel like is why Iwas talking to Todd.
I'm like, Oh, that makes so muchsense.
Why she was so, had so muchknowledge when you were
responding to comments.
I was like, she is on it when itcomes to I'm so passionate about
it.
Like it's weird.
Like I am sure you don't thinkit's weird because you guys are
too, but I'm like, yeah, nosleep is so underrated in our
society.
And it, I don't know.

(11:57):
It just really upset me like alot.
And I'm so passionate about likepeople understanding how
important it is, not just forathletics, but just to live your
best everyday life.
Yes.
And I mean, it's, it's anepidemic.
It's a problem.
People need to sleep more.
And they're like, that's theeasiest.
Well, I guess for some peopleit's not the easiest thing in
the world, but it's like, we'renot saying go all run 20 miles

(12:18):
or something like lay your headdown and sleep more exactly and
a big part of what I wasstudying was like I understand
that you know some people are indifferent situations right
depending on what your job is orhow much you work or whatever
medical situation whatever yourmedical situation is but I think
as a society as like a publichealth society we could at least
take it a little bit moreseriously and come up with

(12:40):
solutions to help alleviate thatfor people who need it most I
mean that would be a great startand for people who do have the
ability to sleep you know morethan they should like my fiance
I tell him all the time I'm likeyeah I'm gonna call him out
because I know he has the hoursin the day he might sleep you
know five six hours a night andI'm like no babe like come on

(13:01):
let's let's try to ramp that upat least eight so is he just
like do you guys go to bedtogether and he's just doom
scrolling or like we go to bedtogether and he truthfully he
wakes up really early okay andthat's fine but then like get to
bed earlier but There's thismentality of, well, I have to
get up and work and I have to gobe productive.

(13:22):
And that's part of, you know, mything with society is just,
there is no productivity withoutsleep, right?
There is no best version ofyourself without getting the
most rest that you can andfeeling recovered.
But society doesn't teach youthat growing up.
It's like rise and grind.
You brag about like getting fourhours of sleep, all that stuff.
Exactly.
And now I look lazy because I'msleeping nine hours, but.

(13:45):
You need it.
Yeah, you need it.
You need it.
I need it.
Well, I feel like you just andyou just told me this 20 minutes
ago.
I want to kind of get into whatsounds like some bittersweet
news for you.
But tell me what you justdecided to do yesterday.
Well, yeah, this is so fresh.
So first time I'm talking aboutit.
But I did have to end my seasonfor the 2025 World Championships

(14:08):
in Tokyo prematurely due to anAchilles injury.
And it's an injury that's beenbothering me pretty much all
season.
It started in May.
Got really bad in July rightbefore our USA Championships.
And Achilles injuries aredefinitely common in track and
field.
I mean, we are running so fast.

(14:29):
And for those who don't know,like if you are, every stride
that we race is like five timesour body weight of force just
applied to our ankle and ourfeet.
And it's a lot.
And so it's a pretty commoninjury.
And then when we wear, you know,our spikes, they're meant to,
help you know running fast butthey don't really help with a

(14:50):
lot of support so it's kind of arecipe for Achilles tendon
issues and it's been it's been alittle tough I think just
pushing through it and kind offeeling like I have to run fast
because I am an Olympic championand people expect me to run
really fast times and theyexpect me to come in first and

(15:11):
they expect me to raceeverywhere and so I definitely
felt that throughout this seasonand just pushing through the
pain and not really listening tomy body.
And...
I guess in the last few weeksI've just really I've really
thought about it and I've triednot to let any of the outside

(15:31):
noise kind of you know sway mydecision but what it came down
to was I'm a human being firstand I'm not a race car I'm not a
source of entertainment forpeople right I need to take care
of my own body and and listen toit yeah and I didn't feel like
myself these last couple ofmonths right I don't feel like
myself when I'm training and Ican't train to the best of my

(15:54):
ability when I don't feel likeGabby Thomas on the track.
It was hard.
And so now that I've made thedecision not to go to world
championships, like I wastelling you, I just I feel so
much lighter.

SPEAKER_01 (16:05):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (16:05):
You know, I feel like the hard part was training
when I knew I shouldn't havebeen.
You know, it was trainingthrough pain and getting through
one day and taking one stepforward and taking two steps
back.
And now I just feel like, no,I'm proud of myself because I am
choosing me first and I have along career ahead of me.
Right.
And I'm training for the nextworld championships and next

(16:27):
Olympics.
And I don't want to put all ofthat in jeopardy, you know, for
one world championships andtrying to prove a point.
So I'm focused now on, ongetting healthy and making sure
that I don't worsen theAchilles, um, stopping now
before it becomes, you know, ayear to year long process of
recovery.
Um, so yeah, that's where I amright now and we're going to be

(16:50):
rehabbing it and I'll be backnext season.
Yeah.
Healthy and hopefully feelinglike myself again.
Oh, that's, that's so powerfuland so So just mature, just be
like, you know, it's, it's soeasy to let the ego inside and
let the outside noise win.
And I imagine you had, you know,the, the devil and the angel on

(17:12):
each shoulder and how are yougrappling with that?
Like, who are you turning to?
Cause I know for a fact, youcannot do that alone.
Like you just can't do it alone.
And I mean, exactly.
It's like the devil and angel onthe shoulder.
On one hand, I was like, okay,well I could go to worlds and,
you know, because I'm supposedto do it and everyone expects to
see me there and I can go fightto win and whatever.

(17:34):
And then the other hand, I'mlike, well, I really would be
putting myself and my health atjeopardy and I would not feel
good about it.
And so it's just going back andforth, but it's really leaning
on everyone in my circle.
So my coach, for sure.
My coach is my best friend.
She's been in the game.
She ran as well.
So she understands everything.

