A Resilient Grace Forbes Has Transformed At Rice University

Photo Credit: Rice University athletics

"I realized; this isn't even running hard for her. I've really got an aerobic animal over here." 

By Lilah Drafts Johnson - MileSplit Correspondent

- - -

If you've ever wondered what a 10,000 meter runner thinks about over 25 laps on a track, Grace Forbes, a '19 Strath Haven (PA) High School graduate and the 2022 NCAA Division I runner-up at the distance, has an unlikely answer for you: organic chemistry.

"It kept me from thinking about how much pain I was in midway through the race," she said.

Obviously, though, there's something more to that explanation for Forbes, one of the NCAA's top rising distance runners and a junior at Rice University. 

"Sometimes people label themselves as just an athlete, just a number, just a race time," she said. "That can be a little toxic because when you have an injury or something holds you back, you can feel as though you've lost your entire identity. I like to have other outlets to focus on outside of track."

While Forbes is inching closer toward becoming a certified star in college, she's also becoming the epitome of that NCAA slogan: Fewer than two percent of NCAA student-athletes go on to become professional athletes.

Whether she is on that path or not, her pre-med coursework has served as her viable long-term plan -- organic chemistry, along with all her other studies, are her passions. 

"My goal in life is to be a pediatric sports orthopedic surgeon," she said. "I really want to be able to help others. I thought that if I could leverage my athletic abilities to get into a good college, it might allow me to launch myself into the medical field, too." 

Forbes graduated from Strath Haven High School in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, where she was a Class AAA state champion in the 800m under coach Bill Coren, who Forbes credits for fostering her love of the sport. So how did she go from the half-mile to the 10K then? 

Although Forbes' times made her a competitive recruit for almost any collegiate track and field program, she focused on exploring her options at top academic schools. Initially, she was reluctant to consider Rice because her older sister, Maddie, was already there.

"I didn't want to be a copycat, Forbes said. "Then as I started to narrow it down, I realized Rice was the perfect place for academics and athletics if I wanted to excel in both." 

Forbes pointed to Rice's head coach, Jim Bevan, as a big reason for her decision: He had led the team to exceptional heights, on and off the track. Bevan and his staff have also achieved an almost perfect graduation rate with their college athletes since the program began over 40 years ago.

"You've got to be true to the institution you work for when recruiting," Bevan said. "We have a good way to make things work at Rice, where you can have success athletically, you can get a great degree, and you can have a great college experience all around."

With a large percentage of Rice's cross country and track and field team hard at work on degrees like pre-med and engineering, Forbes and her academic aspirations fit right in.

Despite the concentration of such high-achieving individuals on one team, though, Forbes found support instead of competition.

"I realized during the college search process that at a lot of the top academic schools, you have students going at each other's necks to get good grades. I do not thrive in that type of environment, and Rice is definitely not that. Everyone supports each other and I feel that when you have that, you're able to launch yourself to a higher level."

With five All-American awards, 11 conference championship titles and five school records to her name, Forbes has certainly reached a new level in her running career.

It started with Bevan wondering if Forbes might have unexplored potential in distances longer than 800m. A lifelong soccer player, Forbes had only competed in one cross country season before arriving at Rice.

"When Grace was a freshman, one of the upperclassmen told me that she was always pushing the pace on runs, so one day I had her run on the track continuously at a rigorous pace, stop, and take her heart rate.

"I realized; this isn't even running hard for her. I've really got an aerobic animal over here," Bevan said.

Bevan moved Forbes up in distance and she went on to qualify in the 3,000m for the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships after running 8:56.82, the second fastest time ever run by a freshman.

What should have been a season launching Forbes into the limelight as one of the best freshman collegiate distance runners in history became a COVID red-shirt season. Suddenly, one of the only things that Forbes could do anymore was run.

"I started to find a lot of joy in going further on my runs, and my long runs became my favorite runs of the week. That's when Coach Bevan suggested we try the 10K," Forbes said.

"Sometimes people label themselves as just an athlete, just a number, just a race time," she said. "That can be a little toxic because when you have an injury or something holds you back, you can feel as though you've lost your entire identity. I like to have other outlets to focus on outside of track."

Forbes placed seventh in the 10K at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships and went on to compete in the event at the 2021 Olympic Trials, finishing 31st. 

Forbes was coming off a strong cross-country season, placing 45th -- just outside an All-American nod -- at the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships when an autoimmune disease flare-up derailed most of her recent spring season.

It sapped her of energy from both running and schoolwork. She missed an opportunity to compete at USAs, which ultimately cost her a shot at competing against the best American women in the world at the 10K.

Once she was diagnosed and her health improved, Forbes found that her mindset towards running had shifted.

"I was devastated at first, when I went from running eighty miles a week to five," Forbes said. "But by the time I started getting better I started appreciating the little things. Instead of being upset I wasn't running what I used to, I was grateful for every mile."

While most people don't associate "fun" with 10Ks or organic chemistry, it's clear that part of Forbes' success can be attributed to her decision to choose a program where she's been able to chase down her multiple passions.

"If you're not having fun, you're probably doing something wrong," Forbes saiod. "If you don't still have that passion that you had when you were a little kid, think about how you're approaching running and make some adjustments."

Forbes has two seasons of eligibility left for track and field after this cross country season.

Bevan is hopeful for less interruptions so Forbes can truly test her capabilities.

"People don't realize the variables Grace has dealt with, from COVID to this autoimmune issue this past spring. But she's resilient. She keeps coming back. She's made of the right stuff, she really is."