Olympian Carrie Tollefson - Get After It! - The One Pebble Podcast

Episode Transcript
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Kristine Duininck (00:00):
This is the One Pebble Podcast.
I'm your host, Kristine.
Today on the One Pebblepodcast, we visit with Olympian
Carrie Tollefson.
Carrie was born and raised inDawson, Minnesota, where she was

(00:22):
a 13-time state champion, eightin track and five in cross
country.
Her five cross country titlesestablished a national record
for most consecutive titles,which still stands to this day.
Carrie attended VillanovaUniversity, where she was a
five-time NCAA champion and the1998 NCAA Indoor Tournament.

(00:43):
track athlete of the year.
She was also the first personin NCAA history to win both the
3K and the 5K titles.
In her post-collegiate career,she was a three-time national
champion, and after winning the1500-meter trials in 2004, she
represented the United States inthe 2004 Olympic Games in

(01:05):
Athens, Greece.
Carrie has transformed herpassion for sports into a
powerful platform forinspiration and education.
Carrie is not only a celebratedathlete, but also works as a
broadcaster, podcast host ofSeaTally Run, emcee, dynamic
speaker, coach, and advocate forhealthy living.

(01:26):
With her work on ESPN, NBC, andUSATF-TV, she provides regular
media coverage for New Yorkroadrunners, including the New
York City Marathon and the NewYork City Half Marathon, and is
also the main analyst on theBoston Marathon, Chicago
Marathon, Berlin Marathon, andhas covered the Tokyo Marathon.

(01:50):
Along with that, she works theNCAA Cross Country Foot Locker
Cross Country Nationals and wasa member of the broadcast team
for the 2024 Paris OlympicGames.
Currently, Carrie lives andtrains in her home state of
Minnesota with her husband,Charlie, and their three
children, Ruby, Everett, andGreer.

(02:11):
She inspires and Her completebio will be in the show notes.
Olympian Carrie Tollefson, wifeof Charlie, mother of three

(02:34):
amazing kids, Ruby, Everett, andGreer, it is my great honor and
joy to visit with you today.
Thank you so much for being apart of the One Pebble podcast.

Carrie Tollefson (02:46):
Thanks, Kristine.
I'm excited to be here.
I

have to tell you, Carrie, I'm a few years
older than you, but I canhonestly say I have looked up to
you since high school.
I grew up in Willmar,Minnesota.
You grew up in Dawson.
And I started running inseventh grade.
And in high school, you startedrunning a few years behind me,
probably when you were inseventh grade and I was in about

(03:11):
10th grade.
Well, you just were the personto watch in West Central
Minnesota.
You were the person that wewere inspired by.
I studied the Wilmer paper, andI remember in my heart just
cheering you on and just beinglike, who is this remarkable

(03:33):
person and runner from Dawson,Minnesota?
And I can honestly say, to thisday, You've sharpened me and
I've cheered you on and I'veheld you close in my heart and
just been so incredibly proud ofthe person you are.
And so when I started thispodcast, I quickly decided she

(03:55):
sits at the top rung of someonethat I can't wait to hear her
heart.
And we know that the listenerswill be so inspired by you.

Oh, well, thank you so much.
That's so kind.
I just I was laughing a littlebit thinking about 1989 when I
started seventh grade and havingmy big mall bangs ratted real
high and I had big buck teethand I had real big feet and
skinny little body.
It was not a pretty sight.
So that's what I'm thinkingthat you remember me as.

No, I remember you as this like.
You've always been blessed withgood looks, even in seventh
grade.

I was the model at the orthodontist
because I had such terribleteeth that they had me as the
before and after because theyhad to work their magic big
time.

I love it.
But I have to say, too, and myintent isn't to speak about our
family, but I say this for areason.
I'm not the only person in ourfamily who loves to run and
who's been inspired by you.
I really have to tell you allthese people quickly in our
family that have looked up toyou.
And I speak for countlessfamilies.

(05:07):
You don't even know all thestories of runners where your
story and your inspiration playsinto people.
So our daughter, Elsie, nowwho's out of college, she works
for Feed My Starving Children.
In high school, she looked upto you and would watch videos.
And you were someone that wasvery inspiring.

(05:29):
to her all through high school.
And you still are.
My brother, Glenn, who loves torun.
He's ran most of his entirelife as I have.
Like myself, Glenn has been soinspired by who you are as a
person and your running abilityand the difference that you've
made in the lives of others.
His daughters, Elise andAmelia, who have enjoyed Girls

(05:53):
on the Run.
And I've loved to be a part ofGirls on the Run with Amelia and
Elise.
But now Amelia goes to the sameschool as your daughter Ruby
and they're on the track andcross country team together and
Amelia being in seventh gradereally has looked up to Ruby
being in ninth grade and sothat's been really fun.

(06:15):
Probably most notably so far,as far as running talent in our
family, is my sister's son,Bjorn, who's currently a senior.
His sophomore year, he won thetwo-mile at state track.
The last two years, he wassecond place in state
cross-country, and now soonhe'll run next week for his last

(06:38):
time in state track.
But I say all that because...
All of those people in ourfamily, you've made an
impression.
And so thank you for thedifference that you've made in
the lives of people around theworld and how much you've
inspired our family as well.

Well, I appreciate it.
I mean, you know, small townUSA is kind of where Wilmer was
a big city for us in Dawson.
You guys had a mall.
But, you know, it's just it'sbeen really fun to be from out
there.
But then to be able to, youknow, Glenn and I go to church,
our family's go to churchtogether.
And, um, my husband has lookedat some of their land up North

(07:18):
and he's an art, my husband's anarchitect.
So like, just, there's just somuch stuff that is fun for us to
talk about, but also just niceto have this small community.
And, and a lot of times runningis involved in that.
You know, I, a lot of my reallygood, deep, you know, friends
that go with me for a long, longroad of life together, they are
runners.
So if you're not a runner andyou're listening to this, that's

(07:41):
fine.
But if you are, it's like,We're just real close.
We're real tight.
It's really fun.

That's so true.
It is so fun.
And will you tell the story?
This is one of my favoritestories about how you met
Charlie.
He was a part of your life.
You, I think, admired him inhigh school.
Oh,

I so admired him.
I still do.
I saw him this weekend.
We were in Philly and I wasworking.
And so I was on camera and onair because I'm a broadcaster.
And I look over in the standsat my husband.
I'm like, what a cutie.
And I thought of that even backin 1993.
I held his hand in Dawson,Minnesota at Sherry Norgard's

(08:26):
house.
A lot of you know the Norgardname.
But yeah, so I knew him in highschool.
He went to Appleton or was fromAppleton.
And then he went to Lac QuiParle Valley, which is a school
that I ran for.
Dawson Boyd is the school Igraduated from, but we
cooperated with Lac Qui ParleValley.
So I knew him then.
And I just thought he was mostfans handsome guy on the

(08:49):
football team and on the golfteam and the basketball team.
And then seven years later,After I graduated, after he
graduated, I ran into him on theStone Arch Bridge in downtown
Minneapolis.
And instead of being calm and,you know, cool, I was crazy.
And I said, are you married?

(09:09):
It was the first thing I saidto him in seven years.
Not like, hey, how you been?
Mary,

who does that?

I don't

know.
That's like a movie.
I

know.
And my sister was there runningwith me and another girl from
Dawson was on the bike.
And they too were like, Theysaid afterwards, they said, oh
my gosh, I was wondering whatyou were saying.
It was like all this stuffcoming out of your mouth that
shouldn't have been coming out.
So it was pretty cool.

