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Oakley Olson - Pre Broken Arrow VK & 23K Interview
Meet Oakley Olson, a rising star in the trail running world who's breaking barriers between collegiate track and mountain racing. Fresh from her NCAA steeplechase season and now a Trail Team Elite selection for 2025, Oakley joins us just days before tackling both the Vertical Kilometer and 23K races at Broken Arrow Skyrace.
Oakley's story is remarkable – from showing up at her first trail camp in worn-out road shoes to finishing top-10 at the US Mountain Running Championships within months. Speaking from the Trail Team camp in Grand Lake, Colorado, she shares how this supportive community transformed her understanding of the sport. "I had no idea what Broken Arrow was, what a running vest was, or what trail running shoes were," she laughs, describing her bloody-legged introduction to mountain terrain just a year ago.
When the conversation turns to race strategy, Oakley reveals a mature approach beyond her experience level. Drawing from her NCAA racing background, she plans to start conservatively at Broken Arrow rather than getting caught in the frantic early pace. "I'd rather be the hunter than the hunted," she explains, a strategy that served her well at Snowbird last year against seasoned professionals.
Most powerful is Oakley's motivation – she runs for her two younger brothers who have Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Wearing a lime green ribbon on her shoes, she pushes through difficult moments by remembering their daily struggles. "When it got so hard, the only thing that got me through was thinking about my two younger brothers and how that's how they feel every day walking up a staircase," she shares with heartfelt emotion. Her family will be waiting at the aid station atop the Vertical Kilometer, making a potential Team USA qualification even more meaningful.
Listen now to this inspiring conversation with an athlete whose genuine passion, strategic intelligence, and heartfelt motivation are quickly making her one of trail running's most compelling figures. The future of American mountain running looks brighter with Oakley Olsen on the scene.
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What is up, fam? Welcome back to the Seep Stuff Podcast. I'm your host, james Lauriello, joined today for another pre-Broken Arrow Sky Race interview. This one's going to be for the VK and the 23K. I'm joined today by one of the most talented young women to enter our sport, possibly ever. Super excited for this one Trail team elite selection for 2025, miss Oakley Olsen. You guys might be familiar with that name. Oak was the 2024 collegiate national champion as well as a top 10 finisher at the 2024 circ series snowbird race. That was the us mountain running championship in 2024. Super excited.
Speaker 1:I caught up with oakley, actually while she was out at grand lake in colorado with the trail team. They were having a one of their many camps that they'll have this year for team building and training, so it was just really special. I get to talk to her about you know kind of how that camp was going and just like the stoke and enthusiasm level out there, which I know was extremely high. This is exciting race for Oakley. Oakley is, you know, like I said, kind of very new to the scene as well as already had some you know, pretty crazy success at the high level. Oakley is a steepler and actually the reason she was not at Sunapee was because she had qualified for NCAAs, so competing at the very highest level at the collegiate side. So it's going to be really fun to see how this race shakes out with Oakley, as she's coming in with a ton of fitness, so it's going to be very fun to follow along.
Speaker 1:I hope you guys enjoy this episode, wishing Oakley the very best of luck on her race. So, without further ado, miss Oakley Olson. Oakley Olson, welcome back to the Steep Stuff podcast. How's it going?
Speaker 2:It's going good. How are you doing, James?
Speaker 1:I'm doing good, excited to catch up and chat. I know it's been kind of a wild last few weeks for you and only getting crazier. Now. It seems like you got a cool background out there. You're out at the trail team camp, which is pretty sweet. Maybe catch me up on what's been going on the last few weeks. I know you qualified for. I don't know how the whole system works. Maybe I'll let you tell me what's going on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so about man, probably five weeks ago I had my team conference championships at the WAC, so the WAC championships at University of Texas, arlington, and it was pretty historic for my university because we took home the men's and women's titles together for the first time in school history. So that was really awesome. And then I had the opportunity to go to NCAA West regionals for the steeplechase. So I had to qualify and be top 48, the top 48 athletes in every event per gender get to go to that race. So I got to race at college A&M and or college station Texas A&M, but it was amazing. It was really hot, really humid, as everybody always warns you about, but it was such a cool atmosphere. And then now I traveled to Grand Lake and this is where we have our trail team camp this week and then I'm getting ready for Broken Arrow here coming up soon.
Speaker 1:Super exciting. Well, a lot of part of the conversation is like a Broken Arrow preview episode, if you will, for the women and men contenders. So this is like one of those ones where we do pre-race interviews, so maybe before we get going or we get sorry, I know you just got to the trail team camp but maybe talk about, like, what they're going to be doing this week I know there's team photos or you're running around, it's going to be, it's, you know, team building, it's like all kinds of fun stuff but maybe talk about, like what they, like, what Andy the mad scientist has planned for you guys this week.
Speaker 2:Yeah, andy is really the mastermind behind it all. This is such a special week. I look forward to it every year. I mean, last year is my first year, so I guess I looked forward to this week all year. But it's just a really unique opportunity for a bunch of athletes that are looking to break into that professional scene to come together, support each other through networking, through advice.
Speaker 2:I had no idea what Broken Arrow was. Last year when I came here. I had no idea about the US Championship Snowbird. I had no idea about the US Championship snowboard. I had no idea about what a running vest was or what trail running shoes were.
Speaker 2:I don't know if, like you, ever heard, but I showed up last year in like New Balance 1080s that probably had like 500 miles on them and then we ran up like Mount Ida and it was like the ugliest thing that anybody has ever seen. I got some good like pictures out of it from our photographers because, like my legs real bloody from just like not being able to run up the mountain. But I feel like this whole experience is what gave me the confidence and resources going into the US championships to be able to place top eight in like the women's overall race. So what Andy's doing here really is like the foundation to trail running. It's super exciting, it's new and it's going to show in about you know this this year at the World Championship for Team USA, and then also in years to come how much stronger we're going to show up as a country because of the support he's creating at such a young level.
Speaker 1:I love it, man. I'm so excited. I mean, obviously you weren't able to compete this year at Sonipi, but you are going to be a perennial contender for years to come on Team USA, which I'm so excited for, where your career is going to take you. First up, we got Broken Arrow. It's going to be wild. It's going to be bananas. Everybody's going to be there. It's a serious race. Obviously, I should have checked before we even started this interview. It's been a wild day.
Speaker 1:You're on the start list for the Ascent right and then the 23K or just the Ascent 23K and the thought I got it right. Okay, yeah, what's the stoke level for that? The ascent's gonna be like probably the most competitive race ever assembled on american soil when it's all said and done absolutely like what's the expectation? I know you've been on the track for a while now and you're kind of you know. Start you tell me what? Would you? Have you been able to get on the trails at all, or has it been all track work?
Speaker 2:so the fitness I would imagine is probably crazy high yeah, you know, last year going into us champs, I really didn't have a strategy there. It wasn't quite an ascent but it was a pretty technical trail race. I kind of just used my steeplechase training going into it and a couple trail runs. So that's been the approach so far. I'm really thankful for this camp and the timing of it, because we're going to do some practice trail runs that are going to kind of like simulate what the VK is going to be like and what the 23K is going to be like, so I'm going to get a good, I guess, grip at what it will be like at Broken Arrow. But it is definitely going to be the most competitive race. I saw Ali Ostrander posted about it and then you just interviewed Andy Cornish. I love her so much and so, just like so many women that are so talented to all show up together, I'm so stoked. It's going to be so great.
Speaker 1:That's going to be fun. I think it's like you know, for you guys to it.
Speaker 1:you know, from a team perspective it's good team buildings, I'm sure everybody will be out there and you'll get to kind of get an idea and like see who's who and that's how they. I think it's just a good experience all around for you and it's going to be fun. How do you place expectations on a race like this? I know you're obviously, you know, a D1 super competitive athlete like and you've had a lot of success. I mean, you've already gotten top 10 and the US mountain running champs and you are the reigning well, technically just removed reigning collegiate.
Speaker 1:I don't know who the new collegiate national title holder is, but you are the last, the last one, so how does it work? For you Like what? What's the expectation you put on a race like this?
Speaker 2:That's a great question. Um, last year I didn't have any expectations, so I think I exceeded all of my expectations, which is pretty exciting. But this year, especially with the Ascent being a Team USA qualifier, it's been my goal since 2020 to make it back on Team USA because I got to run on the U-20 junior team and that kind of sparked this whole journey of me going into trail running, definitely to just make Team USA again. And then the other expectations going into it is to hang with those pro athletes. I'm not a professional athlete. I'm coming from the NCAA, which at this point, half the girls in the NCAA are running pro times. It's pretty impressive, but I definitely have a lot of respect for all the women showing up that. I've been doing this and have been going to Broken Arrow for years, have been on Team USA. I've been doing this and have been going to Broken Arrow for years, have been on Team USA.
Speaker 1:I've been to World Championships, have been doing the Golden Trail World Series, so I'm excited just to race alongside them too as well. I'd say maybe let's talk about the Ascent more than the 23k, because I think I'm probably the most curious about that because it is technically the bigger race, even though 23k is the Golden Trail. It's hard to say what's even the bigger race, even though 23K is the golden trail. It's like hard to say what's even the bigger race at this point. But what is your? So? This race is starts out stupid fast. People go out like it's. It's dumb how fast people go out and it's like straight up a hill and it's like like a, like a kind of a treacherous ski hill, if you will. That's like 35, maybe more percent grade. There's like plants in the middle of the thing. It's so weird.
Speaker 2:And then it kind of funnels out like what is?
Speaker 1:uh, I guess like what was your. How are you? How are you gonna race this thing like, are you gonna start out conservative or go like, or just go just straight out the gate like crazy, like what's your expectation for that?
Speaker 2:such a good question. I last year noticed it was kind of a similar thing at snowbird the. The race went out really fast. The first mile I I told myself not even to look at my watch because I was like I don't want to see the number. I was like I don't, I don't even want to see it because we haven't even started climbing yet.
Speaker 2:And I think the strategy for me last year at Snowbird is so many people went out so hard and in the NCAA you know I've raced at the National Cross-Country Championship meet I know what that's like to get swallowed up in a pack and to like see the leaders go out. And for me I felt like I worked the best, like once we got to that middle ground, once the lactic acid started hitting people because I hadn't gone out quite as hard, that's when, like, my mental toughness came in and my physical toughness was able to match it. So I think I'm going to try and do a similar approach this year, like I'm going to be in that top third of the race pack but I'm no, I'm not going to lead it, like that's not going to be my position this year. Um, but kind of similar to, yeah, what I've been doing in the NCAA, where I'd rather be the hunter than the hunted, so maybe being a little bit more conservative. That first third and then going at it from there.
Speaker 1:I think it's really honestly, I think that's the smartest way to race a VK. I mean, that's what kind of like I've seen from like Mika and even Taylor Stack and I were just talking about this like where I mean people just go out so fast, everybody blows up and a lot of them come back to you. So once that, once it seems like it, it starts to funnel out and it's more. I think it like it comes off like ski hill and more on a road section. I feel like once that funnels out, you can actually like start hunting people if you're not like completely gassed or blown up at that point. So I think it's a smart way to do it, in my opinion. Um, yeah, so there's always strategies to like racing some of these vk courses. It's so weird. And then there's like a downhill section too, which is weird yeah it kind of goes down um, yeah, I don't.
Speaker 1:What are your thoughts on this? Like, you absolutely belong. You've raced some of the best women the United States has to offer last year. Like, are you intimidated at all with some of these ladies? Are you like no, I'm going to go, I'm going in, I'm going for a spot. Like, how does that kind of work with you? Because, like, anna Gibson is a US mountain running champion now.
Speaker 1:Now, like, yeah her and ali and like I know lauren's not going to be there, but like her and ali seem I don't want to say unbeatable at this point, but like I would be intimidated to race them like how does that kind of? How does that feel for you?
Speaker 2:yeah, as a new athlete in the sport, I feel like there's definitely still like a little bit of imposter syndrome when you're on the starting line. But thankfully I've had so many mentors through the trail team like I talked about, and Andy Cornish, rachel I I'm going to butcher her last name, toma Jack, I can't say it right to my check.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I couldn't spell it. Don't ask me to spell it.
Speaker 2:And then, um, even Grayson Murphy, like some of the biggest um women in this sport, have just taken me under their wing, given me advice over the years, and so I feel a little bit more confident going into this now. But it's honestly just because of how supportive and how amazing they are, because I would be terrified I would be absolutely terrified looking at their resumes, um lining up against them, but I'm just excited. Now I'm going to definitely be going for a spot. I you know I've worked really hard in college for four years and it's been on my mind every single practice, so it's really exciting, especially coming off of steeplechase, which I feel like in the NCAA, it's crazy hard.
Speaker 2:We're running seventies over five hurdles a lap and then girls are falling and it's everywhere and it's just like a trial race. So I feel like it's been like the perfect preparation. I've had to go against some pretty amazing athletes. I had to race Lexi Holiday um at the NCAA West race and she's a phenomenal track athlete. So it's going to be what it is. I feel like once you're on the starting line, we're all equal and it's a race to the top.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it. Let me ask you this what happens if you have the day that you're looking for, like if you, if you make team USA? What would that? What would that mean to you?
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, such a great question. My mom and my younger brother are actually going to be at the aid station on the top. They're volunteering and so they decided to volunteer at the top and throughout high school, college and now post-college, looking at this trail running career, I've always been running for my two younger brothers. My motto is kind of like run for those who can't, because my two younger brothers have Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which is a rare muscle disorder where they, um, don't have this protein called dystrophin. So usually their life expectancy for young boys are like their early twenties and sometimes, um, that means boys are in a wheelchair by the age of 12. And so sorry I might get choked up talking about this, but, um, yeah, I've just.
