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#90 - Oakley Olson - 2025 Trail Team Elite Selection
Step onto the trails with Oakley Olson, the collegiate steeplechase specialist turned mountain running phenom who's rapidly ascending to the top of the trail running world. Fresh from her selection to the 2025 Trail Team Elite, Oakley shares the remarkable journey that took her from soccer fields to mountain summits.
Oakley reveals how a two-mile time trial during soccer practice unexpectedly launched her running career, leading eventually to success at Utah Valley University as a steeplechaser. The conversation explores her breathtaking transition to trail running, where she stunned the community with an 8th place finish at the US Mountain Running Championships at Snowbird and set the FKT on Utah's imposing Mount Timpanogos with almost casual determination: "I just looked at Tim and thought, I want to go do that right now."
What makes steeplechase athletes like Oakley so dominant on technical trails? She offers fascinating insights into the mental fortitude required for both disciplines: "When you're trail running, you have to look at the mountain and believe you're going to get to the top. In steeplechase, you need to know you're going to clear every single hurdle." This fearless mindset translated perfectly to her mountain racing success alongside professional athletes.
Looking ahead to an exciting 2024 season, Oakley discusses balancing her collegiate track commitments with appearances at Soonapy Scramble, Cirque Series races, and potentially Broken Arrow. Her perspective on competition reveals a refreshing blend of fierce determination during races and genuine camaraderie afterward. "The sport is amazing because of the positive culture we create," she reflects, embodying the spirit that makes trail running special.
Whether you're fascinated by the crossover between track and trails, curious about breaking into mountain running, or simply inspired by athletic courage, Oakley's story demonstrates how belief in yourself can move mountains—or at least help you run up and down them very, very fast.
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What's up, boys and girls, welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast. I'm your host, james Lariello, and guys, let's get into it. I've got an awesome episode. I'm so excited to bring you with none other than Miss Oakley Olsen, the trail running phenom in 2025. Trail team elite selection is on the pod.
Speaker 1:Oakley is best known for being a standout both on the track and on the trails as well. Last last year, she had a very serious finish uh at the U S mountain running champs at Cirque snowbird, where she took eighth overall female uh, as well as the first collegiate female in that race Absolutely crushed it. She also set the FKT on Mount uh. Tim Pangonos, I don't know, I'm not a Utah guy, but Mount Timp um, that everybody calls it pretty, pretty rad. Um, yeah, guys, I'm not a Utah guy, but Mount Timp that everybody calls it pretty, pretty rad. Yeah, guys, I'm so excited to bring this one to you.
Speaker 1:Oakley is a rising star in the sport and someone who I'm really excited to watch like her career just kind of explode over the next couple of years. She will be racing at Soonapy and I think she'll be a broken arrow as well. So excited to see where her career takes her and where, and what she's able to do in 2025. Hope you guys enjoy this one. It's a favorite one of mine, none other than Oakley Olsen. It's time, ladies and gentlemen, we are live.
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Speaker 1:Hop on ultimate directioncom and use code steep stuff pod Again that steep stuff pod for 25% off your new vest. I mean, they're already affordably priced, but 25% off is just going to make it so much more affordable for folks in an already increasingly expensive trail running environment. So hop on ultimatedirectioncom, get yourself a new vest, a pack or any hydration solution and let me know what you guys think. Oakley Olson, welcome to the Steep Stuff Podcast. How are you?
Speaker 2:Hi, thanks for having me. I'm doing good. How are you? I'm doing good. I Hi thanks for having me. I'm doing good. How are you?
Speaker 1:I'm doing good. I'm doing good. It's a good day, got a good workout in, getting some work done. It's, you know, it's the middle of the week, it's almost Friday, so not much more. Not much to complain about, right no-transcript.
Speaker 2:Exciting for our team and we won cross country as a team so it's exciting going into outdoor Coaches have some pretty big goals to try and defend that title.
Speaker 1:Nice, nice, nice, all right. So maybe we'll back this up a little bit for the audience. Maybe just introduce yourself and give me the five-minute elevator pitch on what you're doing right now running collegially.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so my collegiate career started at Boise State University. I was running there for a year and a half and then I transferred to Utah Valley University. My favorite event is steeplechase. I qualified for regionals, lost outdoor track in the steeplechase, so this year I'm hoping to qualify for regionals and then to go to second rounds at nationals in Eugene, oregon, in June. I've been part of the cross country indoor track and outdoor track teams for all those years UVU women's team. We went to nationals not this past fall but the fall before and we placed 23rd. This year we were the first team out and we were really sad about it. But that's okay. Being in the mountain region, you never know how it's gonna go.
Speaker 1:So it's been pretty exciting. Nice, nice, what's your. What's your story was running Like how old were you when you first got into it?
Speaker 2:yeah, um, I was a freshman in high school so I was a soccer girl growing up. I did swimming, soccer, softball and then I remember we did like a two mile time trial on the outdoor track one day for soccer practice and the cross country coach saw me running with all the girls and they told us if we got like below a 14 minute two mile, then like you could maybe make varsity. And I think I came in running like a 1330 and I was like the first girl to cross and I felt pretty good. I did not have the skills to be varsity. I was definitely a JV player but I was like, wow, I can, I can run, like that's something I can control.
Speaker 2:And the cross country coach came over and he was like, hey, you need to join the cross country team. And I was like no way, press country is terrible, that sucks. And then I went to a practice and all the kids were so nice and it was way more fun than soccer and I just immediately dove into it for the rest of high school. So I guess I was around 14. Oh, wow.
Speaker 1:What position did you play on the soccer field?
Speaker 2:I was outside back. So the one where you just have to chase people, take the ball and then kick it way up.
