Young professional runner Rachel McArthur shares how it all went down at the 2024 USATF 1-Mile National Championships, which took place Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Des Moines, IA.

But more than most race stories, this one is all that much more exciting because of what came before. In this episode, you'll hear it all.

A bit of background on MacArthur's running career, she was an exceptional high school runner, and she graduated in 2017.

The very next year in 2018, she won the USAFT U20 national championship title in the 1500 meter. McArthur did have a strong collegiate career. She raced first for Villanova and then she transferred to the powerhouse team at the University of Colorado at Boulder. And while she performed well, McArthur raced injured for the majority of her time in the collegiate system, and that continued after she transitioned into the pro ranks.

This is all to say that Rachel MacArthur has not raced injury free for most of her adult racing career, and not at all during any time as a professional—until now.

How and why this all unfolded the way it did, from the process of managing this injury all the way up to the finish line of the 1-Mile National Championships, is what this story is all about.

Also to know about McArthur, she is currently a member of Team SOVA, a professional track group based in Virginia. She's the only woman in the group. And when she's not training with the men of SOVA, she is training with the women's team at Virginia Tech.

This episode is part of the WRS series of Race Report episodes. Just like last year, 2023, you can expect a Race Report episode for each race of the USATF Road Circuit series of races. Each episode features one top 10 runner telling the story of how the race went down, from her perspective. And because a race is never just about what happens on race day, you will get to know a little bit more about each one of the runners featured and how this race figures into their larger running story.

The USATF Running Circuit championship series of races happen throughout the United States all year long and each race serves as a national championship for the distance or the type of race that is being run. Also, at each one of these races, in addition to vying for a national title, runners earn cash prizes and they earn points. The points go toward the series overall, which is determined at the end of the year.

The next race on the circuit: the 25k National Championships which took place in Grand Rapids, MI, on May 11. A WRS Race Report is coming shortly. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss it!

You can catch up on all the Race Reports on our website or on your favorite podcast app.

Keep Up with Rachel McArthur

Instagram: @rachelmcarthur_

Team SOVA Instagram: @teamsova

Photo Credit

Jan Figueroa: Instagram: @janfiguero07

Previous Women's Running Stories Race Report Episodes: https://womensrunningstories.com/podcast/women-running-stories

Music Credits

Cormac O'Regan, of Playtoh

Rockot, via Pixabay

SergePavkinMusic, via Pixabay

Coma-Media, via Pixabay

chillmore, via Pixabay

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Website: womensrunningstories.com

Email host Cherie: [email protected]

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