122 - Alicja Konieczek; On Sponsored, Polish Olympian, Steeplechaser

This week I had the pleasure to speak with Alicja Konieczek. She is a Polish runner based in Albuquerque and working with Jackrabbit Race Management. She is an Olympian, finishing 20th in her specialty, the 3000m Steeplechase, at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She is also an On sponsored athlete.

Alicja talks about getting started in running in Poland and that she hated it at first, but found some success. She talks about running with her siblings and even following her brother to Western Colorado University.   We talk about her journey to Albuquerque and joining the On Athletics Club. She also talks about leaving the team, coming back to Albuquerque and working with Jackrabbit Race Management. She is helping to create and promote races, including the Albuquerque Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day that she is helping to set up. It was fun to hear her talk about finding passions outside of running that she can continue to do after her competitive career is over (though hopefully not for a while). We also talk about how she is now self coached, with Ben Fletcher (previous guest) as a support.   She also talks about the European Championships where she finished 4th in the Steeplechase with a time of 9:25.15, in what was the fastest finals in European Championships history. We also talk about the rest of the year and how happy she was to reach the final. She also talks about her next goals and some competition with her sister.   Alicja has been on my radar for a while and I was so happy to finally have a chance to talk with her. I hope you enjoy the conversation as well.   Cross Country season is already about halfway done. It feels like we are just getting started. There are so many wonderful athletes out there competing and I encourage you to support your local school. It is also the middle of marathon season. I hope everyone is getting in the training they need for the results they want. Stay hydrated, listen to your body, and keep running New Mexico.