Speaker 1:No dribbling you don't have to chase people, take the ball and then kick it way up. No dribbling. You don't have to have like any actual skills, you just have to be faster than the other person.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I, I that I had zero skills at soccer I was.
Speaker 1:That's why I think I liked running so much was because soccer just required like too much finesse and like too much athleticism. I don't know no, I was.
Speaker 2:I was so funny growing up. I was like cross country is so lame, like I Like I would never do that. But then people would ask me, like what do you like about soccer? And I'm like, oh, just like running. Like I like running the entire field, like that's what I like. I don't like the skills, I don't like it being really tight, I like to just run as fast as I can for a far distance. They're like oh, like cross country.
Speaker 1:How did your high school years play out then? Was it easy? What was that like? Getting, I guess you could say going to Boise State? Getting recruited was the word I was looking for. Or did you go as a walk-on? How did?
Speaker 2:that process work. Yeah, so I was actually For high school I was in Maryland and I went to 2 different high schools in Maryland and then COVID hit, my junior year. I grew up as a military kid, so my background is a little bit like literally all over the map. Senior year was COVID, so my family decided to move out to Utah and back my junior year and sophomore year I already knew I kind of wanted to come out west because distance running is just so popular, being at altitude. So I'd reached out to a couple of different schools at altitude and in the mountains around here.
Speaker 2:But then I was offered a scholarship to Utah State and Boise State and a couple other schools. Those were like when it came down to the wire too and I just really liked the environment at Boise, with the girls on the team and with Allie Ostrander being such a prominent trail runner and steeplechaser and me knowing like that's what I really really had a passion for. I was like, okay, okay, these coaches know how to make athletes that are tailored for those events. So that's kind of how my senior year I got recruited from Morgan High School in Utah to go to Boise and then after a year and a half, I decided to come to Utah Valley nice, nice.
Speaker 1:You mentioned Ali Ostrander there. Uh, that's a huge name in our sport um, and both on the track and the trails. Was that someone, I guess from a collegiate perspective, you really looked up to um and wanted, I guess, admired in a lot of ways like how was like that relationship?
Speaker 2:absolutely. Um, yeah, not even just from like a collegiate perspective, but now as a professional. I think she's so authentic and she's so organic and I love like her personality and who she is on social media, but also like the accolades she has. Like not a lot of female can say they were like a three-time in a row steeplechase national champion, like from freshman, sophomore, junior and then going professionally is just amazing. So, um, talking to those coaches and hearing about how they trained her and how she really like had some amazing accomplishments in that environment, I it was a no-bra. I was like, oh, I love steeplechase. I've never done it, but they have such a history of it, like why not go and see how far I can go in it?
Speaker 1:I love that. It's interesting to me, like just from like looking at the sport, like I don't understand it and maybe you can provide some color to this Cause. I did not run in a collegiate level, but like why are steeple are so good at trail running, like Joe Gray, max King, like Grayson Murphy, like so at alley, like there were so many solid steeplers that come over to the trails and just absolutely dominate, Like is it the muscle dexterity? Like what is it that makes you guys so good at trail running?
Speaker 2:You know it's interesting because through college I've thought the same thing and all of my like steeplechase friends are now getting into trail running as well, and I honestly think it's less of the physical and more of the mental aspects. Like when you're trail running and when you're mountain running you have to be able to look at the mountain in front of you and believe that, like you're going to get to the top and back and be okay. And in steeplechase there's, I think, 32 hurdles or 28, somewhere between 28 and 32. I never want to know the exact number because I'm like I'll just go run it. But you have to believe in yourself and have so much grit to the extent of when there's 30 other girls around you you need to jump before you can see it. You need to know that you're going to clear every single hurdle and have the confidence to do it, because if you slow down going into it, you're only going to hurt your performance more, not into it. You're only going to hurt your performance more, not even in the aspect of like slowing down time, but like maybe you're not going to clear the jump because you don't have enough momentum.
Speaker 2:And I feel like in trail running it's the same thing, like when we're going downhills on that like decline if you don't have the confidence and you don't have the grit to push through, like mile seven there's like twigs and branches and rocks and just have like that fast, like innate, like flight instinct, and that grit and confidence to know like, yeah, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it well, and like everybody's going to watch me do it, I feel like that's kind of where it transforms. You're not just like going around like a rabbit in a cage or like a hamster in a wheel or like, yeah, like a rabbit just around the track. You kind of have to have a little bit more of. I guess like dexterity is the word I would use.
Speaker 1:I don't know and no fear too. It's because, like I have to be honest with you, like I've never steeple I've never jumped a steeple before but like I couldn't imagine jumping 20 of those things on a fort, like running around the track, like I don't know. I just feel like you have to because if you do and you can provide more color to this, like if you eat one of those, like that's gonna hurt pretty bad, like oh yeah you have to have like no, no fear at all to just like have to, like you know, just jump over that damn thing, or that's.
Speaker 1:That's interesting to me oh, absolutely.
Speaker 2:And like when I'm straw running, I feel like it's the same way, like I'm up at timpanogos and you hear stories of mountain lions and moose and bears and stuff and you have to have no fear. Sometimes you're like I don't know what's out here, but I'm going to do this anyways, I'm going to be safe about it. But I feel like there's a big mental aspect of fear that could definitely leave people not getting as many opportunities as they could on the trails.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I love it. So you're an interesting character in the sport. You popped onto the scene last year. I know you made like a relationship with the trail team. We'll talk about that, about your selection to the trail team elite. But like you were the collegiate national champion for um at circ series, snowbird at the usatf mountain running champs, but did you finish like sixth place, which was insane, or top 10? Yeah, it was lights out. And then you also took the mount temp fkt uh, in, you know I almost want to call it the front range of Utah, but it's in the Wasatch of Utah. Yeah, so you've really exploded onto the scene. I'm just curious what stoked your interest into trails? What got you excited about?