(17:56):
My agents, I have a trackingagent and a marketing agent and
I have developed so much trustwith them so yeah I trust them a
lot I trust their insight and Iknow that they care about me
more than just an athlete forthem and that's really really
important that's rare too it'srare it's so rare oh my gosh

(18:16):
yeah I feel really lucky withthe team that I've that I've
built around me a publicist tooshe's more than a publicist for
me at this point too I feel likeshe's also like family and a
great person to vent to

SPEAKER_01 (18:26):
yeah

SPEAKER_00 (18:27):
then I of course I have my family and I have my I
have my friends, I have myfiance, people who knew me
before.
I was a track star, people whosee me as a person, right?
And not, there's sorts ofentertainment on the TV screen.
So having their input is alsoreally helpful.
But at the end of the day, thedecision just had to be mine.
It had to be, you know, I knowmy body, I know how I feel.
And I know what's right deepdown.

(18:51):
And so that's really what itcame down to.
And I have everyone's fullsupport.
Yeah.
Oh, that just like makes mebreathe this type of relief for
you.
I know, I know.
that's just so hard like it isjust blocking out especially so
I don't know I competed in 2008was my last Olympics without
Instagram social media likeimagine so I just have such I

(19:12):
think I have such a triggerresponse on behalf of athletes
when I see all these armchaircritics I'm just like shut your
mouth it's gotten so much worseover the past few years too I
mean my first Olympics was yeahTokyo 2021 and I that was
probably the first Olympicswhere social media was the
thing.

(19:32):
Instagram existed in 2016, but Ithink everyone was on it.
Everyone had something to say.
Everyone on Twitter, they hadthese parasocial kind of
relationships with athletes andcelebrities and public figures.
But even since Tokyo, I havesuch an interesting love-hate
relationship with social medianow.

(19:53):
I love that people have accessto me, and I love that I have
access to my fans, and I lovethat I can share so much of my
life, you know, on my own time.
But on the other hand, I don'tknow.
It's just the comments andentitlement that you get from
some people who aren't reallyfans, but just, I don't know,

(20:15):
like to be negative is soshocking to me, even still.
And it seems like it's constant.
And it's like, on one hand, I dowant to be on social media
because I love interacting withpeople and I love sharing my
story.
And I love building my brand onsocial media.
But on the other hand, it canreally take a toll on your
mental health.

(20:36):
And I'm not sure how many moretimes athletes have to share
that before people understandthat we're human and that we're
people.
But I guess it's part of the jobnow.
It's just learning how to blockit out.
Yeah, like trying to find thebalance for your own self,
right?
It sounds like everyone isdifferent.
Like Lindsey Vonn said she hadthis filter.
You probably do this.
She has a filter of certainwords that blocks out the

(20:58):
comments Oh yeah.
I feel like it's, don't youthink it's because it makes
people feel like they know youon this personal level?
And so they, which I'm like,would you say that to your
family member?
Like if you feel like you knowyou so well, would you be that
mean to your friend?
That's such a great point.
Exactly.
If you feel like you know thisperson, would you actually say
that to somebody you know?

(21:18):
And what's really strange to meis I don't think these people,
they wouldn't say it to me, tomy face anyway.
It's like the people who haveall of this to say about me are
the same people who if they sawme in person would ask for a
picture.
So it's just like the internetgives people like this different
identity almost.
And it's so bizarre.
It's so bizarre.
But then at the same time, I'mfreaking out over Travis and

(21:40):
Taylor like I know them.
I'm fine with like the happystuff.
Just don't talk about your crap.
It's so true.
It's so true.
And that's what I mean.
I love like kind of maintainingthis relationship with people,
right?
So they feel like, you know,they're experiencing what it's
like to be a pro athlete.
And I think that's so special.
And it's so fun because I'm thesame way.
Like, right.

(22:00):
I love to see what otherathletes are doing and TikTok
trends.
So I'm addicted.
Personality's right.
I love TikTok.
Exactly.
I love TikTok.
So yeah, I just, I guess youtake the good with the bad.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And kind of, and kind of managehow you need to go off it when
you need to have your managerposts when you need them to
post.
Exactly.
Exactly.
Strategies.

(22:21):
I feel like when I look at you,which by the way, I feel so
grateful that I was able to goto track and field and watch you
win gold in the 200.
So in 2004 and 2008, swimmingalways overlapped to some
degree.
And I never got to go togymnastics.
I never got to go to track andfield.
And so your event was my firstever time at a track and field.

(22:45):
And I got to watch you.
Did you love it?
Oh, my.
It's fun, right?
It's electric.
I know.
I'm like, can swimming be likethis?
Because you have 80,000 people,the purple track, everything.
Everything about it was just, Iwas like really, really like, I
like saw your whole like facialexpression.
Like I was low, I was low to seeit.

(23:09):
So I, and I feel like peoplethat only pay attention to
Olympic sports every four yearsprobably can look at you and be
like, wow, like overnightsuccess, which is, I just laugh
at knowing your story.
Can you take me back to Harvardand just kind of like what you
picked up from, you know, eachexperience at Harvard then

(23:29):
moving on to Tokyo because Ithink something about you is the
self-talk the visualization isreally almost like a master
class for so many athletes onhow you went and accomplished
what you just accomplished itwas what 50% physical and 50%
yes definitely definitely and Ithink one thing that I notice

(23:50):
with professional track is Imean everyone is so talented
right everyone is physicallyincredible and what sets people
apart is is really the mentalpiece of it.
And it's the resilience and howyou can respond to, like we were
saying, people on the internetsaying really mean things about
you or how you respond to losingand not being your best.
So how can you bounce back fromthat?

(24:10):
And I think I gained so much ofthat skillset from my time at
Harvard.
Harvard was, while it's not abig track school and it's not
somewhere where you go to be thefastest in the country, it gave
me so many fundamentals and somany mental tricks to being a
professional athlete.

