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The NCAA doesn’t last forever, but the hunger to train, compete, and belong to a team doesn’t magically disappear at graduation. That’s where Grace Strongman is right now: a Colorado School of Mines standout, a materials engineer, and one of the newest additions to Trail Team Elite, stepping into trail racing with equal parts confidence and curiosity.

We trace Grace’s story from growing up in Kansas City in an all-sports household to discovering cross country in high school, nearly quitting on day one, and then getting pulled in by the people around her. She explains how coaches shape identity, why the running community matters, and how trails became a source of peace after her coach used them as a way to keep her effort under control. From there we get into what it’s like choosing a school based on engineering first, finding the right fit at Mines, and treating training like a long science experiment across events from the mile to the 10K.

Grace also opens up about the real balance of elite running and a demanding materials engineering schedule, plus what she wants professionally, from research to the possibility of coaching. Finally, we talk trail racing goals and the shift from track pressure to the more open, community-driven world of short trail, including her plan to debut at Broken Arrow 23K and longer-term dreams like Moab, Pikes Peak, and eventually racing in Europe. If you care about trail running, post-collegiate running, endurance mindset, and the engineering side of performance, this one hits all of it. Subscribe, share this with a runner who’s in a transition year, and leave a review with the biggest change you’ve faced after a season ended.

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