Speaker 2:it Honestly, I would just say the trail team and their belief in me. I guess it goes back to originally at Boise State. We mentioned Allie Ostrander. Another reason why I picked Boise State was because they really supported her in her trail running while she was in the collegiate world. So she ran at World way back, maybe 2018.
Speaker 2:And those coaches, a part of the USA mountain running team, reached out to me because they saw I was at Boise State and that I was from Utah. So I had some experience being in the mountains and my Boise State coaches were super supportive of me racing. It was pretty crazy. I had like a conference cross country championship and then the next weekend I was in Thailand racing junior, like worlds, and then the next weekend was like regionals and they had had Allie doing the same thing a couple of years ago. So they were very used to it and easy to work with.
Speaker 2:But I think that sparked my original love of trail running is just seeing how supportive the community was and how fun it was to just be like out in the mountains racing against other girls all around the world. But we all had the same thing in common. And then, coming back last year, andy Wacker, the head of the trail team. He has just had like unparalleled belief in me and I think it's really inspired my confidence. And getting connect to connect with other professional athletes like Andy Cornish and Grayson Murphy, like as a part of the trail team, has just built my own confidence. Going into races and training and knowing that this sport is like amazing and upcoming for females and it's where I belong. So I think that's kind of like how it happened last year is honestly just other people believing in me, which is pretty amazing.
Speaker 1:That was so cool and it's crazy to like have, you know, pretty solid success, just like, but like without even having a full season, which is just wild. So I know it's going to change a little bit. This year. We're going to be racing like probably a full, more or less a full, like summer season. Um, I know on deck for you. Like what, what do you have planned for the summer? Like, what do you? What are you going to be racing? Um?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I'm going to go race the Senate Peace Scramble on June 1st. I also have my collegiate season going into it, so obviously you don't know how far you're going to go with the qualifying rounds. But there's regionals and nationals for the steeplechase that's like in between that race and getting that on my race calendar. And then there's a couple other ones like Cirque series races that I want to do again, um, and then hopefully qualify for some teams to get back on that world podium and go back to Spain or to Slovenia. I've been talking to the trail team a lot about those opportunities, so that's kind of what I've been thinking so far. Super cool.
Speaker 1:Well, so you were just selected as one of the trail team elite. Congratulations, thank you. That's a it's a huge deal, because what is there? Only six, is it six members this year? Five, I think it's six, or six or seven.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's six, and then we have two on the ultra team, I believe. So they're still part of it, but it's slightly different.
Speaker 1:Okay, cool, cool, cool. Yeah, it's just like such an amazing honor considering how many people applied and like what it's like to be on there now, like it's. I was just talking to Hawk the other day, um, cause he made the team. We just had an interview with him and we'll interview the rest of the team in the upcoming days. Um, but yeah, what does that mean to you? So far? I mean, like that's, that's obviously a huge deal. Like, what do you? What do you think about it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was my biggest trail team and then last year we had like Sadio on the elite team and we had a couple other girls and I just looked up to them a lot and their performances. So I knew like, hey, maybe, maybe not next year, but like the year after, I'm going to just keep going for it and then to actually have that goal come to life this year just means everything to get to give back and, I guess, be have even more confidence going into this season representing the trail team. Going from like the club now to the elite is really a boost going into having a full schedule this year because honestly, last year I was just doing normal summer training and I just threw myself into some races with no workouts over the summer. So now having Andy's support and the rest of the elite team to hopefully go to some camps, work out with, talk to, you know, have support at the races, it's going to be a whole different summer. I'm excited.
Speaker 1:So cool. I didn't ask him about this particularly, but maybe you could spill the beans on it, Did he? Um, did he tell you guys where you're going to be having camps yet this year?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we're going to do our grand lake camp again and last year that was definitely, I think, a transformative um place for all the all the beginning club level um team members, so we're excited to do that again. And then there's going to be a camp in lake tahoe and then hopefully there's going to be a camp in canada in august, so that would be amazing. And then there's a big supportive camp going on in europe. I don't think the exact, I guess, um deadlines or time frame is there yet, but he's planning on one being in europe again, because last year there was a switzerland camp, so he's doing something similar this year very cool, very cool.
Speaker 1:No, so you went to the grand lake one last year, is that right? Can you talk about that experience a little bit and just like what that meant to you to get to like run with all these incredible athletes and network and just make friends out of that Like? What was that experience like?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Yeah, I I'll just say like I would not have even known snowboard was a U? S and collegiate mountain Jesus race unless I went to grand Lake. Like I didn't even know what Cirque series was. I didn't know anything. And being in that environment around so many positive people like they were all talking about the race calendars and I was like, oh, what is a race calendar and what races should I learn about? Like I didn't know Broken Arrow was a race and how much prestigious um this it holds. I didn't know what, like Golden Trail series was. I learned all those things just through networking at the camp. And then the workout. We did a couple workouts. So that was really awesome to see, like how trail workouts are different than track workouts and how the team approaches them differently.
Speaker 2:To see how people use nutrition. That's a big thing coming from college to trail running is in college. We don't really use nutrition on any long runs. We don't use them in any races and then in trail it's so important to know how to have a vest, how to have water flasks, how to you know when to take gels or goos and how much carbs, cause we we've got some girls like Shay. She's amazing, she's done amazing things this year. She's like the nutrition queen and she has it all down to a science. So I was just like taking notes from her. I was like wait, so I'm supposed to do this, and how many miles or how many minutes. So I feel like it was just the perfect environment for a new runner to really understand how far they could go in the sport and how to structure their training the right way to do so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think you nailed it there. And big shout out to Shaq Aquilano. Like she's yeah, what she's been able to do in the last few seasons. Like, yeah, let me. Let me ask you this. So I'm just I just out of pure curiosity, like you see, like kade's probably going to get picked up by somebody, I would imagine after the season I'm sure hawk will as well. Um yourself, like, should you choose to go that route? Like, does that something that like excites you? Is to like, now that you know that there's opportunities on the trails to go run profession, like professionally, is that like a goal you would be excited to chase after this?