(24:31):
I had a really greatrelationship with my college
coach, Keba Tolbert.
He's still a mentor of mine whoI go to for any issues that I
have, honestly, or just even fora laugh.
But he taught me to fall in lovewith the sport.
He taught me to fall in lovewith the journey.
He is the person who introducedme to meditation.

(24:52):
Meditation is a big part of mypractice for track and field.
It's a part of the routine.
I wake I wake up every morningand I meditate five minutes.
I incorporate it into my warmuproutine for competition and I do
it at night.
And I think it's a greatpractice whether you're an
athlete or not.
It just really grounds you andhelps you focus.
And it's just a really healthykind of habit to get into.

(25:15):
Visualization is another thingthat I learned in college.
Visualizing my races, just takea couple of minutes and really
just let yourself see your planand see what you're going to do.
And that was a big part of whatI did in Paris for the Olympics.
I visualized that race so manytimes.

(25:39):
It was almost impossible for meto lose at that point.
I envisioned it from every lane.
I envisioned myself winning.
And yeah, it was just such agreat tool that I used.
It's also just Harvard, like Isaid before, I didn't feel so
much pressure to specialize andfocus on track and field I was

(26:00):
able to grow and nurture so manyaspects of myself and
personality right I was aneurobiology major and I love
neurobio and I loved what I wasstudying because it was so
interesting and at the time Istill was trying to be a doctor
or whatever it's like it's sofunny to think about that now um
and I was also doing differentclubs and I was like

(26:23):
experimenting and meetingdifferent types of people um I
joined infinity groups atHarvard and yeah I just did what
I loved yeah and that's soimportant yeah I think that I
think that's what I love aboutyour story because you know mine
was the opposite right it's likeOlympics at 15 there's no time

(26:43):
to do that and I think nowadayswith social media your story is
what everybody should modelbecause there's time for
pressure but you have to likelet your brain develop as an
adolescent to find you knowtruly who you are as an
individual without sport withoutwithout accomplishment yes um
yeah so that I think is you knowwhen you see that smile that was

(27:04):
on your face when you crossedthe finish line the 200 it was
just clear that yes you were outof your mind excited that you
won the gold medal but it wasn'tgoing to just be your entire
identity exactly it's not andand that is to say like even
your story is so great too andit's like it's for people I
think everyone should just kindof figure out their own path
right and figure out their ownlane and if you are someone who

(27:26):
does really well withspecializing early and you are
happy and you are having successand you can make the Olympics at
15 then like yeah go do thatright I think Sydney McLaughlin
is someone in our sport who didit really well and she's
continuing to do it really welland that just wasn't for me
that's okay because I can stillget there and just because
you're not making an Olympicteam super early or you know

(27:48):
having success super earlydoesn't mean that you can't have
it eventually 100% I got intothe sport later than most people
in track do and honestly I'mjust I was okay with that and I
was comfortable with myself andThat's why I'm successful.
So I would just say that toanyone, right?
Like whatever your path is,that's your path.
And that's your pathway tosuccess.
And that's fine.

(28:08):
I think the hard part withyounger is like I had, I mean, I
had to kind of relearn andrelove the sport.
Like I hated swimming for likefive years.
So I think, and I know Sydneytalked about just her struggle.
So I think it's the reason I'mharping on it so much is I just
think that we need to provideathletes with just more tools of

(28:31):
like you said like the balanceand hey it's okay to have other
aspects of yourself yes so thatyou look back on your time on
the sport and don't have momentsof regret or don't have moments
of oh like I just I hate it youknow that's such good advice
that's so yeah yeah yeah I canum well I want to talk a little
bit about I feel like swimmingand track and field is very

(28:52):
similar in the fact that it'severy four years but yet we have
world championships and yesBreaking world records and doing
really incredible things everysingle year, people.
And I feel like track and fieldis always a little bit ahead of
swimming in the fact that you'redoing Athlos and there's the
Grand Slam track and there's allthese events that's really

(29:14):
geared towards helping not onlyuplift female athletes, but also
getting money in the pockets ofthese athletes.
So can you talk a little bitabout Athlos?
Yes.
So I was so jealous, like me.
I'm just going to go.
I'm a swimmer, but I'm justgoing to go.
Oh my gosh.
So excited about Athlos.
Athlos is definitely like one ofmy babies.

(29:37):
So yeah, I mean, everyone knowsevery four years people love the
Olympics and swimming andgymnastics are one of those
sports that people tune in andwatch and they're so excited to
watch it.
Same with track and field.
So if we can get that attentionevery four years, it's just,
we're wondering why can't we getit every year?
Yeah.
And one thing about track andfield is it's very popular

(29:57):
overseas like our most of ourseason is done at the Diamond
League which is primarily inEurope a little bit in Asia a
little bit in Africa but inEurope and people love track and
field there how can we get thatin America yeah right like how
can we get eyeballs on track andfield how can we maintain that
interest just in the UnitedStates and so that's what Atlas
is about it's about making surethat there is top competition

(30:21):
every year in the US so thatpeople can watch and a big issue
with track and field is thatpeople don't don't know when and
where to watch it outside of theolympics yeah yeah right and
that's a big thing it's makingit easy to watch when we compete
in the diamond league peopledon't know where to watch it
they don't know when we'recompeting i don't even know
where to watch it or where doyou watch it i mean i think now

(30:41):
you can watch it on flow trackbut so it's it's having that
accessibility to the casual fanright we need casual fans to
want to watch track and fieldand know that we're competing
and it's also about gettingathletes to show up and as you
know like if you're not making alot of money it'll be hard to

(31:01):
convince an athlete to put theirbody on the line to go race and
prepare for a race and so a bigpart of Athlos was also bringing
in a prize pot it was thebiggest prize pot in track and
field history and thatincentivizes athletes to show up
and so last year we had a greatinaugural event in New York City
it was so much fun and it was Imean it was a celebration of

(31:23):
track and field and it was anentertaining event and that's
what sports is at the end of theday it's entertainment.
And you want people to show upat these sporting events and
have a good time.
And that's what Atlas was.
And we had great competition andreally fast girls running on the
track.
So we are bringing it back thisyear, this October.
Same thing in New York City atIcon Stadium, October 10th.