It's so obvious watching you today and
all these years as a couple, astrong couple, that you were
meant to be But I have to tellyou, I just know it.
When he left you on the StoneArch Bridge, when you said
goodbye, he turns around andhe's thinking, I'm going to
marry that girl.

(09:55):
Yes, Gary.

I don't know.
I said that.
I was like, I am going to marrythat.
My sister said, I think you metyour soulmate.
And I said, I think I did, too.
But, you know, just thismorning we were bickering at
each other.
I mean, life is it's crazy hardright now with three kids and
the way I travel.
And, you know, he's got acommute that's pretty long now.

(10:18):
And like, it's just so busy.
But at the end of the day, Iknow I really have a true
partner and someone that lovesme and loves our family.
And he just he he takes reallygood care of me and our kids.
And I'm very blessed.

He's a he's a strong man.
of character, and he isincredibly proud of you.
I have to tell you, Carrie,when I think of you, and these
words are from the bottom of myheart, you know, I first think
of like God-given talent.
I think of grit anddetermination and all those
things that come with being anOlympian.

(10:54):
But then other things that Iquickly think about that you've
earned over the course of yourlife.
Number one, I think of humbleconfidence, something that I
really What I really admire inyou is you're confident.
People are attracted toconfidence, but you're so
humble.
All of the fame, all of thesuccess, none of it has gone to

(11:18):
your head.
Your likability factor is trulythrough the roof.
People like you.
You're so humble and it'ssomething I really admire in you
and thank you for going throughlife that way.
I think the second thing Ithink of is character and
warmth.
You're a very warm person.

(11:39):
You give people time and youjust do the right thing.
And so I really appreciate thatabout your example.
You most definitely have aheart of service.
Whether it is commentating forthe Olympics, we're going to
talk about that later, theBoston Marathon, helping moms on

(12:01):
the run, the list just goes onand on of where you step out and
you have a heart of service andcontinue to give of yourself.
And that is a tremendousexample for all of us to have a
heart of service.
But the last thing I think of,probably when I think of you, is

(12:22):
authenticity.
You are Carrie Tollefson.
You are yourself.
You are comfortable in your ownskin.
And you're not trying to besomeone else.
And so you go through life withso much joy.
You are just who you are.
And I love that so much aboutyou.
We can all tell that Carrie'sbeing Carrie.

(12:43):
And I really appreciate youbeing your authentic self.

Well, you know, I think it's a lot of work
to not be your authentic self.
I mean, that takes energy.
And I don't have time for that.
I want to just let everybodyknow who I am and, you know,
take the good, take the bad,take the ugly, take it all.
And it's really fun, I think,to go through life, just living
an honest life.
And, you know, I know thatthere are things that I probably

(13:11):
am not real proud of that havehappened in my life.
But at the same time, that'sokay.
Like, we all make mistakes inlife, right?
And I think, too, my faith isreally strong.
It's been my guide in life tobe able to remember that it's
okay to say sorry and You know,you are forgiven not to brush
things under the rug when youdon't do things the right way or

(13:32):
you think you could have doneit differently.
Like people need to see that weall make mistakes in life.
If we all walk around like ourInstagram handles, which are
perfect and everything looks,you know, just so cheery all the
time, I think that's a realkind of disservice to ourselves.
And so I have fun.
You know, there are times whereI'm not real proud of myself,

(13:52):
but at the same time, I'm like,you know, this is life.
This is what, The run hasreally taught me in life is that
you have to persevere throughthe good times and the hard
times.
And, you know, you can't justkeep dwelling on the good
because if I only dwelled on thewins, I would never see who I
really was as an athlete.

(14:13):
And I think that I've used thatlife lesson from sport and I
continue to use it in my life asI get older and slower.
Every single day I'm gettingslower.
Yeah.

Terry, you wouldn't believe I've now been a
runner for 39 years.
You are

not 39 years old, so I don't know that that
math is adding up.

I'm 51, but I started running at like 12.
And so trust me, this isgetting tougher and I'm slower.
Me too, me too.
Carrie, now for me, a win is athree mile run.
That's a win.
A three mile run, a five milerun.
But I will have to say to myrunning community, some of my

(14:57):
very best friends are runnersand they've taught me so much.
Although I love, love, love tohave been a runner over my life
and people listening, you don'thave to be a runner.
We all have our certain thing.
But even more than enjoyingrunning with some of my very
best friends who look up to youYou've sharpened them.

(15:18):
Those friends have reallysharpened me and made me a
better person.
So I think it's about thejourney.
And like you talk aboutvulnerability, you know, if we
did life perfect, I don't thinkthe learning's in the perfect.
I almost think the learning isin the valleys and the
learning's in the heart.
And that's something we'regoing to talk more about today.
But I want to start withDawson.

(15:40):
And before I ask you a coupleDawson questions...
My brother Glenn and I havehad...
the humbling opportunity to dofundraising auctions worldwide.
We grew up in an auctioneeringfamily.
You're

awesome, by the way.

Well, we're going to die.
I want my gravestone carrysomeday to say, a work in
progress for the Lord.
And so I'm going to die a workin progress.
But those words are kind.
We also sell farmland acrossMinnesota.
And we've had the opportunityin the Dawson area.
along with our colleagues,Brian and Erica Fernholtz, to

(16:18):
get to know the Dawsoncommunity.
And I truly mean this.
Your home community in thatarea sits at the top rung of
quality people.
I love that area.

Speaker 01 (16:31):
And

I can say firsthand your own family,
Carrie.
You come from a heart of goldfamily, a top rung family of
character, a community to beserved.
What was it like to grow up inDawson, Minnesota?
And I'm proud.
I'm very proud of Dawson.

(16:53):
I don't know it like you do.
I didn't grow up there.
But the opportunities I've hadto get to know people in that
area, work in that area, youcome from a really special
place, a very special family.
Tell us what it was like togrow up in Dawson.
And tell us a little bit moreabout your personal family
growing up.

Yeah.
Well, Dawson's amazing.
It's a town of 1600.
At least that's what it waswhen I was there.
And I loved every minute ofremembering my memories there
and just the time that I spentthere.
I went to Villanova.
So after my senior year, Imoved out to the East Coast, but
it has always been home.

(17:33):
Even when I say to my sisters,I've lived in the Twin Cities
now a lot longer probably than Iwas out in Dawson.
Actually, I might have to dothe math on that, but it's
getting there.
But But I mean, I always say,are we going home?
Because that's home.
You know, it's where we grewup.
And it is really one of thosesmall town communities where

(17:53):
they just get behind each andevery one of you.
Like, it's just...
It is such a cool place becauseevery single person has
interest in every single youngkid growing up.
So then you have all theseyears of following and
supporting.
And so I feel like from themoment I was born until I
graduated, I just had, and stillto this day, I still have so

(18:14):
many people in my corner.
So I'm very blessed that way.
But yeah, my mom and dad, theyactually grew up in Madison,
Minnesota, which was about 10miles from Dawson.
And then they moved to Dawsonand my mom was the hairdresser
in town or one of them.
And we had her salon in ourbasement.
And then my dad was the cityattorney for years and the

(18:35):
county attorney for years.
So yeah, we have family of fiveI have two older sisters and I
think I have just had such ablessed life because I am the
youngest of these two girls inmy family and I had such great
parents like I always say if Icould just be like my mom and
dad if I could just raise mykids like them they would be

(18:55):
happy and successful individualsso yeah really really truly
lucky to be in that family

You come from amazing stock, and I love how
grateful you are for the familythat you have.

Yeah.

How did you decide to go out across country?

Well, my older sisters were both in music and
in sports and all of that, so Ijust was following in their
footsteps.
I mean, really, truly, whateverKami and Stacey did, I was
doing.
And Stacey was seven yearsolder than me, so she had
graduated when I was in seventhgrade, but Kami was a senior.
So even though I lovedvolleyball and I loved doing

(19:37):
other things, I was like, I getto be on a team with my sister.
So because in cross country,especially in rural and smaller
cities, the seventh graders havea chance of competing with the
varsity team.
So I went out for cross andmade that team and decided to,
you know, give it a go.

(19:57):
And it was, you know, pretty, Ithink life changing for all of
us, including my middle sister,Kami, because in the very first
race, I ended up being in frontof her, which was quite, that's,
that's a long story, but it wasa, it was a life changing
moment for me because of my bigsister.
And I think really one of thereasons why I'm so, I have had

(20:19):
success in this sport.

I listened to a podcast that you were on and
I'm, Correct me if I'm notsaying this right, but I believe
you said that you wereconcerned about being ahead of
her.
And then she said, no, you getup there.
You run your race.
I have goosebumps just thinkingof it.
When I first listened to whatshe said to you, I had tears in

(20:44):
my eyes.
Did she not say, you get upthere, you run your race, and
you go ahead of me?

Yeah, she did.
I came up, it was in Morris,Minnesota, and I came up on the
tree line, which is up this bigbig hill.
And it was about halfwaythrough the two mile race at the
time they ran two miles in.
And I was sitting there and Itold you about my big hair and
my big teeth.
And I was sitting behind herjust on her shoulder, not
knowing if I should go or not.
I mean, Kami was one of thebest basketball players in the

(21:12):
state of Minnesota.
And she was also one of thebest hurdlers in the state of
Minnesota.
So she was really good atthings.
And so for me to be with her, Iwas like, oh, what am I doing?
And then also just like, oh mygoodness, this is my big sister.
What do I do?
And she basically heard me orsaw me and she just said, get

(21:33):
going.
And she actually said at thevery end, after the race and we
got home that night, because wealways sat around our table and
talked about the good and whatwe could work on.
And she said, Carrie, don't youever, Let anyone dictate your
race or your outcome in life.
And, you know, it took a lotfor her to probably swallow her
pride.

(21:53):
But that those words I've hungon forever and I could get teary
about it because she just shebelieved in me when I was this
little 12 year old.
And she just said, don't don'tif it's me, if it's anyone,
don't sit on them and not useyour potential.
And so, yeah, I'm really verythankful for Kami and what she

(22:14):
did that day.

Wow.
And for people listening, liketo think of, you know, not all
sisters or brothers would telltheir sister or brother to go
and run their race and run aheadof them.
And Carrie, that speaks to thecharacter of your family and
what your parents taught you, Ireally believe.

(22:36):
And so...
I love that story.
And then you go on to win 13state championships.
And again, I'm like I'm goingback to high school and I'm
reading the Wilmer paper and I'mlike watching this person from
Dawson, Minnesota, that is soincredibly talented.

(22:57):
But there too, you were likableeven in high school because you
were just confident and humbleand warm and you were who you
were at that time.
When did you...
Did all of a sudden it becomeclear, I am super good at this,
and how did you deal with thepressure?

You know, I think I knew I was good at it.
I mean...
There were times where, I mean,I didn't lose a race from
eighth grade till my very lastrace as a senior in high school.
I dropped down around the 800meters at state instead of the
1600 and the 3200.
So I didn't lose a race in thestate of Minnesota.
And I mean, that becamepressure, right?

(23:41):
I mean, you thought aboutwinning all the time, even when
my coaches and track would say,hey, we need you in the 400
meters.
And...
I was like, oh my goodness,okay.
But I ended up figuring a wayout and making sure that I got
to that finish line first.
But I don't know if I reallyknew what was happening, to be

(24:01):
honest.
I look back and I think I wascomposed and I did have
confidence, but I really was outthere just having fun.
And I know that some people arelike, really?
You were just having fun whenyou were winning like that or
you had people telling you youwere the number one recruit in
the country.
I think what happens whenyou're in a small town like

(24:21):
that, you are surrounded by alldifferent types of people, all
different types of kids, alldifferent talents.
And it probably had a lot to dowith how I was raised in my own
home, but also just that I hadother people reminding me that
we were a family out there, notjust my little Tollefson family,
but a family.
And you really don't I mean, Ijust didn't feel like I needed

(24:46):
to be too outwardly confident.
I was there to be a team playerin anything, whether that was
orchestra, the one-act play,basketball.
We all had our role because ifwe didn't all take on our role,
we didn't have teams.
We didn't have music.
We didn't have enough.
So yes, I was very good.
ESPN came to our school tovideo me, but then you know

(25:08):
what?
Everyone got on ESPN.
It wasn't like, this is theCarrie show.
It was like everyone inDawson's going to be on ESPN.
I didn't even think of it thatit was for me.
It was for our, our community.
So, um, I guess maybe that is alittle different, but at the
same time, that's just, I feellike how I was raised, you know,

(25:28):
I, you give thanks to everyonearound you and be thankful that
you're the one that gets theblue ribbon, you know, like I
was excited to get the medalaround my neck, but I always
remembered the team that wentwith it.

Well, there too, you know, you didn't make
it about yourself.
And I just love that, how itwas about the team.
I think sometimes if weoverthink things in life, And
I'm making this sound easy.
Very few people in the worldcan understand athletic pressure
to your level.

(26:00):
But here, you probably tried tokeep it as simple as possible.
Have fun.
You were feeling the pressureas the years were going on.
But you were part of a team andsomewhat keeping this simple
and not overthinking it andgetting too into your head.
And then you really stayedhumble.
The other thing that amazes meon the One Pebble podcast, we

(26:25):
are interviewing cool peoplearound the world with cool
stories like yourself having animpact.
A lot of those people come intoimpact, Carrie, in their 20s,
30s, 40s or 50s.
You didn't even know it at thetime, but at like 12 years old,
you're having an impact.
You're being part of a team andall those teammates around you

(26:47):
are feeling that leadership.
And so that is so special, howyou had leadership and impact
without even knowing it with thesuccess that you had.

I think that's key.
And, you know, I think peopledon't realize the power that
they have with Okay, let's justsay like a young phenom.
Like, I mean, if we can saythat, right?
I don't even know if I've evercalled myself that before, but
I'm just saying it now just tomake it easier for people to
understand.
If you kind of have a starathlete or a star musician or a,
you know, a pupil that is sogood at what they do in reading

(27:24):
or whatever, you have tounderstand that.
But you also, part of your jobis to keep them young and to
have fun with them.
And I can remember my coach,Phil Galstead and, and John
Sherb and all of the coaches outthere, but we would do one of
the hardest workouts of the yearout at our county park.
And it was, it was one of thebiggest hills.
And if I go back there now, Istill get like butterflies in my

(27:46):
stomach thinking about it, butmy coach would bring yellow cake
with chocolate frosting for usto eat afterwards.
Now, what world-class athletedo you think of is thinking, I'm
going to have yellow cake withchocolate frosting?
Many of us, but in the world ofsport, we don't think of that
kind of fueling after.
But that is how he kept meyoung.
That's how he kept me hungryfor, in more ways than one,

(28:09):
hungry to go and do this workoutbecause I knew that Coach
Galstead's wife was going totreat us with yellow cake and
chocolate frosting after.
And I really believe that if wecan keep kids young, and I'm
not saying they have to eatchocolate or yellow cake with
chocolate frosting every singletime.
But that is a small gesture ofsaying, hey, this is a 14 year

(28:29):
old girl or a 15 year old girltrying to go win state.
And she's won it now two timesin a row before.
How do we keep this light soshe's not just reading about her
name in the paper or she's notgoing home and talking splits
and all that stuff?
Let's keep it light.
Let's keep it fun and fresh.
And if that was a small gestureof what Coach Galstead did by
bringing my yellow cake andchocolate frosting, that went so

(28:54):
far in life for me.
I'll never forget it.
And I think that more coachesand more leaders and more
teachers and things like that,if they can just remember that
these kids are kids, they'regoing to work for the rest of
their life.
They're going to play sports,hopefully for a lifetime like
you and I, Kristine.
So I just, I wish we could takesome of that pressure off of

(29:15):
kids and let them be that way,which is how I think I grew up.

