Amanda Mergaert: Haute Voleé
This summer we added 11 new professional runners to our Haute Voleé team and one of them is Amanda Mergaert, a standout 1500 meter runner from the University of Utah. The moment that we met Amanda in Des Moines, Iowa, at the US Championship we knew that we were going to love her! Full of life and spunky as all get out, Amanda came right over to our Oiselle cheer sections after her prelim of the 1500meters to let it be known that she was not satisfied with her race. Heck, if Amanda isn't winning the race she won't be satsified: she is a competitor and a fabulous one at that! She came back and finished 7th in the finals of the 1500meters - an incredible start to her professional career!
We thought that you might want to learn a little bit more about Amanda, so we asked her a few questions!
Kristin: Tell us a little bit about your family and hometown?
Amanda: My mom, dad and I are very close. I am quite the mix of both of their craziness. Nick, my younger brother attends college in Michigan. My grandma sends me two or more cards in the mail a week, with a fact, quote, or something inspiring...every week since freshman year.
Kristin: Who or what inspires you?
Amanda: My family and other runners inspire me.
Kristin: What is the biggest challenge that you had to overcome so far?
Amanda: Moving across the country by myself. I underestimated this challenge.
Kristin: What has been your biggest win or best racing moment?
Amanda: The first time that I raced a really fast Distance Medley Relay was a really memorable race. Everyone was singing and dancing the entire way back to the hotel. We were so happy!
Kristin: Do you have a pre-race ritual?
Amanda: I am on the road so much; it would be too crazy to have a pre race ritual. I need to be focused on the race and don’t want to be wasting time worrying about something that won’t make a difference. So I just eat smart two hours prior, stay hydrated and listen to music or watch mindless reality tv.
Kristin: What are your long term running goals?
Amanda: My long-term running goals are dependent on my next year of racing and how I respond to this next level of competition. However staying fit, fast, and injury free until 2016 would be awesome.
Kristin: Where/When can we watch you compete next?
Amanda: My next big race will most likely be at the beginning of next year. Although I might jump into a road race or 6k sometime this fall or winter!
Stay tuned to see when Amanda races next! You can follow her on twitter @manda_flywithme