(31:43):
And then after that, the leagueis starting.
So the Atlas Track League willbe, for now, a series of, I
think, three track events.
It's going to be team-based,which is going to be a new model
for track and field.
I think that's really exciting.
People can always get behindteams.
It makes it more fun.
It shakes things up a littlebit.

(32:04):
And that will start in 2026 andbeyond.
But I'm so excited about itbecause I've always just wanted
to leave the sport of track andfield better than I found it.
I think it's really importantthat the younger generation has
something to look up to,something to aspire towards.
I didn't know that you can runprofessional track when I was in
high school or when I was evenin college.

(32:25):
I I didn't know where they wentI was like the casual fan I was
like oh I'll see you in fouryears I guess but no I want
younger girls to be like no Ican run professional track too
like I have something to lookforward to I can make money and
I can do this and that's whatAthlos is really about it's
about inspiring the nextgeneration and leaving the sport

(32:48):
better so I think it'll be greatwe'll have a lot of visibility
on it a lot more money in it andI think the athletes will be
really excited to compete yeahand I also love that it shows
each person's personality likethe fact that there's a red
carpet and you have your outfitsand you kind of like I'm deathly
I'm deathly deathly uh enviousbecause I have always said this

(33:11):
I'm like why can't swimmers dothat too like yeah we're gonna
get all wet and all our makeup'sgonna come off but I just think
that is what's missing inswimming a little bit is just
showcasing these athletesamazing stories and I feel like
that's why Athlos has caughtfire because people want to be
invested in the actual human inand not just like, oh, this is
the time they ran.
Yes.
Yes.
That's such a good point.

(33:31):
And I'm glad you said that too,because what we fail to realize
in the track and field communityis that people don't know times.
Like people don't care.
Like, I don't know.
Swimming's probably verysimilar, but you guys are
geeking out over how fast thisperson ran by like a 10th of a
second.
And like, you look to the personnext to you, they have no idea

(33:52):
what that means.
Yeah.
You're like, yeah.
Yeah.
So it's about storytelling.
Exactly.
It's about like people becomingfans of the athlete and telling
a story and at least in trackyou know you know who wins
because it's obvious so at leastwe have that kind of easy rule
to follow people know who winsand who loses so it's just a
matter of telling that storyyeah and when Alexis Ohanian

(34:13):
came to me about Atlas what drewhim to it is because he saw us
on social media and he saw likethe track girls and he was like
okay they have something herelike they're they're expressing
themselves on TikTok andInstagram and they're doing like
fashion and makeup and it's funto watch.
And so that's something that hesaw value in and decided to
invest in.
And I think there's a lot ofmomentum right now in women's

(34:38):
track and field and we candefinitely keep it going.
It's really cool to see.
I think the other thing thatthey should add is I was telling
you like, oh, well, I run like10 and a half at like Barry's.
Like I think they should do thetranslation of like, okay, so
Gabby was at 19.5 people.
So that's relatability.
Like people know an orangetheory in Barry's.
So they'd be like, oh, mindblown no that's hilarious and

(34:59):
Alexis has talked about even umhaving just a regular person
come have one lane open for themlane nine come race and then it
puts things in perspective foreveryone I think that'd be
amazing you know what we shoulddo we should do where like if
the athlete's done competing forexample like let's just say I
competed at the Olympics firstyou know five events whatever
and then track and field hashappened like the Olympians

(35:19):
should serve as the average Joesfor each other like I'll be your
runner you can be my swimmer ohmy gosh because that was would
you do it I mean I guess youcould get like a true average
Joe but like I think it would becool to kind of like we're
helping each other out that'sthat's a really good idea I
think we might be onto somethingthere I'll just do it as the

(35:39):
retired athlete and just getsmoked yeah swimming is rough
like Leanne Marchand just brokethe world record in the 200 IM
like insane time and it was 152and that probably means nothing
to you yeah because people don'tpeople don't swim yeah we don't
know the times, but I do knowwhat world record means.
Do you know what world recordmeans?

(36:00):
That's the, yeah, you just gotto break a world record to leave
the impact that you want.
Exactly.
World record or Olympic gold.
I mean, yeah, exactly.
And we want to change thelandscape of that because it's
like, running and swimming arejust such, everyone does it.
They're also life skills.
Right.
Like exactly.
Everyone does it.

(36:20):
Everyone has to do it.
So everyone can relate on somelevel to it.
So where do we just maintainthat interest?
We just have to figure that out.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, I think we'll take apage from you guys.
I always feel like even in thescience and the training, like
in the marketing, I think we'realways just like a half a step
behind track and field.
So it's, I've been very curiousof how you guys have been doing

(36:42):
it.
So it's, definitely you guys gotit I do think we a lot of the
track women we do force our wayinto the media a lot we do a lot
of posting on social media a lotof expressing ourselves a lot of
talking a lot of the makeup hairall that we're just love it
constantly doing yeah so I thinkit helps you guys have heard us
talk about dream recovery ahundred times and guess what

(37:03):
you're gonna hear it a hundredmore we cannot get enough of all
the amazing things that dreamrecovery has to offer as you
guys know Katie and I have somuch travel coming up this
summer.
And I feel like one of thethings we haven't touched on is
how important it is to maintainthe best sleep you can when you
travel and dream recovery haseverything you need in order to
do that.

