Katja Goldring Chose NAZ Elite Over Chance to Run in Rio
Katja Goldring Chose NAZ Elite Over Chance to Run in Rio
In the lead up to the 2016 Olympic Games, we saw an unprecedented number of athletes choose to compete for countries other than the ones they call home, inc
In the lead up to the 2016 Olympic Games, we saw an unprecedented number of athletes choose to compete for countries other than the ones they call home, including a number of familiar faces from American track and field.
It's understandable. The trials-qualifying process and depth of talent make Team USA arguably the toughest team to make, and the Olympics only come around once every four years.
But that didn't stop Katja Goldring from choosing to retain her U.S. citizenship and essentially forgoing a second chance to compete in Rio.
Goldring's 2:35 ninth-place performance at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials would have made her the fastest marathoner in her birth nation of Israel, if she had followed through on changing her IAAF status in February.
But thanks to a text message from NAZ Elite coach Ben Rosario, Goldring did the opposite.
Call it good timing.
"It was really hard to decide," Goldring said. "My private life feels very Israeli in many ways, but running has always been in the U.S. I started running here in high school, and I compare my times to the best Americans. I thought, 'I'm going to be sad not finding out how good I can be here.' Even if I never go to the Olympics, I want to see how good I can be here."
When Goldring, a UCLA graduate, finished ninth in her first Olympic Trials race, she was only in 42nd place through the half marathon, but surged ahead to slash five minutes off her personal best.
Immediately after the L.A. Trials, she traveled to Israel to visit her family. Though the visit was already planned, Goldring was thinking about opting to compete for Israel at the Rio Olympics. Israel was sending two women to Rio in the marathon, Lonah Chemtai and Maor Tiyouri, but Goldring's time was five minutes faster than the next qualifier.
Then, one day before she was supposed to change her IAAF status, serendipity struck in the form of Rosario's text.
"While I was there, Ben texted me and asked if I wanted to talk again. Him offering me that spot [on NAZ Elite] meant more to me than the chance to run for Israel," Goldring said.
Goldring's path to Rosario and NAZ Elite was long and winding. It dated back to Goldring's time training solo under her former UCLA coach Forest Braden in Los Angeles.
"My first year out of college, I worked at the UCLA hospital," Goldring said. "Working 7:30-2:30, running really early and really late. I did almost everything on my own, which I hated."
Although she didn't enjoy the solitude, Goldring credits her three years of solo running with helping her find her groove as a professional.
"I overtrained in college a lot. Running on my own for two to three years taught me to do my own thing; not focus on everyone else."
Anxious to test her limits with altitude training after a few years of mounting success in L.A., Goldring began to contact training groups in prime altitude locations. Some coaches told her they had closed practices, and that she wasn't welcome. But not Ben Rosario, head coach of the Hoka ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite team.
"He said, 'Tell me exactly when you're here, and I'll send you our training.' That meant so much to me, because I was a nobody."
Rosario's hospitality stunned her. She loved training in Flagstaff so much that she reached out to Rosario again prior to the Trials in February. And again, Rosario sent her the team's training.
"I don't think he thought I was competing with Kellyn [Taylor, who finished sixth in the Olympic Marathon Trials], but at the same time, we were going to be in the same race," Goldring said.
She eventually expressed interest in joining NAZ Elite, but Rosario leveled with her. He said they were looking for people who had a chance to make the Olympic team. Goldring was disappointed, but not disillusioned -- she hadn't run under 16 minutes for 5000m, and boasted a marathon PB of 2:40.
Goldring wins the Rock 'n' Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon in 2014 in 1:18:02 | Photo by PhotoRun
Heading into the Trials, Goldring was seeded a modest 75th.
"So my goal was being better than 75," Goldring said. "I don't think I told Forest that, I think he would have been pissed. We planned to go out conservative and if I feel good, go faster. When I reached half, I felt good. Then it wasn't really about, 'Oh, I'm going to cut five minutes off my time' -- at that point, it was just about passing people."
When she finished in the top 10, an achievement Braden told her he thought was attainable, it was a sign that things were about to change.
Goldring's decision to train with and compete against the best track and field nation in the world led her to Flagstaff. Though she'll miss L.A. (but not the traffic!) and Coach Braden, Goldring knew it was time to put herself out there and train with some of the best.