Speaker 2:Absolutely yeah. Ever since I was a little girl, I always know I wanted to like make sports and athletics my passion. I just didn't really know how, so I was soccer for a long time, then it became running and then, through college, I've always like daydreamed of becoming a professional athlete and ever since I've been more involved in the trail world and I've seen how much of a platform female trail runners have and how much of an impact they can have. I think it's amazing and that's exactly what I want to do. So that's kind of why I could have a fifth year on the track or I could go all in on the trails after the summer, and it's really tempting to just go all in on the trails, because the opportunity to be a professional athlete and to be able to give back to this sport and also compete at such a high level is something that I think I've been training the past eight years for and absolutely want.
Speaker 1:Super cool, I mean. Hey, like on a Gibson, there's a lot of like stout ladies that run on the track and the trails too, and still compete so I feel like there's that opportunity now to do both, you know, which is like really cool. I I don't ever feel like that was a thing in our sport until like grayson kind of came along and like you know kind of paved the way and made it like where you can you do both of those things, so uh, yeah I just love that.
Speaker 1:That's that. That's an option, even um, I see a lot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll just join. Uh, I'll join grace in an alley in the steeplechase and trails. There's no in between, there's just people chasing trails there you go, that's right.
Speaker 1:That's right. Um, what is honor run? I don't even know. I just see a lot of these brooks athletes that kind of double up on the trail, on the track. It's just so interesting to me like I don't know. I've been kind of blown away by the brooks team like the past couple years, like just investing so much in sub ultra. Um, to that point with sub ultra, is that what interests you more? Like more of the shorter distance, like maybe golden trail series races and as you kind of get into the sport, like the circ series and things like that. Is that more of the interest? Or will you go like the shea aqualana route and start running like 100 mile races? Like what are your thoughts on that?
Speaker 2:um, I think the sub ultra route is more of my route for right now. Um, I do enjoy like this. The snowboard cirque series was like 100, my race. I loved how it was a little bit longer than college like it was. I think it was just over eight miles, but I and kind of similar like when I ran tippin. I love it when it's like in that range of long distance, so it's like longer than a 5k but it's not quite 100 miles. Yeah, yeah, um, but then it's like longer than a 5k but it's not quite a hundred miles. Um, but then it's like really steep. I love it, like when you go up and down and like when the hard part is just like how fast can you get from the top to the bottom. I think those types of races are my favorite, so, maybe, so we'll try for now, but I definitely wouldn't mind, um, doing a couple more marathon distances under my belt, cause I've never done that yet and I think that'd be cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm excited for you to mix it up. I mean, especially the Cirque. Like that's my like. My first love is the Cirque series. Like I'll probably be racing all of them this year but the trail series races are sick too Like.
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:I just think that we from a sub ultra perspective and like, with the sport growing enormously right now, there's just a lot of options which makes it kind of nice and, if you like, for instance, like the steeple is tend to be really good at technical stuff for some reason. So like there's technical options but there's also really fast stuff. So I just feel like there's there's options in general. Uh, you should see if they can get you into the broken arrow, like ascent, like the VK race. That would be sick, cause I'd be curious to see how you could do there, I think.
Speaker 2:See how you could do there. I think I applied for it, so my fingers are crossed and hopefully I can get in, because I would definitely put that on my my calendar if I get in yeah, we'll speak that one to existence.
Speaker 1:I'm sure, brandon, this will get that, get that going. Uh, let's talk mount. Do you call it mount, tip and yogas? I just called it temp because that's, that's like what the we call it for short, like yeah, you set the unsupported uh fkt on it last year. You absolutely smoked, that course. Maybe talk about that. What was that experience like for you? Because that's a pretty hefty techy mountain, isn't it, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, thank you. I was pretty excited about it. I'd run it once before with a friend, and so we just did it for fun. I'd always wanted to hike Tim because I'd heard about it and a lot of my friends were doing it last summer and they were telling me how gorgeous it was and I was like, yeah, I want to do that, but like I just want to run it because hiking it for eight or nine hours is not my thing, but if we can get this done in like four, that'd be awesome.
Speaker 2:So we went up and did it, um, for fun, and I kind of like looked at the route a little bit but didn't pay too much attention to it. And then a couple weeks later we just have like a long run as a team assigned to us, but our long runs are on our own at Utah Valley on Saturdays, and so I just was like I think it was eight or nine in the morning. This is going to sound so nonchalant, but I just like looked at Tim and I was like I want to go do that right now, like that sounds kind of fun. I Like that sounds kind of fun. I literally like got in my Kia Soul, I got my vest. I think I grabbed like two Rice Krispie treats and like some Gator Light and put it in my little vest or whatever. And then, yeah, I kind of had known, I knew what the route was because I'd ran it before and I know with the FKTs you have to send them like a GPX file. So I was pretty like nervous about making sure I was on like the exact one, because there's a couple different ways you can like spread out and go, but luckily the trail's pretty well marked. There's always like some hikers on it. So, yeah, that day I just parked. I didn't have any music, I just was like I want to do this today. I want to like prove to myself I can do something hard going into like our cross country season I think it was like in October ish, but it was amazing, it was really cool. There were mountain goats, it was.
Speaker 2:There are so many amazing people on the trails in Utah County, like the amount of hikers that I ran past and they were like you go, girl, or like like what are you doing right now? They're like, yeah, they're like how fast, like how like, how long did it take you to get up here? And I'd tell them like what my watch had, and they were just like you're crazy, like what? Like this isn't real. So it was.
