When Annika Urban stepped off the track for the final time in Rochester, NY, she would move on from a D3 career as a two time national champion.

It’s an incredible story of determination and falling in love with the process when you realize she finished 266th in the 2019 Cross Country National Championships.

She credits her first big jump to being competitive with her brother. Over COVID, they would run a lot together and she didn’t want to lose her runs to him. Annika began stacking her days together and enjoyed the process.

As she became a better a runner, she didn’t let that affect that way she viewed herself. She continued to get this nervous excitement for races and went to practice excited to run with her teammates everyday.

It’s clear she cherished her time at Emory and the experiences she shared with her teammates. While many runners will be using their final year of eligibility, Annika is heading into the real world. She’ll be working for the US News and World Report while still training with Coach Linh Nguyen, her college coach.

If you need to be inspired today, listen to Annika!

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