(37:23):
I have started taking both mysleep mask and my mouth strips
on the plane with me.
I don't care if people look atme and think I'm crazy.
I will use both of those things.
I will get naps on the plane.
I will sleep on them if they'rean overnight flight and then
using them in the hotel is atotal game changer.
So make sure you're taking careof your sleep, not just at home,
but also on the road and doingit with everything from Dream

(37:44):
Recovery.
You guys can use code unfilteredto get 30% off your order and
50% off your first monthsubscription of Dream Tape.
Sweet dreams.
Well, I want to chat a littlebit more about your
extracurriculars because Ithink, number one, your why for
volunteering at the clinic, yourwhy for getting your master's.

(38:06):
What sparked that and why is itso deeply important to you?
I think it's always been areally important to me.
Like I said, with track andfield, just leave a place better
than you found it.
And I want to have a reallypositive impact on the world.
I have always been veryfortunate in healthcare and
receiving healthcare.
I always had doctor's visitsgrowing up.

(38:28):
I was a healthy child.
And when I started at Harvardand I started my neurobiology
degree, I also took somesociology courses where I
learned so much about healthdisparities, especially as it
you in high school, things thatthey don't teach you in college
unless you seek out thosespecific types of courses.

(38:48):
And I just remember being sotouched and also disturbed by
how different socioeconomicsituations can have serious
long-term effects on yourhealth, and not just your
health, but like youroffspring's health.
And it had a difference, right?

(39:13):
I wanted things to be different.
So from then on, I took coursesthat I knew would set me up to
get a master's in public health.
And I wanted to get my master'sso that I can have a fundamental
understanding of how can I makethe healthcare space different?
How can I make it better?
And then the goal was to go andrun my own hospital and just,
you know, maybe run a nonprofitone day and make a difference.

(39:37):
But it's something thatgenuinely, like, I was
passionate about myself.
I was...
As an athlete, I was verypassionate about taking care of
myself and making sure that Iwas healthy and the best version
of myself.
And I felt like everyone neededto be afforded that opportunity.
Also very sensitive to differentsocioeconomic statuses just
because of my upbringing as welland being a black woman and

(40:00):
understanding the issues thatcame with that and seeing all
the stats about black women asit pertains to their health and
health care and the health carethat they were receiving and the
access to health care.
And so when I graduated, I movedto Austin, Texas, to get my
master's in public health.
And I also found the volunteerhealth care clinic, which is

(40:21):
actually right downtown.
And it gives health care topeople who otherwise wouldn't
have access to it, people whodon't have health insurance,
people who can't afford to gosee doctors.
And it gives it to them forfree.
And we are primarily volunteers,just a couple of people on
staff, but volunteer doctor,volunteer nurses.
I was a nurse assistant.
And we provided educationalresources Actual health care, so

(40:45):
you can come and see a doctor,get a lab done, get imaging
done, medication, whatever youneeded.
And it makes a big difference inthe community.
And what touched me a lot aboutit was, you know, working at the
local level, you really see theimpact on a day-to-day basis,
right?
We see returning patients.
So a lot of the people we canactually develop a relationship

(41:07):
with and get to know theirstories on a holistic level.
So they're not just kind ofnumbers on a spreadsheet, right?
These are people, and we seetheir lives.
We see their situation.
We see if they don't havetransportation, so it's hard for
them to come pick up theirmedication or go to a doctor,
right?
So we're bringing them theirmedication.
Or we see what their situationis with nutrition.
Do they have a kitchen?
Do they live in a food desert?

(41:27):
And so we can help work withthem in that way.
And it makes a very bigdifference, right?
And I think that's kind of howhealth care should be rather
than just this numbers game,right?
And looking at the bottom line,that's really heartbreaking.
And it's something that was justfulfilling, right?
You're really making a realdifference in people's lives.

(41:48):
And I think that's reallyimportant.
So it's part of it, right?
It's part of the balance.
It's part of living a full lifeand doing things that really
matter.
Yeah.
Do you have a specific person orstory that really hit you hard?
Oh my gosh, yes.
I'll never forget.

(42:08):
So one of my sponsors is NewBalance.
It's my primary sponsor.
Thank you so much.

(42:42):
tough time and getting divorcedand as a result lost her health
insurance and had fallen into,spiraled into depression, right?
Which is another form ofhealthcare that we help provide
for the patients as well.
But she was struggling to justget out of bed every morning and
to move.
And when she showed up that dayand saw all the shoes and it was

(43:02):
her kind of sign to get backinto her health and to pour into
herself more.
And she was so teary eyedtelling me this, but she was
just so inspired that peoplepeople at the clinic cared.
They cared enough about her.
They cared enough to dosomething and to think of them
and something so small that canmake such a big difference.

(43:23):
And of course, you know, we'restill in contact and seeing the
improvements on, you know, onher life every day is, I don't
know, it's really rewarding, butit's also just, it reminds you
how real all of this is.
Like she's not the only onewho's going through that.
It's just one of so manyexamples how such a small thing

(43:46):
can really make a difference inpeople's lives.
And if you're in a position tohelp people, then you do it.
It can always be you.
She had such a normal, healthylife with plenty of access to
health care, and then you neverknow.
Just one day that can allchange.
It can all change, and you canalways be in that situation.