"It's scary to start a new training program but Forest encouraged me to take this opportunity," Goldring said.
She plans to debut in her Hoka ONE ONE NAZ Elite singlet at the Cow Harbor 10K on September 17.
It's understandable. The trials-qualifying process and depth of talent make Team USA arguably the toughest team to make, and the Olympics only come around once every four years.
But that didn't stop Katja Goldring from choosing to retain her U.S. citizenship and essentially forgoing a second chance to compete in Rio.
Goldring's 2:35 ninth-place performance at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials would have made her the fastest marathoner in her birth nation of Israel, if she had followed through on changing her IAAF status in February.
But thanks to a text message from NAZ Elite coach Ben Rosario, Goldring did the opposite.
Call it good timing.
"It was really hard to decide," Goldring said. "My private life feels very Israeli in many ways, but running has always been in the U.S. I started running here in high school, and I compare my times to the best Americans. I thought, 'I'm going to be sad not finding out how good I can be here.' Even if I never go to the Olympics, I want to see how good I can be here."
When Goldring, a UCLA graduate, finished ninth in her first Olympic Trials race, she was only in 42nd place through the half marathon, but surged ahead to slash five minutes off her personal best.
Immediately after the L.A. Trials, she traveled to Israel to visit her family. Though the visit was already planned, Goldring was thinking about opting to compete for Israel at the Rio Olympics. Israel was sending two women to Rio in the marathon, Lonah Chemtai and Maor Tiyouri, but Goldring's time was five minutes faster than the next qualifier.
Then, one day before she was supposed to change her IAAF status, serendipity struck in the form of Rosario's text.
"While I was there, Ben texted me and asked if I wanted to talk again. Him offering me that spot [on NAZ Elite] meant more to me than the chance to run for Israel," Goldring said.
Training solo, Goldring makes a name for herself
Goldring's path to Rosario and NAZ Elite was long and winding. It dated back to Goldring's time training solo under her former UCLA coach Forest Braden in Los Angeles.
"My first year out of college, I worked at the UCLA hospital," Goldring said. "Working 7:30-2:30, running really early and really late. I did almost everything on my own, which I hated."
Although she didn't enjoy the solitude, Goldring credits her three years of solo running with helping her find her groove as a professional.
"I overtrained in college a lot. Running on my own for two to three years taught me to do my own thing; not focus on everyone else."
Anxious to test her limits with altitude training after a few years of mounting success in L.A., Goldring began to contact training groups in prime altitude locations. Some coaches told her they had closed practices, and that she wasn't welcome. But not Ben Rosario, head coach of the Hoka ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite team.
"He said, 'Tell me exactly when you're here, and I'll send you our training.' That meant so much to me, because I was a nobody."
Rosario's hospitality stunned her. She loved training in Flagstaff so much that she reached out to Rosario again prior to the Trials in February. And again, Rosario sent her the team's training.
"I don't think he thought I was competing with Kellyn [Taylor, who finished sixth in the Olympic Marathon Trials], but at the same time, we were going to be in the same race," Goldring said.
She eventually expressed interest in joining NAZ Elite, but Rosario leveled with her. He said they were looking for people who had a chance to make the Olympic team. Goldring was disappointed, but not disillusioned -- she hadn't run under 16 minutes for 5000m, and boasted a marathon PB of 2:40.
Goldring wins the Rock 'n' Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon in 2014 in 1:18:02 | Photo by PhotoRun
Heading into the Trials, Goldring was seeded a modest 75th.
"So my goal was being better than 75," Goldring said. "I don't think I told Forest that, I think he would have been pissed. We planned to go out conservative and if I feel good, go faster. When I reached half, I felt good. Then it wasn't really about, 'Oh, I'm going to cut five minutes off my time' -- at that point, it was just about passing people."
When she finished in the top 10, an achievement Braden told her he thought was attainable, it was a sign that things were about to change.
Goldring's decision to train with and compete against the best track and field nation in the world led her to Flagstaff. Though she'll miss L.A. (but not the traffic!) and Coach Braden, Goldring knew it was time to put herself out there and train with some of the best.
"It's scary to start a new training program but Forest encouraged me to take this opportunity," Goldring said.
She plans to debut in her Hoka ONE ONE NAZ Elite singlet at the Cow Harbor 10K on September 17.