Speaker 2:I think, honestly, all of the different people on the trails made it happen that day because they were so supportive, like everybody was just yelling and kind of came together and it was cute. Like I would pass people again on the way back down and they'd be like, oh, you're the girl with the red vest, like we remember you, like you're back, and I was like, oh, that's so awesome. And then there've been a couple people like around town since then that I recognize me, that were hiking that day and they're like, oh, you're the girl with the red vest on tip that like was flying down the mountain. I was like, wow, this community is awesome, like it was really that support that I think made it so fun that day to do.
Speaker 1:That's so cool. Yeah, I think what makes those efforts and those things so fun is just the community in general, especially people on the trail egging you on. Sometimes it's kind of hard because you won't want to be an ass, but you're like, oh, get out, just get away a little bit. You don't want to run them over, but yeah, it's this funny dichotomy of it's so true.
Speaker 1:It's a great funny dichotomy of, like you know, it's so true, it's great sport. I do have a question. I do want to double back to Cirque Snowbird because I just have so many competition questions for you, especially coming from coming from the track and being obviously with that fitness level, transitioning into the track and still doing some stuff in the summer. What was that like kind of going into Cause that was, I mean from a female competition perspective, that was probably the most competitive female race last year on american soil, if I remember correctly. I mean you got to race, you got to see grace and you got to race all the like laurel lawyer um rachel tomjiak, like the best of the best in our sport on the sub ultra women's side. What was that level of competition like for you? Like was, was that, was it weird, getting thrown into the deep end right away, or did you feel very ready for it?
Speaker 2:Um, it's kind of interesting because it was like my first and last race of the season, like it was the only one I did. But in a way, I think, being on the trail team and being able to connect with those elite girls before and having like a good, positive mentor relationship relationship, I would say I expected to have a lot more imposter syndrome than I did. Like I showed up and I was like, oh, these ladies are like the best in in the world at this sport but they're also so nice and so awesome and like waved at me on the warm-up so we're just gonna go out here and see what happens today. Like I think it was because of that environment it gave me a little more confidence on the starting line and and then, honestly, that race.
Speaker 2:Andy Cornish, she is a Solomon athlete and I guess she ran for Solomon last year and I met her at the trail team camp. Honestly, we came into the race and we did a pre race together a couple days before and she really built up my confidence, I mean as a professional athlete like her, taking the time to, you know, run with me somebody she had just met and like build me up before the race and then during the race we worked together so where she would be like 20 feet ahead of me and she would yell at me. She'd be like get your ass up here, oakley. And I'd be like okay, I'm like okay. And then I would like catch up to her. And then, um, we had this joke I don't know if you've seen ford versus ferrari, but there's like a poster and he's like it says um, go like hell, like 7 000 rpm. And so we joked about it.
Speaker 2:And I remember when you get to the ski lift at like the top of the mountain and you're about to take like a left turn and it gets pretty steep, like on the downhill part, right there, um, I think I was like a little bit ahead of her, she's a little bit ahead of me. I don't remember who it was but one of us yelled the other one like go like hell. And then we both just like the next two miles, like we were next to each other and we were just like going through the race together, like the highs, the lows. We both fell, I think, a couple of times and it was amazing Like just having her to run beside. I think that's where I finished, where I did just because I was like okay, I'm Andy's twin, I'm just going to do whatever she does Like, if she believes in me, I'm going to find a way. So it was pretty awesome having her be next to me last year.
Speaker 1:That is so cool. That's also unique. Like I've never heard someone talk about like such a competitive race and like going through it with a friend. Like that makes it so much.
Speaker 2:Like I think it's hilarious. Like we passed Andy Wacker and he was on like the sidelines, like cheering us on, and he sidelines like cheering us on and he was like, oh my gosh, like we've got like some twins right now, like they're just like yelling at each other, like while racing at the champs, like we're literally yelling at each other to like keep up and like to finish together. It was super unique and it was amazing so cool.
Speaker 1:I want to finish like I said, like top 10 like smoked a lot of really really solid women. Does that give you confidence going to soon to be this year? Yeah?
Speaker 2:yeah for sure, definitely, especially considering like going into that race. Like I kind of talked about, I just was relying completely on my track fitness, whereas now I've talked to Andy a little bit about trying to get some trail workouts in and learning exactly how to train better for trails. I think some of you could be a lot more fun this year, a lot more prepared, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:What is that? What would that look like for you? Because, like centipede is what June 1. So will you start hitting the trails, I don't know a month or two out to where, probably in the next month or so, just doing some workouts on there to make sure you're, like, ready for technical stuff or certain like vertical, like what are your thoughts on that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so obviously I'll still be with my team doing steeplechase and like 1500 meter and 5k training.
Speaker 2:So I think that'll play a really good help into like strength and the distance of what the race is going to look like, cause I'm still running about 60 miles a week. So that works great. But I definitely am going to start doing as long as my coach is okay with it it some long runs on the trails to just get some more hills under my legs and then, when it gets closer to the week of the race or a couple weeks out, maybe three weeks out, because I know we've got regionals the weekend before. So I'm going to be talking to Andy and my coach here I'll be like, okay, how do I fit in a little bit of trail throughout the week, the week, but also steeple chase training without completely burning myself out and getting injured? So honestly, I'm gonna leave it up to my coaches. Because it worked last year, um, just making a couple tweaks to try, try and make team usa again a couple years later dude, you're gonna be so fit for that race.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, like, I mean, like even who cares about technicality? Like you'll be, you know, you know, especially with the steeple season, you know, leading, especially in regionals, like leading right up to that, like, oh my gosh, plus the fact that it's at sea level too, that always helps, right Like.
Speaker 2:I was thinking about that. I'm like sea level is going to definitely help me out. It's going to be nice.