(44:09):
So just having that type ofempathy and paying it forward
when you can Yeah, it was areally, it was a good lesson for
me that day, for sure.
Yeah, I asked that because we doa mission trip every year to
Mexico and we build a house fora family.
And I always feel like you gainsuch perspective.
So it allows not only to helpsomeone else in need, but just

(44:31):
helps you understand gratitude.
Like you're sitting there like,I'm getting stressed about this
little thing, you know, and itjust really centers you.
And I truly believe, I mean, ifit's just once a year, fine.
if it's once a month if it'sonce a week whatever I think
everyone should do that type ofthing especially athletes
because you get so in yourtunnel vision oh my gosh I was
gonna say yeah like you you kindof at times have to be a little

(44:53):
selfish right you're focused onyour health and your strength
and and I think it it pulls youout a little bit from your
bootstraps and it's like hellooh my gosh I am so glad you said
that because I yeah no that'show I feel like I feel like I
get so wrapped up in my careerand performance and you're right
you do get really selfish likeeverything becomes about how

(45:13):
you're feeling and your body andmaking sure that you're
prioritizing yourself and youmiss out on so many things and
yeah it's having that momentthat perspective to step back
and like look at the world forwhat it is and you have those
moments of gratitude yeah yeahyeah no I really resonate with
that yeah that's why I feel likeit's been so integral in my
career is having those momentsand being a part of the clinic

(45:35):
it makes total sense yeah yeahwe'll move into our we'll call
it our power play section sojust some some more fun short
questions questions to get toknow you a little bit better.
So who is more of a softie forRico, your adorable dog, you or
Spencer?
Me for sure.
He is a disciplinary.
I mean, he's a TikTok star,let's be honest.

(45:57):
Your go-to pizza order and areyou a food sharer?
Go-to pizza order is definitelydouble pepperoni and I love hot
honey.
I love thin crust and doublecut.
And no, I'm not a food sharer,but my fiance is.
Oh, interesting.
That's tough.
It is tough.
Todd and I are both like,absolutely not.
Don't touch my food.
Oh, really?

(46:18):
Okay.
Perfect.
I mean, it's your food.
You ordered this.
Yeah.
There is times where I'm like, Ijust want one fry.
And he'll be like, I'll get youyour own plate of fries.
And I'm like, but I just wantone.
So that would be a waste offood.
That would be a waste of food.
Okay.
You talk about saying I will bean Olympic champ like 500 times

(46:41):
before you raced and did it whatis your saying now what a good
question I think my saying now Iwould say chop wood, carry
water.
And it's another thing that Ilearned from my college coach.

(47:02):
And it means that you keep doingthe things that got you success
even after you had the success,right?
So it's maintaining those samehabits that got me to where I am
today and being consistent, evenwhen I'm not feeling motivated
and just keep plugging away.
Yep.
What do you do in those moments?
I think sometimes people look atprofessional athletes,

(47:23):
Olympians, and they're like,well, they're lucky.
They just, they just...
You must always want to do it,right?
But the alarm goes off andyou're like, dear God, no.
I know, right?
Oh my gosh.
I was like driving to my PT theother day in traffic and I was
just like, oh my God.
You're like, do I got, yeah,right.
I could just turn around.
You know, it's like we weretalking about.

(47:44):
I think it's perspective andmaintaining gratitude, right?
Like running is sometimes I justreally don't want to, but
running is a privilege and I'mso blessed and grateful that I'm
able to

SPEAKER_01 (47:55):
and

SPEAKER_00 (47:56):
I love my job.
And just like people don't feellike getting up at 6 a.m.
in the morning and going totheir job, I go to mine.
And it's for a greater purpose.
Yeah.
Love that.
Okay.
The baton handoff.
Okay.
So in swimming, when we dorelay, it seems way easier than
what you guys do.
Way easier.
But we still have to obviouslytime it up and make sure that

(48:19):
our toes don't leave before thehand touches.
And we only get to practice witha relay teammate once, maybe
twice a year.
year you get it yeah yeah so I'mlooking at that is that the same
for you guys and how in theworld I would be stressed out of
my mind like it's oh my god it'sso complicated it doesn't have
to be that complicated but itreally is because it seems very
complicated I think a bigmisconception in track and field

(48:42):
too is that we all traintogether and that we all know
each other no like and peoplelive all around the country and
they have different traininggroups and we come together for
this one meet and try to make itreally happen so I just want to
clear that up a lot ofespecially with the men's relay
I know there are issues butthese people don't train
together so thank you yes thankyou for clarifying that because
that is always people in thecomments i'm like once again

(49:03):
give them a little slack yeahand then you have to you
practice with the relay orderthat you think will happen but
obviously people have theirindividual events and things
change people are healthy peoplearen't running fast and you're
trying to put put together arelay that will be the best you
know the best chance at winninga gold medal and when you switch
orders around things get thingsget tough yeah we only get a

(49:26):
couple of opportunities eachyear to practice together right
we can train together at olympictraining camp or world
championships training campwhich is right before the meet

SPEAKER_01 (49:34):
yeah

SPEAKER_00 (49:35):
but you don't want to interrupt your individual
training for a relay and youdon't want to be doing relay
starts back to back to backbecause then you're risking
injury and you're riskingperformance decline so you have
a very small window of time toget these relay handoffs
together yeah and pair that withnerves and excitement and
pressure and then you getsomeone who leaves maybe you
know one tenth of a second toearly and the whole thing's over

(49:57):
so a lot goes into it I thinkthe women we've done a good job
of kind of making it work andjust trusting each other and
figuring it out even if we don'thave a lot of practice together
but I think that comes you knowto the coaching it's a testament
to the culture that we have as awomen's relay program yeah okay
well that's exactly what Ithought like every time I watch
I'm like how are they doing thiswith like and especially you

(50:20):
said like you're in practice youspend like oh hey this is the
relay team we have 10 minuteswe're gonna come over you know
like that's actually what'shappening literally not like you
have two hours a day to trainwith exactly and even if we did
it's not like we can do thatmany reps right you can only do
so many reps when you're runningbecause then you're just you're
gonna hurt yourself yeah so yeahyeah like three reps in one day

(50:40):
yeah um okay this came upactually with bobby fink we were
talking so in swimming it sucksso much you you could you
wouldn't go in olympic goldmedal and then they're like okay
go warm down for 40 minutes yeahis that yeah let's just do you
guys have to do that you yeah imean technically yeah we have to
cool down okay but after myolympic medal i did not cool
down well but yes yeah no wedefinitely cool down i mean i

