748. Karissa Schweizer, Two-Time Olympian & 2024 Fifth Avenue Mile Champion

Published: Sept. 19, 2024, 9 a.m.

"Sometimes you need to just shut your brain off and run."

At this time last year, Karissa Schweizer was undergoing foot surgery. Then, as she mounted her comeback heading into an Olympic year, she faced another setback: a femoral stress fracture. But as we know, the comeback is always greater than the setback, and Karissa proved that by racing both the 5000m and the 10,000m at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials on her home turf at Hayward Field in Eugene, OR, making the team in both distances. She went on to finish in the top 10 in both events at the Paris Olympic Games. Karissa's season didn't end there: She went on to race the 5000m at the Zurich Diamond League, she raced (and won!) the Fifth Avenue Mile, and she ran a season's best in the 5000m at the Diamond League Final in Brussels. Now, the two-time Olympian, Nike-sponsored athlete, and longtime Bowerman Track Club member is back in Oregon for some much-deserved downtime, and back on the Ali on the Run Show to catch us up on all of it.

SPONSOR:\xa0

  • UCAN:\xa0Click here\xa0to get a FREE UCAN training essentials pack (you\u2019ll just pay the cost of shipping), and use code ALI for 20% off your next UCAN order.

What you\u2019ll get on this episode:

  • Where in the world is Karissa Schweizer? (2:40)
  • How Karissa approaches her training breaks (4:30)
  • High school nerves vs. Olympics nerves (7:30)
  • How Karissa\u2019s body is feeling after a big season of racing, and how she approached her comeback after multiple injuries (9:50)
  • On having the confidence to line up at the Trials (20:25)
  • What Karissa\u2019s training was like this year (22:00)
  • How Karissa has handled the changing landscape of the Bowerman Track Club over the past few years (26:40)
  • Karissa\u2019s experience at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games (30:45)
  • \u201cIs Karissa Schweizer a miler?\u201d (37:25)
  • How Karissa is processing her season (44:00)
  • Karissa\u2019s advice for improving your running confidence (49:40)
  • What\u2019s intriguing right now? (54:10)

Follow Ali:

SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show!\xa0If you\u2019re enjoying the show, please\xa0subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!