It’s not often that someone discovers their true passion in life while in middle school, but that’s exactly how it was for Tiffany Christensen, a 2014 graduate of Eagle Grove High School. Now, nearly seven years later, she’s not only still running, but she’s racing to be part of the U.S. Olympic trials, and the road hasn’t been easy.
Christensen found running success in high school, winning State Track in the 1500 twice. She also held the State record in the 1500 for two years.
After graduation, Christensen accepted a running scholarship to Wichita State. Unfortunately, a misdiagnosed injury forced her to stop running altogether….for a while. After a year-and-a-half at Wichita, she decided to transfer to the University of Northern Iowa when she was accepted into their running program, but first they would get to the bottom of her injury. The UNI coaches sent her to the University of Iowa Hospital to be looked at. At first, the doctor didn’t think Christensen would ever be able to run again. She proved them wrong. Christensen lined up for her first season back running cross country in 2017. Christensen graduated from UNI in May of 2018 with an undergrad in Exercise Science and an emphasis in Sports Psychology. But she wanted to keep running competitively. She still had eligibility left since she had time out for her injury (you can run five or six years depending on the circumstances), so she enrolled in Graduate School at Adams State University in Colorado – because it is a highly successful runner’s college. There, Christensen and her team both accomplished amazing goals, winning many titles and awards. At Nationals in 2018 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Christensen earned All American status, while the team placed 3rd. However, an injury later in the season prevented Christensen from achieving her goals at indoor nationals where she competed while racing for her team on a fractured heel.
In 2019, she and the Adams State cross country team found more success – they took a Conference win for the eighth year in a row. Christensen finished 16th individually. The team also won Regionals and Christensen finished seventh overall. At Nationals, Christensen finished in 13th place, earning her second All-American title and the team winning the National title by 64 points Tying the national record. Her next goal was to achieve greatness in her final season of eligibility for track, and hopefully qualify her for the Olympic trials…then COVID struck. Indoor track season was cancelled, but Christensen still continued her daily workouts in hope she would get the chance to participate in outdoor track. That didn’t happen either.
“We were just all in shock,” said Christensen. “We had just finished a great cross country season, but I’ve never had a great outdoor track season because of injuries and transferring.”
Injuries have plagued Christensen for years, and now that she was finally running back at full throttle, disappointment set in hard that COVID took away her chance of going beyond high school and college athletics. But there was nothing she could do about it….until May of 2020 when the NCAA announced all seniors would be allowed to compete in the 2021 track season as long as they were enrolled in a couple classes.
“It was honestly kind of a hard decision to make,” admitted Christensen.
She was finished with grad school and had mentally prepared to move into “adult” life and get a job using her degree. But here, looking her right in the face, was a second chance to go for her dreams and maybe earn her way to the Olympic trials. It was a big decision for the other four senior girls who were on the Adams State team with Christensen. One of them even gave up her acceptance into grad school in Florida, a dream come true for her, but like Christensen, the thought of not giving up quite yet on their running dream won her over. All five Adams State senior runners signed up for classes and came back ready to run another track season to achieve a huge goal together.
“The nail was when the Olympics got pushed back,” said Christensen of her decision to put off her ‘get a job’ plan. “I just thought, let’s try to make the (Olympic) trials.”
The last date to qualify is in May. The Olympic trials are currently scheduled for June 2021.
So Christensen headed back to school this fall, spending time as a volunteer cross country coach (she hopes to one day have a full-time coaching position somewhere in Washington or Oregon or anywhere with mountains). When winter semester rolled around, Christensen had to be enrolled in classes (per NCAA rules) to participate in competitions for the NCAA, so she signed up for two sports administration classes. She figured if she has to take classes, she might as well take ones that will help her with the business end of her sports psychology degree…and the classes will qualify her for a second Master’s degree if she wanted to complete another Masters, so it’s really kind of a win-win for her.
In addition to taking classes again, Christensen trains seven days a week. She runs 12 – 13 miles at a seven minute pace or faster on Sundays, runs an easy practice on Mondays and Saturday, hard on the track on Tuesdays, 10 miles on Wednesdays, a really easy (as she described it) six mile run on Thursdays, and hard long distance on Fridays – totalling about 50-60 miles per week. She also holds down a 25 – 30 hour per week job.
“It’s very exhausting,” she said with a little chuckle, but obviously motivated to achieve her dreams as a seventh- year college runner.
College athletic teams have multiple rules to follow for covid protocols. When they run indoors as a team, masks are required while their temperatures are taken, but then they can take their masks off to run. Some races college athletes have to compete with masks on even.
When she made her decision to go back for a seventh year of running, Christensen said she just thought to herself, “Am I really going to put my body through this again? I was ready to start my life, while not getting injuries anymore.”
But Christensen now can see that the delay of COVID really seemed to be a “Blessing in disguise” for her.
“I’ve got another year of training under my belt…and last year I ended up having my gallbladder out before a big race I was ready to improve in,” she said.
She was fully healed and ready to go when covid struck. She was anxiously awaiting her first outdoor track competition scheduled in Texas for this past Saturday. The most stressful part was worrying about getting a mandatory two negative COVID test results within 48 hours of the race… then, injury struck….again. She was sidelined for the greater cause, healing so she can hopefully compete at the next race.
It was beyond disappointing for Christensen, but it has given her the opportunity to share her concern about athletes and mental health.
“It’s been an unseen issue for years but even worse now because of COVID,” she explained. “Athletes are really struggling…training this long with no competition is mentally exhausting along with the unknown of races etc. We’ve trained our whole lives…and our lifestyles are so hard and strict.” “Mental health is so important to me because I struggled with it, being a college athlete isn’t all what people think it is, we live strict lifestyles but when we do succeed it’s all worth it.”
In addition to her own trials and tribulations of injuries and COVID, Christensen shared openly and about other struggles she has faced. In high school, she loved running. In college, she only loved racing. The act of running itself just to stay in shape and train became daunting. She dreaded it. She was only passionate about the competition, not the act of running. But thanks to the help of her teammates, Christensen found that love for the running process again. It’s tough when it consumes their life. But Christensen is glad she forged on and found the joy in her sport again, and that’s why she decided to come back as a seventh-year athlete.
“I would regret not trying,” she said. “I would rather try and not accomplish some goals than not try and not accomplish any goals because I see it as failing if I didn’t try. No matter what happens when I do try I’ll still succeed at some of the goals I have.”
Christensen is hoping she can be injury free for the rest of the season and put forth some of her best times to become a multiple time all American, national champion and to hopefully lay out times that qualify for the Olympic trials.
“I’m afraid if I don’t make it to the trials this year my mindset will go to ‘Can I do this for four more years when the next Olympic trials?’” she admitted honestly.
But for now, this 25-year-old is taking it one race at a time, keeping her eye on the prize for her younger self who dreamed of big goals back when she fell in love with the sport. Her goal is to qualify for either the 5K or 1500 in the Olympics.
No matter what the outcome, she is already a winner, simply for taking the chance. Good luck Tiffany. Eagle Grove is cheering you on!