(51:04):
wouldn't say it's like 40minutes i'd say a 20 minute cool
down so you're just walking orlike what we're like running so
you kind of like you start youknow running and then you get
slower slower slower okay coolit down stretching dynamic
stretching okay so you stillhave to do it okay no i feel you
feel a little bit better peopledon't how often how long is your
warm-up um our warm-up i wouldsay rain like for a sprinter

(51:26):
it's probably like 20, probablylike 30 minutes.
Okay.
I was like 45 as like a middistance.
That's nice.
Um, and then yeah, warm down.
We would test our lactic acid.
So it could be like, you'd go 20minutes, they'd prick your ear
and then be like, Oh, you'restill not down yet.
And then you'd like, I'd havepainful races and I'd be in
there for an hour.

(51:47):
Wait, that's so smart though.
That note testing your, that'sreally smart.
Yeah.
I, I imagine that we'd have alot less injuries in track and
field if we actually took thecool down that seriously.
That's so interesting.
I really think we would.
I think we should do that.
Yeah.
I mean, I think, think aboutover the course of, you know,
four or five day competition,like you're getting more and
more beat up.

(52:08):
And so, and then like the,always like the rebel thing to
do, like the last night you'd belike, I'm not warming down.
Yeah.
After the last night.
But then like you feel terriblethe next day.
You're like, well, yeah.
Very interesting.
Okay.
So you've mastered the Dougie.
I would say.
That's really kind of you.
Yeah.
I would say.
I mean, I have no leg to standon.

(52:28):
What dance is next?
Have you seen air walking onTikTok?
It's air walking.
If you haven't seen it, look itup.
Okay.
That's next.
Okay.
Yep, look it up after this.
I'm imagining like MichaelJackson, like the walking back.
Yep, walking forward.
Walking forward.
Yep.
Is it, okay, interesting.
Is it like you're running?

(52:49):
No, you're walking.
It looks like you're floating onair.
Okay, I'll look it up afterthis.
It's so cool.
Yeah.
Oh, man, I feel like, yeah.
That's next.
Okay, two-part question.
You were the Grand Marshal atthe New York City Marathon.
Yes.
So cool.
How much money would it take foryou to run one?
Nope.
No amount of money.
Nope, nope, nope.
$1 billion.
Okay, yeah, you're right.
Everyone has a price.

(53:12):
I'd probably do it for half amillion.
Okay.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah, I'd do it for half amillion.
Yeah, because you could walk it.
Yeah.
And then same thing, how muchmoney, and I will give you my
answer first here, how muchmoney to be tackled by Ilona
Marr And I would say zero on myend.
Zero dollars.

(53:33):
Just so epic.
Although I'm a retired athlete,so I can get hurt.
You can.
We can probably make thathappen.
Let's see.
Okay.
As a competing athlete, Iprobably, honestly, you're
right.
That'd be kind of sick.
Probably somewhere around there.
My fiance plays rugby and heloves to like fake tackle me.
So I feel like I know what toexpect.

(53:54):
What's a fake tackle?
Like he's just like, yeah, justtackle me lightly.
Lightly.
Just like take me down.
But not in a way that injuresme.
Gently.
I just think that.
No, 10 bucks.
10 bucks?
10 bucks, yeah.
Okay, nice.
Next time I see you, Ilona.
Okay.
Tackle us both.
There's$10 in it for you.
We'll give it to her.
What is your weirdest algorithmon your socials?

(54:17):
Ooh, good question.
What is on my algorithm?
Ooh, I don't know.
Wait, give me, what's yours?
I'll tell you mine.
So I have, it's so weird.
It's like, there's like these,these like balls with like balls

(54:38):
within them and you squeeze themand they all pop out.
And it's like very like.
Okay, that's, that's great.
Crazy.
That's really funny.
Before that, I think that likethey coincided.
That's why it led me to thisplace.
And my friend makes fun of me.
It's like, it's like you're inthe ocean and it's like this
device, like scraping off thebarnacles Okay.

(54:58):
Of like whales and stuff.
Okay.
It's so satisfying.
Is it like AI?
Yeah, it's AI.
I think for the most part, likeit'll be like a little seal and
then they get them all clean andlike so weird.
But I think that's how, I thinkit's like a texture like
satisfaction thing for me.
I've seen those and I'm glad youshared yours.
Yeah.
I definitely know what mine is.

(55:20):
Have you seen the, it's like thekitchen food items and they're
like singing and telling youwhat not to do.
No.
so weird okay if you knew itanother thing to look up it is
it's like your items in yourfridge and it'll be like them
telling you how to store thembut they're singing and it's AI
and it's really cute okay but itteaches you a lot about how to

(55:40):
store things like don't put yourapples next to you know your
oranges it's like educationalbecause yeah it's educational
yes don't put your like rawchicken on the top of it's and
there's that's so funny it'sreally it's really good okay
I'll have to I'll have to checkthat one out I love AI TikToks
all right last question um aperson in the last year that

(56:01):
you've been starstruck by that'soh that's so hard oh my gosh
that's such a hard question Ifeel like I've been starstruck
like constantly ever since theOlympics oh gosh probably
probably Rihanna who's ZendayaZendaya that's so funny that you

(56:23):
said that because have you seenthe clip and then I'm gonna I
won't one more, but like theclip I have, I had this written
down.
So she's interviewed.
You give up such Zendaya, likeall triple threat vibes.
Yeah.
So the interviewer is just like,it catches off guard.
And she's like, I just wonderwhen you wake up in the morning
and you look in the mirror, howmuch you have to fight the urge

(56:44):
to say, wow, these other womenaren't even close.
Like can't keep it together.
She's laughing.
So I thought about opening theinterview like that with you,
but maybe not.
That's hilarious.
I'll send you the clip.
And then they would play likebadass music after it.
It's like very inspirational andhype.

