With her seventh place finish at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional, Winnebago Lutheran Academy senior Marya Haegler became the first female national qualifier from the state of Wisconsin since Jackie Mulrooney qualified for the Foot Locker finals in 2001. Haegler's biggest role model happens to be one of the all-time greats to ever come out of the state in Suzy Favor Hamilton, while her beginning in running started in grade school when her grandfather timed her in a loop around the block.
Interview with Marya Haegler
MileSplit US: Congratulations on qualifying for Foot Locker Nationals! What were your emotions when crossed the line and realized you finished among the top 10 qualifiers?
Marya Haegler: I was just really happy that I was able to battle it out until the end and achieve my goal. The 3rd k in the race was really tough to hang onto the pace, but once we got to the hills in the last 2k I knew I’d be ok and was able to start moving up. It was really fun to compete with all of those great runners.
(Photo right by Paul Everett of https://mo.milesplit.com)
MileSplit US: You are the first girl to qualify for Foot Locker Nationals from Wisconsin since Jackie Mulrooney in 2001. How much more special does that make you feel about qualifying realizing that have you have put your state back on the map nationally breaking an 8 year drought at Foot Locker Nationals?
Haegler: It’s quite a privilege to represent WI on the national level, all I can say is to God be the glory and I’ll try my best to represent my state, but more importantly my Savior as I compete on the national level.
MileSplit US: You really took your running to the next level this fall after finishing the track season with two 7th places last spring at the Wisconsin state outdoor meet. What do you attribute to this improvement in your running?
Haegler: The Lord blessed me with health this season. In the early years of my running career I was constantly struggling with injuries, starting with a broken foot my Freshman year after the WI state meet. I finally got disciplined enough to eat right, do more core work and circuits, and ice and stretch every night to help prevent injuries. Without injury I was able to put in some real quality training, especially at the crucial times in the season before a few weeks before the state meet. In past years I had always been struggling with injuries at that point of the season, and every year before this year in Cross Country I would peak too early, so the more intense and increased number of quality workouts I did throughout the season helped me to peak at State this season. I’m slowly moving up to the next level in my running and making every one of my workouts a bit faster as I prepare to become a collegiate runner. It’s an exciting process and I’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of me as I work to become more and more comfortable at those faster paces, but I’m enjoying working hard at it and working toward goals as I daily try to work on each piece of the puzzle of training.
MileSplit US: The course at the FL Midwest regional was in pretty poor condition, but you seemed to manage well on the course. How did you feel you handled the course conditions and did you have any previous races in those conditions to prepare you?
(Photo left by Paul Everett of https://mo.milesplit.com)
Haegler: Going up the first hill, I was slipping all over the place and putting out a lot of effort to get up it, that concerned me a little bit as I fought for position. I wanted to be in the top 40 by the 1k, because in previous years at Footlocker I would always get boxed in farther back than I wanted to be. After the 1k mark I put some surges in to get into the top 25 by the 2k mark. The 3rd k was the toughest for me. It was probably the muddiest part of the course. I was running in 12th place for the majority of the 3rd k and was struggling a bit. I knew my strength was in the hills in the last 2k so I made myself keep fighting through the mud and holding my position until I got to the hills. When I got to the hills, I got to work moving up in position. I worked on the uphills and allowed myself to catch my breath for a few strides on the downhills. At the 3 mile mark it got super muddy again, so I tried to dig in, but I was slipping everywhere and gave up a place. I was getting kind of concerned, but I was giving it everything I had left all the way to the finish. I was really glad it was enough to stay in the top 10. I haven’t had much experience running on muddy courses, so I just had to take it 1k at a time and not get too worked up about it. Everyone was facing the same conditions.
MileSplit US: You won your first state title in a personal best 4K time of 14:33. After 4 years of high school running, how sweet is it to finish out on top with your fastest performance ever?
Haegler: Again, to God be the glory! I was so happy I was able to peak at the right time this season, and run on healthy legs.
MileSplit US: Do you feel at a disadvantage running 4Ks for most of the season in Wisconsin and then having to run the 5K at the Foot Locker regional and national race?
Haegler: Yes, I really hope that the WIAA considers switching the girls to running 5k’s. It’d be easier for everyone. Having one course for both boys and girls and making the switch to college race distances easier.
MileSplit US: Suzy-Favor Hamilton, a legend in Wisconsin and one of the country's top distance runners all-time, is a role model of yours. You also attended a running camp hosted by Hamilton. How much of an influence has Suzy-Favor been on you coming from your state and inspired you to do great things as a runner?
(Photo right by Alan Aversaw of https://co.milesplit.com)
Haegler: Suzy is so inspirational and is such a positive influence on me and on many other runners. We are truly blessed that she takes the time to come and spend time with young runners and encourage them. I’ve learned from her to not get so worked up about and nervous about races. It’s just a foot race like she says. I’ve also learned to enjoy every race and every training run as I develop the gift God had given me, because you never know what God has planned for your life and you never know which run could be your last. The story of Jenny Crain is a good reminder of that.
MileSplit US: How did you get started into the running? I hear your grandpa actually got you started.
Haegler: I always enjoyed playing sports and being active. Starting in about 1st or 2nd grade I would have my Grandpa time me as I ran around the block (about 800m). I would always try to get faster each time. I enjoyed the challenge and it was just plain fun. I got serious about my running and got on a regular training schedule toward the end of my 8th grade year. I’ve learned a lot about the sport since then and still have a lot more to learn.
MileSplit US: Other than running, you also enjoy jumping and showing horses. What are some of the similarities shared and differences between your two main interests?
Haegler: I really like Thoroughbred racing and want to be a sport horse veterinarian/physical therapist. I find that through my own running I can somewhat relate to the race horses as they race and train. Also horse back riding develops good core strength and develops the inner leg muscles which balance out the outside of the leg muscles developed by running.
MileSplit US: You have stated that you love running hills. Why is that and do you look forward to racing the Balboa Park national course which has a major hill which runners hit twice at the mile mark and in the later stages of the races?
Haegler: Hills make everything more interesting to me. Also I train on a lot of hills where I live, especially in the summer when there’s no snow on the trails. I think I’ll like the Balboa Park course because from what I’ve seen on the video it seems a lot like the WI state course, and that’s one of my favorite courses. I’m excited to have the opportunity to run at Balboa Park.
MileSplit US: Coming from Wisconsin, how excited are you about the experience of traveling out to California and running a race out in sunny San Diego? How much of an eye opener will that trip be for you?
Haegler: I’ve always had it as a goal in the back of my mind to qualify for the national Footlocker race, but I always doubted I could. Now that I’ve actually qualified it’s been a major confidence booster for me and relights some more running goals that I set for myself, but kind of doubted at the end of last year due to injuries and all the mistakes I made in training, nutrition, etc. I still have more mistakes that I constantly try to fix, and they’re getting less and less as I strive toward my goals and work on moving up to the next level. Qualifying for a national meet like this provides even more motivation to me to work harder and see how many of my other running goals I can accomplish, Lord willing of course.
MileSplit US: What are you looking forward to most about Foot Locker Nationals?
Haegler: I’m looking forward to the opportunity to run and compete with really great runners even if they are a bunch of levels ahead of me right now. It’s just an honor to compete with them and it will be good experience and a stepping stone as I head into my college career next fall.
MileSplit US: What are your goals for the race?
Haegler: It would be great to close out the year with a PR. I want to run a smart and calculated race and run to the best of my ability for that day. If I do that and compete all the way to the finish line I will have achieved my goal no matter what the result is.