Watching Val Constien go through a solo track workout one hot morning last week on an empty Potts Field track as she put in her final preparations for the U.S. Olympic trials, it was clear that the road to the Paris Olympics is an arduous one. It can only be undertaken by those rare few who have not just the physical talent, but the mental make-up to put in the years of training needed to become among the best in the world.
Few epitomize the road of trials and tribulations more than Constien, a University of Colorado graduate and 2020 Tokyo Olympic steeplechaser who remained unsponsored for two years even after placing 12th in the Olympic final. Then, shortly after winning the U.S. indoor 3000 meter title early in 2023 and finally landing a professional contract with Nike, Constien landed awkwardly coming off a hurdle at a Diamond League meet in Qatar, tearing her ACL. She underwent double knee surgery soon after and was unable to walk for a week.
That was a little more than a year ago. Now, Constien is back and running well heading into Friday’s preliminary round of the steeplechase at the U.S, Olympic Trials, which selects the team that will compete in the Paris Olympic Games. After each race (NBC / USATF.TV), we’ll see the jubilant celebrations of those making the team, without often knowing the backstories of how the athletes got there.
Constien got to the Olympics through perseverance and discipline, coaching and teammates, friends and family and, above all, an unwavering confidence in herself that has helped her overcome many hurdles since her prep days at Battle Mountain High School, where she ran good times but also dealt with disordered eating.
“It is unbelievable,” Kyle Lewis, a Boulder High School and Western State grad and Constien’s boyfriend, said of her journey. “Nothing has come easy for her.”
Lewis warms up and cools down with Constien this morning, but she runs the track workout over hurdles alone, beneath an already hot sun. Heather Burroughs — who coaches Constien along with Mark Wetmore — and Lewis hand out water and give encouragement each lap, their words quickly swallowed up in the empty track.
“An impressive story,” said Burroughs. “Val believed in what she was doing.”
Two other CU grads will be looking to show they have overcome their own obstacles in Eugene, 800-meter runner Sage Hurta-Klecker and Dani Jones. Both were NCAA champs under Wetmore and Burroughs at CU, and both made the finals of the 2020 Olympic Trials, only to fall just short of making the team. Literally fall in the 800 meters, in the case of Hurta-Klecker, who is married to another former CU star, Joe Klecker, a Tokyo Olympic 10,000 meter runner who will miss the trials because of injury.
Jones has had an up-and-down professional career since winning the NCAA cross country championship and leading the Buffs to the 2018 team title. She signed with New Balance and now trains with Team Boss, coached by former CU distance runner Joe Bosshard. His wife, Emma Coburn, a World Championship gold medalist and Olympic bronze medalist in the steeple, will not be racing the trials, after suffering an ankle injury during a race.
Another local favorite is Boulder native and Niwot high grad Elise Cranny, a Tokyo Olympian and American record holder in the indoor 5000 meters. Cranny has returned to Colorado after living in Oregon.
Yared Nuguse, who competes for the On Athletic Club, is a favorite in the men’s 1500 meters. He is the American record holder in the mile (3 minutes, 43.9 seconds) and a silver medalist in the Indoor World Championships 3000 meters. While he does not know how the trials race will unfold, Nguse said at a recent gathering at Oak at Fourteenth, that fans “can expect to see me near the front,” to avoid getting tangled up or boxed in during a tactical race.
A slew of up-and-coming locals are set to compte, including five who are recipients of a new Boulder Road Runners Aspire OTQ stipend: Joey Berriatua (steeplechase); Brian Barraza (5000 meters and steeplechase); Katie Camarena (10,000 meters); Carrie Verdon (10,000 meters) and Carmen Graves (steeplechase). Constien received a club grant before Tokyo, and continues as an ambassador for the Aspire program.
“Val was key to raising $28,000 for the program,” said Boulder Road Runners president Chris McDonald. “The thing about Val (being) so successful is her attitude. She exudes positivity; her mindset is an incredible asset.”
Added McDonald, who along with local Todd Straka, will race in an invitation-only Masters Exhibition 800 meters on Sunday: “There are a lot of runners who have tremendous talent. The list of people who are also tremendous human beings is shorter, and Val is No. 1 on both lists.”
Follow Sandrock on Instagram: @MikeSandrock