(57:06):
No, I'm obsessed with Zendaya.
I am.
So you got to meet her.
No, I didn't even meet her.
I was just at the Met and I wasaround her and I just couldn't,
I was scared.
Everyone else I was like, okay,like, hi, like, you know, I
spoke to, but like Zendaya, Iwas just like, and she's so tall
and I'm tall and I'm not used topeople being taller than me.

(57:26):
And I was just like, okay.

UNKNOWN (57:28):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (57:28):
Oh my gosh.
But Rihanna, I did meet, I wasstarstruck and she watched track
at the Olympics.
So I was like, so she wasprobably starstruck by you.
She was just proud.
And I was like, Oh, thank you.
And she smelled so good.
Just like a really warm, likevanilla.
It was just really, yeah.
She, she smells really good.

(57:49):
So yeah.
That was great.
Yeah, I do.
I love that for me.
That's amazing.
What, um, of all those, like youjust like being on the Cover
Vogue, Met Gala, SI.
Can you pick out a favoritemoment in all of those?
My favorite moment wasdefinitely ESPYs.
It was my first ESPYs this lastyear.

(58:10):
Normally can't go because it isright in the season, but I went
and it just felt really special.
Being around so many athletesand such an appreciation for
sport and I feel like it was onebig family because everyone gets
it.
Everyone understands what it'slike to be an athlete, what it's
like to be recognized for allthe hard work and for it to be
celebrated and to celebrate likepeople's work outside of sports

(58:33):
too yeah it just i i felt likeit was my people and i had so
much fun um yeah and i felt idon't know so comfortable like
yeah that's you know our spaceso that was probably my favorite
i imagine it would be hard to beyou know si swimsuit or met gala
it's like all these people thatthey get it but they don't get

(58:55):
you yeah as on the athlete levelyou know it's kind of like a
sisterhood and yeah exactly Imean were you intimidated doing
the Vogue shoot or anything likethat the Vogue shoot no I was
just excited and they did agreat job of making me feel
comfortable yeah making me feellike a model even though I
wasn't but they were like youknow they were hyping me up a
little bit the Met Gala was veryintimidating yeah I'll say that

(59:19):
that was that was a lot I'm alsolike naturally introverted so I
was just like so much talkingbut it was really cool yeah I
would do it again but yeahdefinitely you know outside of
my comfort zone but yeah youknow that's okay yeah so fun
yeah um okay final threequestions what is a moment

(59:41):
outside the sport of track andfield that's brought you the
most amount of joy oh a greatquestion outside of track and
field in the last year just likeever ever like ever um Let's

(01:00:02):
see, I mean, There's so many,like there's so many going
through my head right now.
I mean, I did get engaged inthis last year and that was an
amazing moment.
Like that's, oh, I'm so excited.
And we're planning our weddingnow.
So it's been so much fun.
Do you have a date?
We're thinking, yeah, October30th of 2026.
So yeah, after track season andeverything, because you know how

(01:00:23):
it is planning your life around.
Oh yeah, our entire wedding wasaround my same schedule.
Exactly, exactly.
So yeah, we're really excited.
So exciting.
I mean, the pictures, the video,it looked insane.
thank you yeah thank you okaysame question but a moment or
memory I think I know the answerto this inside the sport of
track inside the sport okay I'mnot gonna go with the Olympic

(01:00:44):
gold because I feel like that'sjust too it's too easy I would
say oh okay no there's twothere's two and it's hard to say
probably you know my firstOlympic medal which was Tokyo it
was a bronze and that's my babyI I love that medal so much um
and I know a lot of peoplethought it was like a failure
that I didn't get gold but forme it felt like such a win and I
don't know I try treasure thatmoment forever it was my first

(01:01:06):
Olympic medal and I just bronzeis my first Olympic medal too
just yeah I love it I love thatmedal um and then other than
that probably my NCAAchampionship in college because
it just changed the entiretrajectory of my life yeah I
just never saw myself as aprofessional track runner until
that moment and here I am hereyou are yeah that's cool all

(01:01:26):
right last question what is aword that motivates you or
inspires you or just serves as areminder of who you want to be
great question Do you have one?
It changes.
So it used to be enough.
Now it is, last year it wastrust.

(01:01:48):
I feel like right now it's stillenough.
I love that.
Yeah.
Mine would be gratitude, as wewere talking about earlier.
Yeah.
With everything that goes onafter having success in sport,
you know, it can be...
So challenging, but it's havingthat perspective and being
grateful to be able to do whatwe do.
Yeah.
It's gratitude.
Yeah.
That's incredible.

(01:02:08):
I love that one.
Oh, well, Gabby, thank you.
Thank you.
This was so much fun.
This is great.
I feel like I'm going to get tosee more of you.
Selfishly, I'm happy about that.
I was going to even ask you,like, what are you, you have
this free time now.
Like, what are you going to,what are you going to do?
Wedding planning.
We're going to do some eventsand do things that I wouldn't
have been able to do.

(01:02:29):
Go on vacation.
Yeah.
Probably, you know, do someappearances for partners and
sponsors now that I have sometime.
You have some actual time.
Yeah, I have time for you guys.
Yeah.
And then rehabbing.
Yeah.
A lot of rehabbing.
But I have a lot of time to makeup, you know, with family and
friends.

(01:02:49):
I'll definitely go visit my mom.
I'll go book a couple of girlstrips.
And, yeah.
Yeah.
It's kind of your true loverelationships.
Well, you deserve it.
Thank you.
And I'm wishing a speedyrecovery.
Thank you.
And just grateful to get tospeak with you today.
No, me too.
Thanks for having me.