Leah O'Connor is the newest member of the Sacramento-based NorCal Distance Project elite training group that features Olympians Kim Conley and Kate Grace and is led by coach Drew Wartenburg. 

After graduating as a two-time NCAA champion from Michigan State University in 2015, O'Connor signed a professional contract with adidas and continued to train with Coach Walt Drenth in East Lansing, Michigan. She ran 9:18.85 in the 3K steeplechase at the 2016 Prefontaine Classic to cement herself as the third-fastest American ever in the event. 

Injury struck O'Connor just before her historic Pre race, and a MRI later revealed a partial tear in her plantar fascia. She did everything she could to manage the injury leading up to the Olympic Trials before succumbing to the pain in the final and finishing 14th. 

The time off forced O'Connor to evaluate her life as a professional runner. She missed her days as a member of the 2014 Spartan NCAA Championship-winning cross country team, when she trained with a group of people.

"I really missed being a part of a team of people and having that structure," O'Connor said. "Obviously, I love my coach [Drenth] and there was nothing in East Lansing that encouraged me to leave. But I missed the connection with other runners."

So O'Connor began shopping around and perusing teams' websites, but also she tried to not be distracted by this major life change.

"I flip-flopped between ideas, and I didn't want to think about it until after the Trials. But the hard stuff happened after the Trials, and I had to take account of what I valued and what I needed to be at my best. At the end of the day, I felt confident enough to look around and explore other options."

After O'Connor read the NorCal Distance website, she realized she loved their mission statement and what the group stood for. But the "monumental moment" occurred when O'Connor's mom sent her Grace's post-Olympic Trials interview with FloTrack, which detailed the 800m Olympic finalist's move to Sacramento and how it led her to a spot on Team USA. O'Connor immediately watched Coach Wartenburg's FloTrack interview after. 

Kate Grace on wild Olympic Trials 800m final:


Drew Wartenburg after Grace won the U.S. Trials 800m race:


"I texted my mom and said, 'I need to go visit this group.'"

O'Connor joins a group that includes Conley, Grace, U.S. Indoor champion Lauren Wallace, Lianne Farber, Rolanda Bell and Rachel Mitchell. She said she is thrilled to train with these athletes and that she was "floored" by how welcome the group made her feel on her visit -- including Grace, who had just returned from competing in Rio.

"It's hard to do runs alone. It's hard to do workouts alone all year long," O'Connor said. "Obviously, I specialize in the steeplechase, but I also want to develop myself as a 1500m runner and a 5K runner. And I think the only way to really tap into my potential is to put myself in a situation where I'm going to be pushed by people who are better than me right now in a lot of ways."

O'Connor won the 2014 NCAA steeplechase, 2015 NCAA indoor mile, and was a key member of the Spartans' 2014 cross country championship team. She owns PBs of 4:27.18 in the mile, 9:18.85 in the steeplechase and 15:38.33 in the 5K.

Hear O'Connor explain her injury after the Olympic Trials steeplechase final: