Katie Mackey has developed into one of America's top 1500 talents. Contributed photo.
Katie Mackey, probably better known as Katie Follett to the Colorado high school track community, hails from Ft. Collins Colorado, where she started her illustrious running career under the tutelage of Chris Suppes. After graduating high school she went on to run for the University of Washington, earning multiple All-American honors.
Following her collegiate career she signed with, and now runs professionally for, Brooks. Recently she was selected to run in the inaugural World Relay Championships on Team USA’s 4x1500m team. After she got back Colorado Track XC had the chance to sit down and talk with her about her experience at Worlds and running relays.
Colorado Track XC: How do you focus before a race, how has focusing or over helped or hurt you?
Katie Mackey: I think to have focus you need goals to focus on. First a big goal, and then little steps along the way to get you there. I like to start off the season with big questions like: What are my goals for this year and what do I need to do to accomplish them? That leads to the more specific questions: What are my goals for this race? What are my goals in training this week? Once I have a clear set of goals in my mind, I am able to focus on each individual step that will help me get there. To focus immediately before a race, I like to visualize things going positively (getting out into a good position or passing people on the last lap).
Colorado Track XC: You came back and ran a great leg after an unfortunate collision right after the hand-off, can you walk us through how you were able to stay focused after the crash?
Mackey: This is one of the most challenging parts of racing- you come into the race having visualized everything going perfectly, but this rarely happens and you have to be prepared for anything. A mantra that I like to repeat to myself often during racing is: It’s not over until it’s over! When I don’t get out well, start to get passed, or something major like a crash happens it’s best to remember that nothing is set in stone yet! You are still in the race and you still have control over what happens next! Stay in the moment. In that moment, all that mattered was getting as close to the Kenyan and Australian girls ahead of me so my teammates would have their best shot at passing them and winning the race.
Colorado Track XC: What does running on a relay mean to you? Is there anything special about having a baton in your hand?
Mackey: Running a relay and running cross country seem very similar to me, and they both happened to be my favorite events in high school and college because of the team element (and I still think they are the most fun even though chances to run as a team at the pro level are fewer!). For a moment in time, you are intimately connected with a few other individuals working as intensely as you can towards a common goal, and I love that feeling!
Colorado Track XC: How does your race strategy change when you run a non-lead off leg and have to deal with gaps?
Mackey: When teams get strung out, the strategy can change depending on how large the gap is. If the gap is just several seconds, it can be worth it to put in a surge and catch up right away so you can just sit on the leader and save energy by drafting off of them. If the gap is larger, you might want to gradually work up to them over the next several laps so that you don’t die at the end because you went out too hard. It can be a little more difficult to gauge effort when running solo, so it’s important to be smart and make deliberate moves.
Colorado Track XC: What do you miss most about running relays?
Mackey: The thing I miss most about running relays often is definitely the sense of camaraderie that comes from racing as a group effort. Especially in HS and college when I was racing with the girls I trained with day in and day out, my heart rate would get so high watching them out there racing as I waited to get the baton! And it’s so thrilling to see the look in a teammates eyes as they come towards you at the end of their leg and you can see that they’re giving 100%, it fires me up and makes me excited to be out there! This weekend at World Relays it was so exciting to be part of representing the USA together and wearing the American flag on my jersey was an extremely emotional moment for me.
Colorado Track XC: Any other advice you have for high school athletes?
Mackey: Performances will be up and down, you will have good days and bad days the longer you stay in the sport. View failure as an opportunity to get better and learn from mistakes to become stronger and smarter the next time around. All of us fall, so get back up!
Find your self-worth in who you are first, and not what you do out on the track. For me, having a solid foundation built on an identity in Jesus, who loves me and paid the price for all my shortcomings on the cross helps me enjoy running whether I am experiencing the highs of success or the lows of failure.