I love all that you said in Coach
Gullstead.
helped you to keep this inperspective and to have fun
along with the pressure.

Totally.
All of them.
I mean, my teachers were sogood out there.
Like they just, again, I justwish that small town community
could be everywhere because itreally is so, so fun when it
goes right.
And it went right for me.

Carrie, I don't know if you realize this,
but you made Dawson famous.
You made Dawson.
Yes, you did.
You did.
And I need to compliment theentire community.
That is a rock star community.
Yeah.
And really.
Super fun.
Really good.
And there's

lots of, there's, you know, a lot of
people that are divided outthere and we live in this time,
right?
Where you see it a lot moremaybe than you did when we grew
up because there's Facebook nowand there's all these ways to
really express your opinion andAnd even though there's a lot of
differing beliefs out there, Ithink at the end of the day,
because of our small communityand because of the faith in our

(30:21):
community, we all still takecare of each other.
You put that aside.
And, you know, there's timeswhere I'm like, oh, I wish I
didn't see that stuff.
But at the same time, it's,again, okay to be different and
to have different opinions.
And so...
It is, it's a great community,but there are people that are,

(30:41):
you know, they knock heads

pretty good out there.
But good example that you saidat the end of the day, they put
differences aside and get behindone another.
I want to talk a little bitabout Villanova and Villanova.
I just, I can't imagine.
Where the Pope's from.

I'm just going to say it.
The Pope is from Villanova.
Yes.

Amazing.
Isn't

that cool?
We are bragging so bad rightnow.
It is not good.
I don't even brag about my ownathletic career, but now I'm
bragging that the Pope, and I'mnot even Catholic, but we are so

excited.
That is so cool, too, that thePope now is from Villanova.
He's a wildcat.
A wildcat.
Put his V's up.
I love it.
I love it.
So this is just something Ican't imagine.
You are this 13-time statechampion, and then you're like

(31:37):
the number one recruit, andyou're being recruited by the
top D1, number one runningcollege in the world.
What did that feel like?
Can you bring us back to thosememories?

Oh, it was so fun.
I remember, you know, back thenthey would call us all the time
and they, you actually couldn'tget recruited until right after
your junior year.
So it was pretty intense.
And I ended up tellingeveryone, I'm not going to sign
until after basketball season.
Cause we had a really goodbasketball team.
Sherry Norgaard was my center.
And now her son is going to beone of the top 10 picks in the,

(32:15):
um, NBA.
Amazing.
Yes.
Anyway, I digress.
Um, but yeah, when Villanovacalled me, they were saying they
They said, Carrie, we'refitting our women with their
sixth NCAA team ring.
So every time they won an NCAAchampionship in cross country,
they got a ring or any timeindividually they won.

(32:36):
And so that was pretty cool.
And then they said, you knowwhat, we want to come out and
see where you grew up.
And so they took the flightfrom Philly to Minneapolis,
drove three hours, got superlost.
But they came to the Popsconcert, which was our talent

(32:58):
show.
And they heard me sing.
They heard me play the trumpet,all these things.
They did all the small townthings that you would ever do.
And they absolutely loved it.
And I just think that that wasso special for me because they
came all the way out there.
And a lot of differentcolleges.
But to have Villanova, the teamthat had won so many times, had

(33:19):
sent people to every Olympics,and both coaches were
professional runners at thetime.
So I just, I was really excitedand really excited.
I think more so that they wouldcome and see my home, my town
that I grew up in, and come tomy Pops concert rehearsal.
Like, who does that?

(33:40):
So that was neat.

I love that.
And there again, back to goodstock.
They saw the good stock of yourfamily, the good stock of the
community.
And then they're like, okay,this person is super
well-rounded.
Not only can she run, but she'smulti-talented.
And I just know they quicklysaid, we need to have on this
team.
So you move like 27 hours awayfrom home.

(34:06):
Yeah.
And you leave your town of1600.
I bet that was an eyes wideopen experience.
I can't even imagine thatcourage.
I went to St.
Thomas.
And that doesn't mean thatpeople have to move far from
home to go to college to havecourage.
But I can't grasp the courageof going that far.

(34:28):
So you get out there.
You're part of the best team inthe world.
And then all of a sudden, youstart winning.
I have to tell you, when I talkto you, I get goosebumps from
time to time.
I get goosebumps thinking ofyour sister say, go ahead of me.
I can't imagine winning atanything.

(34:51):
I know it took some time, butyou started winning national
championships.
That is a huge deal.
And again, very, very fewpeople in the world understand
that athletic pressure andsuccess.
What did that feel like tostart winning?
And then, Carrie, when did youfirst think to yourself, I may

(35:15):
be an Olympian someday?

Yeah, well, the journey...
out to Villanova was crazy.
My first week of school, I wentto the Pan American Games, so I
missed the very first week ofschool.
And it was something thateveryone was like, this is a
great opportunity.
You get to wear the USA acrossyour chest, all this stuff.
But I had a test in my Englishclass the first day I got back,

(35:38):
and I didn't have any material.
I had a pencil with me, noteven a piece of paper, and I
failed my very first test.
It was on the diction of Prideand Prejudice, the first three
chapters.
I didn't even really know whatdiction meant.
So needless to say, the way Istarted school was tough.
I mean, I was like, how am Igoing to make it?

(35:58):
And the run saved me because itit didn't happen off the bat
that I was number one on theteam.
I was actually fourth or fifth,but I was making the team and
we were doing well as a team.
And, you know, I just needed tohold on to that one thing that
I really knew.
And I knew that my school wouldcome.

(36:19):
I just needed to be patientwith it, but it was hard.
So school was hard.
Being away from home wasterribly hard.
It was, I couldn't just go homeand do a, you know, load of
laundry and get a home cookedmeal from mom and dad.
It was, I knew I was going tobe away for three months before
I saw them.
And we were very tight.
So it was tough on me.
But that run part, again, keptme in it.

(36:42):
And I just had to keep the eyeon the prize.
It took me until my junior yearto win my first NCAA
cross-country championship.
And I would have to sayprobably after that moment when
they kept telling me, you arethe best runner in in the
country they kept kind oftelling me that that weekend and
i'm like what like okay tell meagain and that's when i think i

(37:06):
realized that some of the ncaasor most of the ncaa champions
from villanova at least had goneon to be professional runners
and to make olympic teams so ithink in my junior year is when
i really was like maybe maybei'll be one of those one day

I can't imagine hearing you are the best
runner in the country.
On that day.
On that day.
It's amazing.
The other thing that has amazedme about your entire life, and
even now what you do,commentating and being an
analyst, you know, after those13 state high school
championships, you could havejust...

(37:43):
hung everything up and said, ohmy gosh, look at how successful
I've already been and look atwhat I've accomplished in my
life.
And you didn't need to doanything more.
Then you go off to Villanovaand you start winning your
junior year and winning andwinning.
And there too, you could havegraduated from college and just

(38:07):
said, oh my gosh, look at whatI've accomplished through hard
work and heart and character anddetermination and all those
amazing things.
But then in true carry, we'regoing to get after it form, you
decide, no, I'm going to takethis a step further.
I'm going to continue tobelieve in myself and I'm going

(38:29):
to see how far I can go withthis.
And I just...
I'm amazed at that courage.
I'm amazed at that believing inyourself.
And so take us from there.
You graduate from Villanova andyou decide it is now my goal to
make the Olympic team.
And how did you officiallydecide I'm not hanging up

(38:54):
running?
I'm going to be the best that Ican be and I'm going to
continue to press on.

Well, I think the good thing about being an
athlete is you always want more.
You always want to see if youcan score more or run faster or
jump higher or whatever it is.
And at times it can bedetrimental to your mental
health and things like that.
But at the same time, I reallytruly believe it's so exciting
and fun to see how tough you canbe in life.

(39:22):
And so my very first year...
well, I wasn't even out of myVillanova uniform, but I went
out to the Olympic trials in2000.
I had graduated in 99, but cameback for my fifth year.
And instead of going to gradschool, I did internships at
Comcast Sports and at Fox Sportsin Philadelphia.
And so I went out to theOlympic trials and in the 5000,

(39:47):
which was a race that I was, Iwas, you know, I'd won NCAAs at,
I ended up getting lapped onnational television.
So again, just like, Take a bigold piece of humble pie right
there and be on.
And I was on NBC.
Regina Jacobs was finishing andI was going for another lap.
So, you know, it does soundlike we talk a lot about the

(40:09):
wins, but you learn so much fromthe losses and and even
embarrassment.
That was an embarrassing momentfor me to go home and watch the
replay.
And there I am.
I have a whole 400 meters leftto go.
Yeah.
But at the same time, you knowhow much that fueled me for the
next four years to keep ongoing.
So I think that's really whatin life, like what I've just

(40:33):
learned is just to keep onpersevering.
If you truly love it, if itmakes you tick, you know, and
running and competing made metick.
And so, I mean, to be honest,if I could have been a little
bit taller and a little bitbetter of a ball handler, I
probably would have been abasketball player over running.
Cause I loved the sport ofbasketball, but I, you know, I
found myself on the track andrunning fast in circles and

(40:55):
that's where, where it led me.
So the, again, I think, Whatkept me in this sport and what
kept me going is just to be kindof put back in my place and
realize I was one of theyoungest in that field in 2000.
And I needed just to put somemore work in.

Well, and you had that never give up
attitude.
And after the 2000 trials, youcould have came home and said,
gave up and you did not give upand the story gets so much
better.
So take us to 2004 and tell usabout that 5,000 and then I'm

(41:35):
super excited to talk about the1,500.

Well, the 5,000 was the event where we all
thought I was going to make theteam in.
You know, if there were, thesteeplechase was just starting
to become an event.
I believe in 2004, it was anexhibition event.
And then 2008, it became anofficial event.
But the 5,000 was kind of alittle long for me, but everyone

(41:59):
was sort of nudging me towardsthat because I wasn't a real
fast 800 meter runner, even 1500meter runner.
So they were all saying, let'sdo the 5,000.
At the time I had run theseventh fastest time in US
history.
So I went to the Olympic trialsknowing that I was a pretty
good shot to make that team.

(42:19):
And that race was going reallywell until it wasn't, which is
kind of the whole, thing inrunning right it either goes
your way or it just doesn't andI got to I had two and a half
laps to go and I was sitting inthird and two people went by me
and I ended up in sixth and notmaking the team so it was a real

(42:40):
humbling moment it was realhard I remember actually coach
Gullstead who I've talked aboutmy high school coach had
actually come out to watch me

Speaker 01 (42:48):
wow

and I went into drug testing and I came
back out and he was one of thefirst people I saw and he was an
English teacher so he alwayshad these you know different
sayings and he said the sun'sgonna come up tomorrow but he
said it in some eloquent way andI was like coach what does that
mean the way he said it I don'teven know what he said because
I was still I'm so mad aboutthat moment

you're making me teary yeah it's gonna come
up

yeah but that's what he did he basically
said Carrie the sun's gonna comeup tomorrow you're gonna be
okay and you know I ended uprealizing that real quick, even
though I was really, really sad,thinking I have four more years
to try to make this Olympicteam.
And I'll never forget that.
Everyone was sitting outwaiting for me.
It took me a long time to getthrough drug testing because it

(43:35):
was very hot out there.
So I remember them all saying,OK, you got one more race.
Let's go.
You got a little bit of time tokind of sulk and get over the
sadness of missing the team.
But then you got to get goingagain.
Get ready for the 1500.

How did you, I believe you had like five or
six days between the 5,000 andthe 1,500.
How did you deal with thatobstacle?
Now, you had Charlie and youramazing family around you
supporting you.
But at the end of the day, youhad to do this on your own
strength.
You had to decide.

(44:11):
I'm going to believe in myselfor I'm not.
So tell us a little bit aboutwhat those days were like.
And then you go out and you,well, first tell us about those
days.
Tell us about the obstacle.
And then we're going tocelebrate after that.

Well, I do remember saying goodbye to my
sisters and Charlie had somefamily out there and my high
school coach was out there.
And I remember having to saygoodbye to everybody.
And that was one of the hardestmoments.
Like, okay, they had to go homeand work.
They couldn't take 10 days andstay out there.
So I said goodbye and thinking,oh my gosh, I just let

(44:52):
everybody down.
They're going home and we'renot going to Athens.
So I end up, you know, justkind of trying to relax a little
bit, let it all fade away.
I had an agent come up to meand say, hey, well, you can run
the Falmouth Road Mile.
Or the Falmouth Road Race andthe mile out at Falmouth.
And I was like, heck no, I'mgoing to Athens.
I'm coming back in this 1500.

(45:13):
And I'm going to do it.
So we go out.
My mom and dad, they try to dosomething fun with Charlie.
And we ended up going andwatching Anchorman.
Do you know that movie?
Yes.
So that was a good way for usto first get away from it.
We like, that was, you know, myline of work was broadcast.

(45:34):
So I went and watched thatfunny movie.
And then we did some otherthings.
We just explored a little bit.
Again, got away from thepressure and the anxiety of what
was about to happen.
I was about to start this newwhole journey of trying to make
the Olympic team again in adifferent race and in a race
that wasn't, you know, primarilymy best event.

Carrie, I just...
Again, I'm amazed at how youkept your heart and head in the
game.
And that's really an examplefor all of us that when the
chips are down, don't give up.
Continue to believe inyourself.
Then you go out and you run the1,500.
Mm-hmm.

(46:20):
Your coach tells you not tolead.
You're leading.
Oh,

my goodness.

I think the entire time.
But here's what you don't know,Carrie, because you're running.
I can remember it likeyesterday.
Everyone is back home.
Dawson, Minnesota, Wilmer, theUnited States.
And you win.
Carrie, we are freaking out.
So excited.

(46:46):
So crazy.
Like crazy.
You don't have a clue how manypeople were with you that day
and how many people were soexcited.
And that's a day that willnever be forgotten.
We carry it close to our heartsand we could not be more proud
of you.
But you go out and you win the1500 and you are going to the

(47:09):
Olympics.
Tell us about, I don't evenknow if you can articulate how
that felt.

Yeah, it was so cool.
I mean, I remember my coachsaying, don't lead.
And I drew lane one.
So I had to get off the linequick because I was the furthest
one in on the inside of thetrack.
And I didn't want to getgobbled up.
So I get out and I'm in thelead for the first lap, in the
lead for the second lap,starting to think, oh, coach is

(47:40):
not going to be happy.
But no one was taking the lead.
I actually had slowed the paceto hopefully have someone go
around me and nobody wanted to.
So with 500 meters to go, Iended up starting to make my
push.
That's just over a lap to go.
And because I'm more of a 5,000meter runner, a distance
runner, I felt like I needed tostart my kick, my sprint a

(48:02):
little earlier than some of theathletes that are coming up in
distance, like coming from the800 meters.
So I started my kick with 500to go.
And I really started to open itup a little bit.
Like there was maybe just asecond, but you could see some
daylight between me and thepack.
And then with 200 meters to go,Jen Toomey, she had pigtails

(48:23):
in, she's an 800 meterspecialist.
She comes up on my shoulder.
And I just remember, I doremember in that moment,
thinking of Kami, my sister,like not letting, I was not
gonna let Jen Toomey go bythough.
Like Kami, let me go by.
But I did, I remember thatmoment.
And I just gave it everything Ihad.

(48:43):
And in one, in the last 50meters, Jen Toomey almost went
ahead of me.
And then there is anothermoment that I won't forget where
it was like slow-mo with aboutfive steps to go.
It was like, no.
And I was going as hard as Icould, leaning as hard as I
could.
And I ended up cracking thetape first.

(49:04):
And, you know, I remember I ranaround to the 200 meter mark
where my coach and Charlie andmy family were sitting.
And I skipped the NBCinterview.
I just was like, oh, I got togo do my victory lap.
I just won.
And I got to my husband and itwas 116 degrees on the track
that day.
The sprinters were burningtheir fingers in the blocks.

(49:26):
Wow.
And Charlie, I went over thereand I'm looking at him.
And of course, you know, I'm soexcited to see everybody.
But I see Charlie and he's inhis jeans and no shirt.

Unknown (49:39):
Wow.

partly because it was so hot, but also he wore
his jeans because they werelucky.
Cause I made the final andlooked really good in the
prelims getting into the 1500meter final.
So he had to wear the sameoutfit that he wore two days
before.
And so I thought that washilarious.
And then my coach said to me,you better be happy.
You won that race because I dideverything I wasn't supposed to

(50:01):
with leading basically fromstart to finish.
And, um, you know, we justcelebrated so much.
It was a moment I'll neverforget.
I mean, getting married andhaving my two, my three babies
are, you know, my favoritememories, but I think how I made
the Olympic team probably iseven more exciting than actually
being there.

Well, and I don't even know if this is
appropriate for me to say, butCarrie, it was maybe God's plan
that you didn't win the 5,000and then you go and you lead and
win the 1,500 because theimpact of that story, what
you've been able to tell peoplethrough obstacles and believing

(50:42):
in themselves and continuing tokeep their heart and head in the
game and getting after it.
And that story is just so Sopowerful.
And then you go out and youwin.
And again, I wish you couldhave been in the living rooms.
I wish you could have.
I do too.
It's a day I will never forget.

(51:06):
And it's so, so fun.
And we could not be more proudof you.
What was the Olympics like?
Off you go to Athens, Greece.
I can't even imagine.
And then for the rest of yourlife, Carrie, you're

an Olympian.
What was the Olympics like?
with my team that I trainedwith.
So we went and got our tattoostogether.
It took me 20 years.
It took her two weeks.
But yeah, the Olympics wereamazing.

(51:45):
I mean, you know, What a dreamcome true.
You work so hard for it, andthere's a lot of ups and downs
that go along with it.
I have donor bone in my heel.
I had potential cancer in it.
I had a tumor in there,injuries, illness, all the
things that you go through to bethe best you can be at whatever

(52:06):
you choose in life.
It just is one of those momentsthat I'll never forget of being
able to say, oh, I finally canwear this uniform that has such
meaning behind it.
And I'm running for my familyand myself and Dawson and
Minnesota and the U.S., like somany different people.
So really, really cool.

(52:27):
Loved racing.
Wish I could have made thefinal.
Just missed the final by...
a couple spots.
But yeah, I was so excited totry to come back and run again
in 2008.
And I ended up gettingpneumonia right before the
Olympic trials.
So that that kind of shotmyself in the foot.
But yeah, I mean, there's justso much to think about when it

(52:51):
when you actually say you madean Olympic team this summer when
I was a broadcaster there.
It was really cool to sit inthe stands and to see the
athletes on the track and think,I was one of them.
You know, that I think reallybrought it around full circle
for me.

I can't imagine being a broadcaster
there.
I watched you this summer.
And then to think.
Did you hear me sing on camera?
I did not, but I would love tohave heard you sing.

Oh, it was, they were ringing the bell, you
know, every time.
They won, and it just came overme one time, and I made up my
own lyrics, but I said, ringthat bell.
Ring the bell.

You are multi-talented.
All that singing from Dawson,Minnesota.
Oh, my gosh.
With your commentating, youhave to keep singing.
Oh, I thought I was going toget fired.
No, no.
It's totally part of your joy.
I have one more question aboutthe Olympics when you were
there.
The other thing that I justlove is the reverence that you
have.
Like it's not lost on you,Carrie.

(53:57):
It's not lost on any one of usin America or across the world
that love you.
The reverence you have for thatmoment.
And I love when you reflect.
What was it like to be at theopening ceremony?

Unknown (54:11):
Wow.

You know, we were kind of in a hostile
situation at the time with theU.S.
was at war and things likethat.
So there were times where wehad to be very careful and we
had Secret Service around us allthe time.
And it was just kind of, Idon't even know if we can say
Secret Service.
We had There were people thatwere protecting us that we
didn't really know that werearound us.

(54:33):
I guess it's Secret Servicejust for the president.
I'm not sure.
But anyway, we had peoplearound us and we went out into
the opening ceremonies andnobody knew how we were going to
be received.
You know, there were a lot ofpeople that weren't really
digging us at the time, but thenthere were a lot of people that
were supporting us and So Iremember going and we all were

(54:56):
given these little cameras.
They weren't phones, but theylook like little phones.
And my dad said, hey, if youcan stand in front of the NBA
guys, because they're going toget on camera all the time.
Well, sure enough, the middledistance runners, the 1500 meter
runners and the 800 meterrunners got in front of the,
the, the NBA guys.

(55:16):
And so right behind me happenedto be LeBron James.
And so I took my little cameraand we walked out and the crowd
went crazy for us.
I mean, it, it was like so muchjoy and so much love for the U
S and I took my little cameraand I spun around and I caught
his chest cause he's so muchtaller than me.
And when I scrolled up, He hadtears rolling down his face of

(55:43):
just like being overwhelmed likeI was with Joy.
And at that moment, I wasbawling, but you know, I'm this
girl who probably is kind of alittle sappy.
And I just, I had to take amoment because I thought, you
know, this young guy makingmillions of dollars is just as
excited about being there as Iam.
And all of us were just takenaback and so very thankful that

(56:08):
the world was excited to see uscompete.
It felt heavy at times and theywere like telling us, in the
village, we were the only dormthat had armed guards outside of
ours.
And so it was like, What'sgoing on here?
And we really felt welcomed.
So it was neat.
The opening ceremonies were socool to be around all the

(56:29):
different countries and all theethnicities and different sizes
of people.
Like, you know, they alwaystalk about athletes being one,
you know, really super fit andwhile all these, and we all are,
but we're all fit in our ownway.
And God made us all different.
And it was in that moment whereI was like, this is really
cool.
It was at the openingceremonies and then also when we

(56:50):
were sitting in the cafeteria.
I loved watching all thedifferent types of people walk
through those doors.

