723. Emily Mackay, 2024 World Indoor Championships 1500m Bronze Medalist

Published: June 6, 2024, 9 a.m.

"I feel the most confident I\u2019ve ever been."

Emily Mackay is having a heck of a year on the run! The Team New Balance Boston athlete earned a bronze medal at World Indoor Championships in the 1500m earlier this year, and has kicked off her outdoor season with strong performances including a personal best at the Prefontaine Classic, where she ran 3:59.76. In this conversation, Emily reflects back on her early running days, and shares why she dreamed of going pro with the NB Boston team (including teammates\xa0Elle Purrier St. Pierre and Heather MacLean) and coach Mark Coogan. She talks about the confidence it took to make that major move with 400m to go at World Indoor Championships, and about why that race was both a confidence-booster and a big learning experience. And, with the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials looming, Emily \u2014 who is absolutely one to watch in the 1500 \u2014 talks about the pressure to perform in an Olympic year.

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What you\u2019ll get on this episode:

  • What Emily\u2019s watching right now (3:00)
  • What a day in the life of a professional middle-distance runner is like (6:10)
  • All about Emily\u2019s 1500m personal best at the Prefontaine Classic (10:30)
  • The confidence it took to make a major move at World Indoor Championships with 400m to go (15:00)
  • Was that a breakthrough race for Emily? (18:40)
  • The pressure to perform in an Olympic year (27:30)
  • What it\u2019s like when your teammates are your competitors on race day, and how Emily ended up on Team NB Boston (31:10)
  • How \u2014 and why \u2014 Emily became a runner (39:35)
  • What training looks like right now, with the Trials on the horizon (42:05)
  • What will it take to make the U.S. women\u2019s 1500m Olympic team? (46:25)

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