The world slows as everything is quiet, the sky is pitch black and the sounds of footsteps and bicycle wheels echo in the neighborhoods of Long Island. For most, four in the morning, while the sun is still not over the horizon, is a time for rest and recovery. For Lauren Harris, this is when the world begins to spin as she laces up her workout shoes and heads out the door to train.
The former Marist race walker, Harris, came into her own during her post-collegiate journey as an athlete, notching world-leading times and winning at national caliber meets. Harris’ sights are set on the other side of the country, Los Angeles, for the 2028 Olympics. While she continues waking up and lacing her sneakers in the darkness, it’s important to look back at where this journey started: doing cartwheels at track practice.
As a racewalking athlete, Harris looks at her sport from the perspective of balance. A foundation of success with emphasis on love for what you do helps Harris thrive.
She started with a club track team, doing cartwheels during the warm-ups with her friends and enjoying how social the sport of track was for her to branch out and meet new people. She then joined her middle school track team, still simply having fun. It wasn’t until high school that she was faced with an intense program that forced her to do match its intensity; something that was beneficial as she discovered the talent she soon unlocked.
“I was never really sure about what was gonna happen in college, because race walking is not an NCAA sport,” Harris discovered as she balanced race walking and running as a high school athlete. “I was doing well enough to run in college for the NCAA, but I knew I wanted to walk for a school while being close to home.” The perfect opportunity presented itself.
Harris was preparing to compete in the race walk and noticed a girl near her wearing a Marist uniform. Her interest was instantly sparked in what they had to offer, and the rest was history.
Harris had a variety of training workouts that prepared her for the race walk and running events that she competed in at Marist. Her primary focus was running during the cross-country season, but once track season came around, she began incorporating race walk-specific training to prepare for her upcoming races.
While Harris competed in running and walking events, she thrived in the race walk and saw success, qualifying and competing in the 2021 Olympic Trials.
“My fitness entry was not where I would have liked it to be going into the trials, so I’m hoping that in 2028, I have a different experience, but that’s no blame on Marist. It was the pandemic and our team getting shut down… and just a weird time in life for everyone, but I am so grateful for the opportunity I had,” said Harris
Two-time Olympic race walker, Maria Michta-Coffey, coaches, mentors and guides Harris through her racewalking career. Michta-Coffey is currently married to one of Harris’s former high school coaches and served as an initial introduction. Through this bond, the two prolific racewalkers remained friends through the good and bad years for Harris. While Michta-Coffey eagerly coached Harris towards success after school, she was suddenly put on hold. After four years at Marist, Harris faced a setback most college athletes endure after their collegiate careers finish: burnout.
“The transition after college was tough for me… I went to the trials in June after graduation and started training up until the following February of 2022, when Maria started coaching me,” said Harris.
Harris realized her passion had dwindled and shut down from race walking to focus on herself, taking a few years off and running/walking for leisure and to stay in shape.
Her original love for racewalking came from a place of fun, enjoying the sport for what it was and not overthinking.
“I’ve been doing [racewalking] for so long, and sometimes I just put a lot of pressure on everything having to be perfect,” said Harris. “So when I was transitioning out of college, I no longer had that structure. I was looking for a job, and I just needed that break to figure out a routine and then find a place for it to fit in again.”
As a high school math teacher and middle school cross-country and track coach, time is of the essence for Harris. Four in the morning is the time slot where Harris gets her training in and while balancing a job and coaching young athletes; all of this while balancing being a normal human being.
“I finally got to a spot where I was running a lot, and then I started walking, and I felt ready to start up again. So that wasn’t until this past summer I started up again, and then I just kind of took off and had a really good season after that,” said Harris.
In Harris’s racewalk debut, she won the Millrose Games in the women’s mile racewalk. Harris then doubled down by winning the US Indoor National Championships in the 3000-meter race walk, which doubled as a full-circle moment. The venue where the Championships took place was where she broke the 1500-meter race walk New York State record in 2017, when she was in high school.
“I was excited to be back. I haven’t raced there [Ocean Breeze] in so long, but it was a cool feeling to be back and racing against actual Olympians,” said Harris
Winning did not stop there. Harris won a USATF 20k race walk in San Diego, earning a 10-minute personal record and qualifying to compete in Poland with former teammate Katie Maiale. Her confidence continues to build before Outdoor Nationals in Oregon later this summer. The anticipation of the trials is on the mind of Harris for the long-term goals, yet her focus and mindset stay consistent with her values of enjoying every day and moment.
“If it’s something that you’re dreading or not enjoying, then it’s going to be very hard to be consistent with. So, whether it’s getting a coffee after your workout, or doing little things like that, to just find joy in the sport,” said Harris.
The support Harris has had throughout her career, especially from her father, who wakes up most mornings to join Harris for her workouts, has allowed her to love what she does.
Balancing life and athletics as a college student is a daunting task, but doing it as an adult in the real world adds a new layer of difficulty; one Harris is handling with confidence and success.
Edited by Aidan Lavin
Photo Provided by Lauren Harris
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