What I so appreciate about you is your
willingness to share thoseexperiences.
And you've opened yourself andreally been a gift to everyone
by saying, this is what it waslike.
This is what my story was like.
And We just so appreciate thatyou go back.
And again, it'll never beforgotten.
It'll never be lost on us.

(57:19):
We could not be more proud.
All those years of hard work,talent, grit, determination,
God's plan, it's been a gift toall of us.
And now you've opened thatstory of sharing.
And so I think, you know, mostof us in the world won't be
Olympians, but we take nuggetsof your determination and really

(57:42):
are inspired and then go liveout part of our purpose because
of you helping through thisstory to really inspire people.
You know, these things don'thappen if you don't work hard
and you don't believe inyourself.
So thank you for sharing aboutthe Olympics.
Then the next thing that amazesme about you is you've been to

(58:03):
the Olympics and you coulddecide that it'd be perfectly
fine not to continue to doanything else in your life.
But what you decided is throughyour talent and your passion of
running, now you said, I'mgoing to live out my calling
further.
I'm going to take this passioninto further purpose.

(58:27):
And go become a commentator andan analyst around the world.
Carrie, I wore my BostonMarathon jacket.
I've ran four Bostons.
I'm simply a Carrie Tollefsonwannabe.
Now Carrie Tollefson.
Our humble friend from Dawson,Minnesota, is commentating at

(58:51):
the Boston Marathon.
She's commentating at theOlympics, Berlin, Tokyo,
Philadelphia, most recently.
And I'm just amazed that youcontinue to step into your
calling, live out your purpose,say yes.
And one thing I'm amazed at isthese things have to be a bit

(59:13):
scary, but your whole lifeyou've put courage over fear.
How did you decide, I want togo be a commentator and take us,
give us an example at theBoston Marathon or the Olympics?
Like, I'm sure you have a sliceof fear, but what I love...
As you live out that dream, youknow this is a purpose and you

(59:35):
have decided, I'm going to putcourage ahead of fear and say
yes to these opportunities.
And now you're sharpening allof us.
You're bringing joy to all ofus.
You're bringing wellness to theworld.
How did you decide to be acommentator?
And what's it like to be atthese big events?

Well, I studied...
broadcasting at Villanova.
So we didn't have a broadcastmajor, but we had a
communications major with anemphasis in broadcast.
So I always wanted to do it.
I thought eventually, I thoughtOriginally, I was going to be a
meteorologist because comingfrom Minnesota, we have some fun
weather.
So I was like, oh, that wouldbe so fun.

(01:00:13):
But they didn't havemeteorology there.
So I, you know, I've alwaysreally liked to perform.
And when that red light goes onor the gun goes off or
whatever, it just kind ofexcites me to see if I can do
something hard.
And broadcast is hard.
You know, when you have tospeak on live television, it's
there's something about it andyou have people in your ear and

(01:00:34):
you got to do this and this andthis.
and it's exciting andthrilling, but it's really hard.
So I was thankful when I wascompeting that I had the
opportunity to just put my toein a little bit here and there.
And then after I had Ruby, Ireally kind of, I loved the
thought of getting back to beingan athlete, but I also loved

(01:00:55):
the idea of being another femalevoice in an area or in a sport
that doesn't have a lot offemale voices.
And now we're getting closer tobeing a little bit more
prevalent in the sport where youreally hear one female on every
broadcast, which is really cooland really exciting to be a
part of that wave.

(01:01:15):
But I've loved it.
You know, I always say I can,now I run my mouth more than my
legs and it's true.
I definitely am talking a lotmore than I'm running these
days, but it's just so nice thatI can share the passion and the
joy and also the history andthe future of the sport in a way
that is exciting.
But yeah, it's fun to be ableto travel the world still.

(01:01:35):
A lot of my really closefriends are friends that are not
here in Minnesota.
So I often think, you know,maybe it'd be okay to slow down
a little bit on it, but then Iwouldn't get to see my friends.
So I have really tight friendshere where I live, but also very
tight friends from theindustry.
So it's a really nice way forme to still be in it and to give

(01:01:56):
back a little bit at the sametime.

Kristine Duininck (01:01:58):
Well, and we appreciate the role model that
you are.
You are definitely making adifference.
Even if you get back late atnight from some trip across the
world and you don't get a callon a Wednesday from someone
telling you that you've made adifference, please know you're
making a difference in the livesof countless people through

(01:02:20):
your commentating and really arole model to all of us.
What would you tell thelistener that...
I mean, what do you have

Carrie Tollefson (01:02:33):
to lose?
You know, someone says no oryou screw up like I do plenty of
times.
Like, I just think we have somuch emphasis on being perfect
and we just can't do that toourselves.
We really can't.
I mean, it is...
in every ounce of me to try tobe better tomorrow than I am

(01:02:56):
today.
But at the same time, okay, ifI had a bad day, like, okay,
well, we're going to hopefullywake up tomorrow and we can try
and do a little bit better.
So I think people need tounderstand that we all are with
you on this journey and we'llsupport you through thick and
thin.
And I really do loveconstructive criticism.

(01:03:17):
I am okay with that.
I so miss being in a huddle.
You know, I see my little boysor Ruby at their track meets or
at their baseball games orwhatever.
And I hang on every word ofthose coaches because they don't
understand how important theyare.
And even when I'm, you know, myproducers or my directors or
somebody that's telling me ortrying to tell me how I can be

(01:03:40):
better or how I can makesomething else better.
I just love that idea.
And so I just want I wantpeople to kind of look for the
good in all of that.
And even if the bad.
kind of peeks through, that'sokay.
Just keep fighting for it andkeep trying to be better.

I love that.
And I think the growth is oftenin the heart.
If all of this was easy, wewould not grow.
And so to step into trying tobe better, as you said.
For sure.
In our last couple minutestogether, I'm going to ask you
kind of some quick, more rapidfire questions.
And there's no right or wronganswers, but whatever comes to

(01:04:19):
mind.
You make it look so easy,Carrie.
You're balancing being a wifeand a mother and a runner and a
podcaster and a commentator anda speaker and the The list goes
on and on.
A community leader.
How do you stay encouraged?
Oh,

I think what keeps me encouraged is just by
seeing the joy that a lot of thethings that I'm in brings to
people.
And it's not me bringing thejoy necessarily, just, you know,
I get to go to a race andcommentate at, and I look at all
the joy of the people crossingthe finish lines.
Or, you know, if I'm helping atGirls on the Run and I see all

(01:04:55):
these little girls.
So I think that's what I lookat.
It's not necessarily from myperspective of what I'm doing
for myself, that particularmoment, it's what the entire
event is doing.
And so I try to keep it thatway.

What advice do you have for parents of
athletes in middle school orhigh school?

But she always showed me that she loved me and
we always brought a smile to,you know, whatever was coming
our way.
So just love your kids upbecause you don't get to have
them in your house for verylong.
And I'm realizing that now.
So I hope that Ruby knows she's15 now that at the end of the
day, regardless of anyperformance, she is the number

(01:06:00):
one girl in my heart.

