Professional runner for Team ZAP Endurance Tristin Van Ord tells the story of how it all went down from her viewpoint racing in the 2023 USATF 20km National Championships, which just took place September 4 in New Haven, CT. 

This 2023 season has been full of success as well as learning experiences for Van Ord. She started the year running her fastest marathon ever—she set a PB by over two minutes—placing first American and fourth woman at the Houston Marathon in January.

Going into the summer, however, Van Ord, who has OCD, began to experience worsening symptoms of the disorder. In particular, those manifested in intense performance anxiety and insomnia. But through the summer to now, more race experience and therapeutic work has put Van Ord on a path to better manage the impact of OCD, to the benefit of her running and racing. 

The story of the 20k champs is testament to Van Ord's progress and also to her growing savvy and strength in the elite ranks of US road running. 

Van Ord tells the whole story in this episode, about experiencing and managing OCD, how she's learned and grown from her challenges, how she's improved as a competitor, and how the 20k champs unfolded, to an excellent result.

The USATF 20km National Championships is a part of the championship series of races, for various different distances, that happen around the country throughout the year. Racers have a chance to earn a national title, as well as to earn prize money and points based on finishing places; points go toward the overall series placing. The top three places in the series after the 20km champs are Ednah Kurgat, Nell Rojas, and Emily Sisson. Both Kurgat and Rojas have been featured in our Race Report episodes this year.

You can catch up on earlier road races in the series through our Race Reports. Each report features one runner's perspective on how it all went down, to give you an inside look at these championship events.

Stay tuned for the next race in the series, the USATF 10km National Championships taking place in Northport, NY, September 23, 2023. That will be followed by the final race on the circuit this season, the USATF 5km National Champions, which take place November 4, 2023, in New York City.

Keep Up with Tristin Van Ord

Instagram: @tristinvanord

Twitter: @tristinvanord

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

Ways to Connect and Engage with Women's Running Stories

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