Speaker 1:Super cool, yeah, all right yeah, um.
Speaker 2:Are we just talking about like in general or like?
Speaker 1:directly in the sport could be whoever.
Speaker 2:In general, that's fine that's a really good question. Um, growing up, I would have to say the biggest athlete that probably inspired me was calling quickly. I loved how she gave back so much. The sport was like the fast braid friday um thing that she's done throughout the years with like young girls. I definitely like braided my hair on on every Friday for every race because of that, and then even more so she had like a mermaid Mondays challenge or with like swimming and like teaching girls. It wasn't just about like her doing a swim workout and telling girls to post about it, but it was like her giving the technique and training on like how did I do it? And so I started swimming as cross training because of the platform she used um to teach and I remember she did some challenge and I like completed it and she like sent me a Lululemon swimsuit and like reached out to me and was like you're amazing, this is so cool.
Speaker 2:So she's been a huge athlete in this sport and I also love Emma Coburn too, but I think overall, the biggest inspiration I have, not just in the sport but also as like a person, is Ellie Puryear, st Pierre. What she's done, like to be a mom, come back like, make you know, get Olympic goals. Come back to the sport after having a kid and now I think she's in her second pregnancy. I just think her work-life balance and, like her relationship with her family and also being the most elite female athlete she can be at her level is phenomenal. Like I, I want to be as composed as her and also like have I don't know so many different goals and just be achieving them all at the same time. It's such a great example for all females in athletics that's a good answer.
Speaker 1:Speaking of composure, do you? Do you get nervous at start lines?
Speaker 2:um, I think it depends on the race. Um, I've definitely learned how to control a little bit more over the years. I'm a little bit more of like a fidgety, like I love to like jump around a little bit in a track race and kind of get those nerves. But I think over over time, coming with accomplishments and being especially like a senior now it's like year eight I guess I've been running there's a little more inner confidence I didn't have when I was younger but definitely it's taken that over the years very cool, very cool, do you?
Speaker 1:uh, what's your relationship with competition? Because you seem like I don't want to say light-hearted, but like you seem like just like you're having fun right, which is I meet so many people that are so serious, but like I don't, know't know, I feel like you have to you know, I don't know. I feel like remember this, like sport is fun, that's the whole point of it. But do you? Are you a super competitive human, like when it comes to that stuff?
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, that question sparks like two kind of funny things that come to mind. Um, have you ever heard of like the? There's like the golden retriever, and then there's like the black cat type personalities. I feel like a lot of people they look at me and they're like, oh, she's a black cat, like she's like, she's like gonna I don't know tear me to shreds if I look at her the wrong way. But if I like start opening my mouth, I'm like 100% a golden retriever.
Speaker 2:Like all of like the girls I run with I want to be best friends with, I want to like meet up with them and go train with them on the weekends. Like, obviously, in the moment of a race, like I, I want nothing more than like to win and to get it done and to like kill myself trying, but then it's like as soon as it ends. The sport is amazing because of how positive and like the culture that we create, and so I think it's awesome to be really competitive in the moment but then also have like that short memory of like after a race. It's all about the connections and the relationships we have with those around us, and so I I want to lift other people up in the sport and other girls and to create a community like that. That's way more important than like the time I run that day.
Speaker 1:So that's, that's kind of my that might be the best answer I think I've ever gotten for that question. The reason I ask is because, like I don't know, I find that like there's a certain camaraderie you have with people, like when you're absolutely smashing yourselves to like complete a goal, whether that's to finish the podium or to finish last place, whatever you know, it's a certain camaraderie that you get with your competitor and like you're kind of like bonded after that in a lot of ways and that's how you become friends. I don't know, I think that that's the beauty of the sport, right? Like, yeah, so I don't know, it's such a this is the greatest sport on earth. I say this every podcast. But yeah, okay, so you're getting ready for a race. Could be a hard effort, could be competition. Are you a music girl? Like, do you listen to music before an effort?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, definitely. Oh yeah, definitely not on like a warm-up with my teammates or like, if I'm, you know, like at cirque series, andy cornish and I warmed up so we didn't listen to music, we were just kind of like chit-chatting and take it in our surroundings, but maybe like an hour out, so like before the warm-up, or like two hours out, I'll, I'll have my little like pre-race uh warm-up music that I like to listen to nice.
Speaker 1:What's what song? What are you listening to like? What's your favorite, favorite song?
Speaker 2:um, oh my gosh. There's a song by eminem I always play. I'm like I knew this question was coming when we start talking about music. I'm like, what is the song? It's just like famous rap song where he talks about it phenomenal lose yourself. That's when I was gonna just start rapping it, but good thing we're saving up, no, no I have no rapper.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, lose yourself by eminem or like spice girl. I love to throw on that song sometimes because it talks about being like an athletic girl. So I'm like, okay, I'm a spice girl, I'm gonna go spice it up. Right now I don't know kendrick coming out of the super bowl. I've had some kendrick songs like before, like my indoor track races, because you know those races are brutal, like you're just like a hamster in a cage, just like around and around and around. It's not a fun pretty trail mountain. So I like really gotta get like locked in. So some kendrick here and there too I can get behind that.
Speaker 1:It's not bad, it's good. Good choices all around, all right. Last question's a dumb one. I usually ask like bigfoot, aliens, ai, stuff like that, because you're still in college. I'm so curious to think like like what do you guys like? Do you guys like you use ai for everything now, like for like chat gpt, for stuff I was just at. But like I was literally just playing on my phone 10 minutes ago and like or 20 before we started this podcast and like asking chat gpt like stupid questions about I don't need to say it on the podcast, but like funny stuff do?
Speaker 2:Let's unpack that. What is what's Jack going to ask?
