We are so thrilled to chat with Alicia Monson today and get to know her a little better. She grew up in Amery, Wisconsin and ran for the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she earned Big Ten titles and won the 5,000m NCAA Indoor Championship. Alicia moved to Colorado in 2020 to join the On Athletics Club as a professional runner. She competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and holds the 5,000m and 10,000m American Records. Currently, she is returning to training for competition after having a meniscus root tear and surgery in 2024. We get to hear all about her return to running, what got her into the sport, and more importantly, what kept her loving it.

Here is a podcast we mention in the episode where she talks about her Olympic Trials 2020 10k race: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5YgEvFAmIHRTzEcNTSdBT0?si=zeVZ81AlTaqQdlZ-_C6VUw

Lydia is a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Indiana State University, where she oversees the NCAA Division I cross country and track, swim and dive, and basketball teams. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and holds a master’s degree in the field. Originally from California, Lydia moved to Fort Collins for her undergraduate studies. In this conversation, we discuss the benefits of strength training for long-distance runners and share memories of our time in Fort Collins!

Taylor Stack won an NCAA steeplechase title at Western Colorado University and, after a break from competition, signed a professional contract with Brooks following a 4th-place finish at Broken Arrow. Sydney Petersen competed for Colorado State University and, after steady collegiate growth, placed 7th at Broken Arrow and also signed with Brooks. In this episode, you will meet these inspiring athletes and see how they support each other in chasing their dreams of representing Team USA.