Taylor Roe’s spectacular year just got better.
The former Lake Stevens and Oklahoma State runner competed at track and field’s highest level over the weekend. Roe earned a nod to represent the United States in the women’s 10,000-meter race at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this past Sunday. The 24-year-old finished 18th in the race with a time of 32:12.19, and third among U.S. runners Elise Cranny (12th) and Emily Infeld (14th). Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet led the pack with a time of 30:37.61 on a humid night in Japan.
It was Roe’s third-place finish at the USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, in July that earned her this opportunity to run alongside the world’s best track athletes. After the event ended, an exhausted Roe told media that she would have planned out her racing schedule for the year differently if she had known she’d end up in this position.
“I didn’t really expect myself, at the beginning of the year, to make it this far,” Roe said. “And so I feel very fortunate that I have this experience … but I’m tired.”
Roe’s first year as a professional after graduating from Oklahoma State led her to Puma Elite, where she was introduced to the world of road running. She took little time to pick up on the nuances of pounding the pavement — Roe captured a world best in the women’s 10-mile road race in Washington, D.C. this past April. But as a natural track runner, Roe wants to keep living out her dream on the sport’s biggest stages.
“I feel like my heart is on the track, but my legs are probably on the road,” Roe said with a laugh. “I want to stay on (track) a little bit longer, I feel like I have a lot to learn … I feel like I still have track in me, I’m young.”
Roe will get a much-needed break this fall as she mulls over how to tackle what promises to be a solid career in the sport.
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