Speaker 1:You can ask it anything. I was asking it to draw me Like. I was asking, like literally ask, can you draw me a picture of Bigfoot? And then I said, can you draw me a picture of Bigfoot on psychedelics? I shit you not. And it gave me like the coolest photo like ever.
Speaker 2:Oh it's, it's kind of oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:That's like, oh, it's. It's kind of, oh my gosh, that's hilarious, this is amazing. Like, like, what can't this thing do? Anyway? Do you guys use like uh, do you guys use chat gpt for like everything in college? Now, like, how does that work?
Speaker 2:yeah, that's a great question. I think it's kind of crazy because ai has come into like the educational workforce I don't know in the past year, maybe two years. So I think a lot of professors are trying to restructure their courses to really find how it can benefit students without like adhering to their education. So it really depends on the class, like my writing and English classes and even like grad school, like applications. They're very against like any use of AI, like there's very adherent rules to it. But then it's really interesting.
Speaker 2:In my accounting classes and even now working as an accounting professional, we're utilizing AI just to make our processes faster, so like the automatic processes, or to try and understand. Like I've been doing accounting I've not been doing any software engineering or coding, but it's pretty awesome when I can go to chat GBT now and say, hey, can you teach me how to code SQL for this thing that I'm doing in. Like Microsoft Azure edit knows exactly how to explain it to me, whereas if I were to you know, try and read a textbook or talk to somebody else about it I think it would take a lot longer. So I've used it in my accounting software classes at Utah Valley University. I've had a professor that's kind of been the first one to pave the way using AI in business and universities, and it was amazing because now I use it at work all the time. But it's definitely only specific things, not like actual writing assignments, but if you're trying to teach yourself how to code, how to do new software, then it's been super helpful.
Speaker 1:That's interesting. Yeah, I work in corporate. I was telling you this before this. I work in corporate finance. I use SQL for everything SQL and Python for a good amount of I don't know SQL.
Speaker 2:I need chat to help me.
Speaker 1:And I was like dude, I never use. That's the one thing I never use we have. I work for a big Fortune 500. And we have an internal AI, if you will like our own, like internal one, and like, every now and then, like I'll pop it in like a like a snowflake question, trying to like get it to do something for me for like Python and snowflake, and it can't get it. It's like stupid, I'm like, but they don't allow us to use like actual chat, gpt so like, and other times I've gone in just to like mess with it and see if I can get stuff out of there. I was like wow, like this is nifty, I could do my whole job in two hours without even actually having to work. So this is kind of crazy. It is amazing what it can do. So I'm kind of curious to see how that transforms in the workplace in the coming years, especially for you for tax. That's going to be super fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's definitely interesting. Right now I feel like it can help speed up the process a lot. It usually can't take over the entire role that I'm doing, but it makes my role so much faster that I can go and do more higher level, like qualitative work instead of just like the quantitative part. So now you can do some more I don't know tax planning and looking forward to the future than just filing a K-1. Like it can now read some of my K-1s and it does have mistakes for the tax forms that I'm giving it, but it's so helpful. It makes the job so much less more monotonous when there's an automatic process that AI can help you with. So as long as you know how to make AI your friend and how to talk to it and use it for use it and be able to talk to it in the ways you need, I think there will always still be jobs. But it is a little bit scary sometimes when it is really good at what we know how to do as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I mean I talked about this. I'm like a broken record about this. On the podcast I've debated tons of PhD people that I've had on that are like runners and we go back and forth and I'm just like, are you sure it's not going to take everybody's job Like this seems like very kind of intimidating, but who knows, I don't know. I try to be positive through the whole thing, but we'll see.
Speaker 2:I know it makes some good training plans meal preparation, it does everything, Even some like low-key therapy. Sometimes my roommates and I joke around We'll be like, hey, I just had this dream. Like interpret this.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:It.
Speaker 1:I ask it questions all the time, like I was just asking it like, are you sentient? And it's like no, I'm like how do you know you're not sentient? Like I'll just like play with it for like 20 minutes at a time. It's really interesting. Yeah, I, it's kind of like AI abusive, think about it because, like I ask really like mean and stupid questions I don't know. Um, all right, so I got one. One last question for you. It's usually the dumbest one. Um and the sill, do you believe in aliens? I think that's my question.
Speaker 2:A hundred percent. No, I was hoping you were going to ask me about Bigfoot or aliens, because I'm kind of a conspiracy theory girl, like I think there's so much out there that we don't know about and I think it's so fun to debate with people. Okay.
Speaker 1:All right, so you do believe in aliens.
Speaker 2:Like, what's your take on this?
Speaker 1:like dude, especially because you're utah girl like you guys have um, what's that? What's that? Skinwalker ranch, skinwalker ranch. Yeah, yeah, every time I've driven to salt lake I've like wanted to go, like take, like go out of my way to go to uh, skinwalker ranch or like drive near it. But I'm like kind of oh yeah, kind of a wimp about it. I don't know. I don't want to bring back.
Speaker 2:No, honestly, it was super interesting. I was doing an entrepreneurship class like where they bring in a famous entrepreneur to UVU every single week and you sit down and they tell you their story. And we had Brandon Fugel. He's a huge real estate developer all across Utah. He's definitely a millionaire, potentially a billionaire at this point, and he just bought skinwalker ranch because he was like obsessed with the fact that like he could prove that, like what everybody is saying is wrong. And he stood in front of our class of like 300 people and he straight up was like my, I have nothing like to prove here. Like I'm bringing on discovery channel and all these different things to like film what's going on. Like I can lose all my credibility, all my business relationships over saying this, but like there are aliens and they're real and like what is going on at Skinwalker Ranch, he's like I can't even describe it. You'll have you know, you'll have to like see the evidence and how the scientists explain it. But he talked about like seeing UFOs with his own eyes and stuff. And it's crazy when you have such like a professional come to your university and talk about it.