You're right.
At the end of the day, it's notabout winning, not about
losing, and absolutely all aboutlove.
Carrie, you're very involved inMoms on the Run, and you have a
nutrition line that you supportand many other ways that you
speak into wellness.
What is your one or twowellness tips for us that are

(01:06:24):
important to you?

Well, I love that you said you love a
three-mile run.
And I'm not sure how long thattakes you anymore, but...
20 minutes for me is like mystaple.
And I work really hard duringthat 20 minutes.
It's not necessarily a run orelliptical or whatever that I
would be able to read a book orto have a full-on conversation.

(01:06:47):
I'm breathing pretty heavythrough that.
But I'm telling you, all ofyou, if you can get in a good
solid 20 minutes three to fourtimes a week, your body will
love you for it.
So just because a lot of peoplethink it's a 60-minute barrier
that you need to break, nope.
I'm telling you, first andforemost, I don't even know if I
do 60 minutes of working out ina day.

(01:07:08):
Really, I don't think I do thatanymore.
I do 20 to maybe 40 on a daywhere I have some more time.
So I really think that peopleneed to just be a little bit
more, a little easier onthemselves.
But to remember that you canget a lot of work done in 20
minutes.

Carrie, you are a voice for females.
You're a voice for allathletics.
You're a voice.
now across the world forwellness, what do you hope to be
remembered for?
Oh,

I mean, I do want people to remember that I
loved this community of running.
I really do.
I think it's great.
I know there's work to be done.
We want to keep on inviting alltypes of people to all of the
races.
But I think that at the end ofthe day, I truly found something
that made me tick, like I'vesaid a little bit, made me get

(01:08:01):
afterlife and just, I think,have found joy in something.
You know, I think it's life istoo short to not really find
something that gets you excited.
And could I have made moremoney doing something else?
Heck yes, I could have mademore money doing something else.
But when I lace up my shoes andthrow on a pair of shorts that

(01:08:22):
are probably 15 years old and Ihave, you know, the same shirt
that I ran in since high school,it still is so much fun to get
out the door and move my body.
So maybe keep it a little bitmore simple in life and find
what makes you tick.

Well, and I should have said it at the
beginning, but a word that Iwant to add to my list, what
I'll Oh, huge.
I mean, you know, just

knowing that This is it.
Again, I make things prettysimple.
But to know that I have afriend in Christ is like has
just been sort of a saying thatI've always said.
But when you travel the worldat a young age, when you have a
lot of stress, when sometimesyou are alone, I just always
have said I have a friend inChrist.

(01:09:19):
And I always felt like I hadsomeone with me.
And so that is just a simpleway for me to share with young
folks and also with old that,you know, if you can have that
sort of friend with that willlisten to you through thick and
thin, that will forgive you nomatter what, that will give you
the inspiration to get out thedoor and to use the talent that

(01:09:40):
you were given.
That's kind of the easiest wayfor me to put how I think of my
faith.

Well, and I bet on these trips that you do
alone, You take the Lord withyou.
For sure.
Wherever you go.
My friend is always with me.
Your friend is always with you.
I think of you, I'll watch youon TV and I'm like, the Lord is
with her.
The Lord is with her.
It's true.
All the peace and the strengthand all the joy that the Lord

(01:10:08):
brings to your life.

Yeah, I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.
It's been a verse that I'veused forever and I will continue
to.

Thank you for sharing that.
I want to ask you 100questions, but I only have two
more things to talk about.
Before I ask you our finalquestion today, and we're so
grateful for your time and yourheart to share.
It's been so inspiring.
I want to give you theopportunity.
You're a podcaster.

(01:10:37):
You've had training camps.
Again, you're very involved inMoms on the Run and do countless
things with service.
Is there anything and yournutrition line that you support?
You haven't

even talked about my dance party that I
hosted.

Did you hear about that?
And your dance party, I...
10

by 10, it was called.
For women, it was 250 ladies.
We just danced for three hoursstraight.

I want to come to that dance party next
year.
What would you like to say?
And there's 20 things.
that you could speak of, but isthere anything that you want to
promote as far as your ownpodcast, See Tally Run, or the
Moms on the Run, the NutritionLine?
Is there anything that you wantlisteners to be considering?

Yeah.
I mean, I think if you justfollow me on my Instagram, as
usually, or on Facebook atCarrie Tollefson, that's the
best way to find all of thesefun things.
But yeah, I'm the NationalFitness Director for Moms on the
Run.
We have a blast.
We have a running retreat everyyear where we take the the
ladies somewhere.
We were in Vegas last year andScottsdale the year before.
This year, we're looking to goout to the San Francisco area

(01:11:45):
potentially.
But yeah, I mean, I think whereyou're going to find me is just
doing things that I...
authentically love.
You know, I really do.
So I am promoting LifetimeHealth right now.
Lifetime Fitness has been ahuge supporter of my career and
I love some of the products.
I am not good at takingvitamins.
I am not really that great attaking care of myself, but they

(01:12:07):
came to me and said, hey, weknow that you love this company
and we have some really coolthings and they do.
So I'm promoting that rightnow.
But I think if at the end ofthe day, if people need anything
and they want my advice, justemail me or find me at my, like
I said, my socials and I'm theone behind all of them.
So you can send me a messagethere for anything and I'll get

(01:12:29):
back to you as fast as I can,which is usually pretty fast
because I am sort of aperfectionist and I don't like
to have emails or messageswaiting for me.
So yeah, I think the biggestthing that I would like to
promote is just for people tokeep putting one foot in front
of the other.
And if I can help in any way, Iwill.

Carrie, I will have to say to you what I
probably admire most about you.
is personally who you arealthough I look at your long
list of accomplishments andbeing in halls of fame and from
the Olympics to everythingyou've done professionally is so
inspiring and incredible butpersonally you are just a very

(01:13:11):
accomplished person and you'retrue to yourself you've
sharpened countless peoplearound you and we so appreciate
who you are it's been a gift anda joy thank you for sharing I
will look up to you you youngerperson for the rest of my life
and I'm incredibly grateful forthe opportunity to visit with

(01:13:32):
you today and who you are andhow you go through life on the
one pebble podcast we want togive you the last opportunity to
throw it a word ofencouragement anything that you
would like to say you've been inthe valley you've been on the
mountaintops any last word ofencouragement for our listeners

well I love the word person perseverance.
I just think that is such apowerful word and we all have to
persevere every single minuteof the day.
It seems like, you know, youhave these, these, uh, you know,
battles in your own mind ofwhat would be the best way to go
about.
And a lot of times it's theharder route that we need to
take.
So just keep persevering and,and, um, you know, know that you

(01:14:12):
have people around you.
I think I've always tried tosurround myself with like-minded
goal-driven people.
And, um, those are the people Iseek out to be around.
So if you're finding yourselfsort of in a low and you just
don't know how to get out, justkeep searching for those people
and keep persevering and you gotthis.

Great advice.
Thank you so much.
This has been a joy.
It's been an honor.
We are so proud of the personthat you are.
God's richest blessings to you,Carrie, and your beautiful
family.
Thank you for being a part ofthe One Pebble podcast.

Thank you so much.
You have lifted my day morethan you know.

Thank you.
We are grateful.
This has been the One PebblePodcast.
One pebble, so many ripples.
What will you do to make adifference?

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Olympian Carrie Tollefson - Get After It!

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Olympian Carrie Tollefson - Get After It!