Speaker 2:I've always run with like a lime green ribbon on my shoes for them, and snowbird went as well as it did, because when it got so hard, the only thing that got me through was thinking about, like my two younger brothers and how that's how they feel every day walking up a staircase, so like, why can't I run one more mile? Why can't I push a little bit harder? Like I get to do this. They don't get the choice like they have to endure that every day, and so for me, if, if I have the day that I'm hoping for and I do qualify for team usa, I'm just. I'm just gonna run up to them and probably cry and just see my younger brother, cooper, and my mom, who have been like my biggest supporters through this all, and just thank them, because I wouldn't be here without them.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God, that's a beautiful. You choked me up. Oh man, I, um, I it's going to be interesting, right, like I. I don't know, like how, how the field's going to shake out and how they, but I think either way it's going to be super fun fun race, super fun to follow along. And broken arrow how are you gonna like, are you saving it for the 23k? Or are you like are you gonna go obviously gonna go all out for the vk? What's your strategy on that? Is it like let me, let me crush myself on the vk and then crush myself at the 23k on sunday? Or how are you gonna kind of like, do those back-to-back races?
Speaker 2:you know, I had the perfect preparation at our whack conference. My coach put me in the 15, 5k and steeple in three days, so I had prelim and finals for the 15 and then I had a 5k and a steeplechase, and so I feel like I'm just ready to crush it, like I've been told I'm I'm too intense my entire life and this is when it's gonna pay off I love it I love it.
Speaker 1:What's the new trick? Have you, like, figured out the nutrition thing for the 23k, because it seems like people have epic blowups in that race? Are you? Are you? You got the jell situation figured out and you know, I don't know I'm.
Speaker 2:I'm definitely gonna have to talk to andy about that at camp because I um, sorry, I don't know, my phone just wigged out for a second. I got the Mount Tipinogos FKT last summer for just like for fun, cause I was living in Provo and I wanted to do it and I honestly didn't have the nutrition down yet. I put like Gator light in my uh, my vest, so I drank that and then I had like two rice crispy treats and I feel like it did pretty good. I ran 16 miles and it was like under three hours. So I'm like I'm. It's looking like it's a similar type of run to the 23k, but I'm gonna definitely ask him because I know that there's probably a better strategy than rice crispy treats and Gatorade, but like it's worked in the past.
Speaker 1:So well, hey, you know what you don't know what you don't know. So listen, rice crispy treats, all the way man go for it?
Speaker 2:yeah. Will they sponsor me for this?
Speaker 1:yeah, let's, let's get the listen. I think one of these like honestly, I think in a few years you might be one of the biggest names in the sport like that's my prediction. I think we got to start getting the rice crispy uh, the rice crispy train rolling here like there we go that'd be great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that'd be a sweet sponsorship. Nerd gummy clusters I feel like we always use them at this camp. I think andy cornish actually taught me about those she's funny.
Speaker 1:I really I gotta say I thoroughly enjoyed our podcast. Like she's a. She's a cool human, very cool. I'm glad you talked about her and that's the reason I had her on, so very cool. He's amazing. Yeah, she is. She is all right. So what do you got planned after this for the rest of the summer, like once Broken Arrow is done? Like how you got any other races you're going to do, or like kind of just keeping it open, or what do you got planned?
Speaker 2:Well, hopefully I've got you know Worlds in Spain on the calendar after Broken Arrow, and then there's another race in Slovenia. I believe it's something to do with Team USA that Andy Wacker has been talking to us about, so that's definitely on my calendar. And then I kind of have a crazy fun adventure that I'm going on. I'm actually going to be working as a humanitarian worker, um a leader for this organization, so I'm going to uganda for a month. That'll be cool, yeah. So a little bit of a crazy adventure in the middle of it. But then, yeah, squeezing in as many other races, I'm going to try and make a cirque series race again. I'm not not sure which one yet, but I just loved my experience so much last year that I'd be really sad to not do one again this year.
Speaker 1:Sweet, sweet. I love it. Oakley, I'm so excited. Listen, I'm wishing you the absolute best of luck. Have fun out there with the trail team and have a blast of broken arrow. It's going to be really fun to follow the race and going to be cheering for you the whole way, so appreciate it.
Speaker 2:Thank you yeah.
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Speaker 1:Like I said, it's summer, it's Broken Arrow Week. It's crazy. The vibes are high, the stoke is high. You're going to need a new vest. You're going to need a new vest. You're going to need a hydration solution. Like I said, go to Ultimate Direction. They've got you covered 25% off with the code SteepStuffPod and you are all set out the door. So, guys, enjoy your week. It's Broken Arrow week. Go crazy, go wild. Guess what? Next week is TrailCon and then we are in Western States. This is few weeks of our sport, so it's wild, thank you.