Speaker 2:I think it's insane. I don't know if they're like among us every single day. But I definitely think we're not the only human life force like in the universe. I think there's other forms of life and we just don't know about it enough yet. Just like how the ocean is only like 7% explored. Like what else do we got in our own ocean? Why did nasa, like go from studying the ocean to all of a sudden running to space trying to figure out if we can move to mars? Like what's? What's going on even in our own ocean?
Speaker 1:I don't even know oh my god, this opens up. I could do a whole nother podcast with you.
Speaker 2:Oh my god yes, what is the one?
Speaker 1:what's the one conspiracy like you're, you're the most interested in? Like bigfoot aliens, jfk, like what's the dude? There's so many good ones, so many. There was some guy that went on rogan that like had me convinced for like two months that we didn't go to the moon. I was straight up convinced.
Speaker 2:I was like there's no way we went to the moon, like after thinking, I I've asked my little brothers about that one, because they're obsessed with space too, and so I've like poked my little brother Lincoln. I'm like do you really think we're into the moon? And he's like dead set on it. But there's a couple of good documentaries out there that that could say otherwise.
Speaker 1:It's so funny. My grandfather worked for NASA back in the day during the sixties and he helped develop the lunar module like the landing one that the astronauts used. So I mess with him all the time. I'm like pop, we didn't go to the moon. And he goes nuts Like he loses his mind. He gets so mad at me, like when I say that he's like you're an idiot, you're a conspiracy theorist, what are you talking about? Oh yeah, yeah, I just do it now, just to mess with him, because he's 80 something years old, which is kind of funny. I don't know of good ones out there. I think it's always important to ask questions.
Speaker 2:It's what I tell people Definitely, definitely. It always comes from somewhere. Everybody thought the Kraken was crazy until we figured out the giant squid. So all the different stories, I think the most interesting one is probably Bigfoot. Because I'm a Christian, so I believe in the Bible. I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and it talks about Cain and Abel and the Bible a lot and how he was cursed. So I'm a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and it talks about Cain and Abel and the Bible a lot and how he was cursed. So I'm like low key, is Bigfoot Cain from the Bible and were there other people that could have been cursed too? And there's lots of Bigfoots out there.
Speaker 2:I don't know my dad also. He's a UPS pilot, see, I could go on and on about conspiracy. He's buddy and he owns this big plot of land out in alaska. Like he, he built this cabin on this like remote lake and they've been in a cockpit for like 20 hours talking about this story and I I need a whole nother podcast to tell you the things my dad has heard from his buddy in the cockpit. Like he definitely has a bunch of bigfoots like I don't know doing what on his property and this guy is dead set on like the best fishing spot so he won't give it up. But like his wife will not go, his kids will not go back. Like every single guy he brings out to help build his cabin like run away, scared as a cat, and he is like ex-military, like he's bringing navy seals out onto this cabin to try and build it so he can go fishing up there in the summers and he can't bring anybody back. So I think for sure there's there's something to all those stories.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, that's the thing, like, you see, like it's always when you have like, the repeating, like people won't go back Like, and it's not just one person, it's many, it's like well, what is there?
Speaker 2:What?
Speaker 1:are you? What are you running into in the woods man, like, what is that? I love that stuff. I ask people about the bigfoot question all the time. I I want to believe so bad, like I want to be around. I don't think he's in colorado. I don't think he's in utah, maybe not, maybe he is, I don't know, but like he's somewhere for sure, like, maybe, uh, maybe in the pacific northwest or alaska's a great place. There's like 10 people in alaska oh, it's a great place.
Speaker 2:There's enough fit out there, like just blending with all the grizzlies. That's right.
Speaker 1:That's correct territory maybe they wrestle and like fight the grizzlies for fun. Like, yeah, like let me just choke this grizzly out and establish dominance.
Speaker 2:I don't know I can see it. I can see it well, great conversation.
Speaker 1:Thanks so much for coming on the podcast. Obviously, this is the first of many conversations. Um, this is just a highlight one, to announce your trail team, because we're going to do like a whole, uh, like a solid week. I'm going to book and like it's just going to be everybody coming out at once, so all the whole trail team will be announced. Um, so we'll definitely talk at soon to pee and I'll have you on before the soon to pee episode as well. Um, to talk about your pre-race. So it should be fun.
Speaker 2:Awesome Thanks, james. I'm looking forward to soon to pee and I'm looking forward to getting to talk with the whole elite team, with you as well.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Thanks so much, Oakley. Appreciate it.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:What'd you guys think? Oh man, what a fun episode. Want to thank Oakley so much for coming on the podcast. Fun conversation and just really excited for what she's able to do in 2025. Want to wish her the absolute best of luck as she takes on the US Mountain Running Champs in the Classic coming up on June 1st, as well as as she finishes out her cross or track season, her collegiate track season, which is awesome.
Speaker 1:So, guys, before you get going, hop on Instagram, give Oakley a follow. You can find her at Oakley Olson on Instagram. That's Oakley Olson on Instagram. Give her a follow, send her a message, let her know what you guys thought about the episode. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you. Also, I can't remember if I wished her luck and congratulated her on the on making the trail team, which is part of the emphasis for the conversation. So, yeah, big things to come from the trail team elite team in 2025. So super exciting. All right, guys, have a great rest of your week. I got a lot coming out. Um, we just dropped the kobe trail race preview with myself and nick tusa just came out. Um, last night I'm recording this actually just came out five minutes ago um, from when I'm recording this, which is yeah, but anyway, tune into that, don't miss it.
Speaker 1:Um, as well as don't miss this. We've got some great value in there for your guys's free trial fantasy picks. Um, and, yeah, everything you wanted to know about the golden trail series race at kobe, it is in there. So have a great weekend, guys. Thanks so much, thank you.
