Courtney Frerichs, 26, has a thing for busting through—and leaping over—barriers. After establishing her dominance in the steeplechase at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and University of New Mexico, she joined the Bowerman Track Club (BTC), where she has become one of the best steeplechasers in the world alongside a talented team that includes fellow steeple star Colleen Quigley and distance powerhouse Shelby Houlihan.
Since turning pro in 2016, Frerichs has been on a hot streak: She placed runner-up behind Emma Coburn in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2016 Olympic Trials, then went on to represent Team USA at the Rio Olympics; in 2017, she finished second in the World Championships in London; then later that year, she set the American record in the steeplechase, 9:00.85, beating the record Coburn set in 2016.
After a brief rough patch in performances, the runner has grown stronger mentally and physically this year. At the USATF Outdoor National Championships on Sunday, July 28, Frerichs finished second behind Coburn in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, sealing her spot on the USA team competing at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, this September. Coburn, now an eight-time national steeplechase champion, broke the tape in 9:25.63, while Frerichs crossed next in 9:26.61.
“It’s fun to have something to qualify for,” Frerichs told Runner’s World before the race. “My main goal is to walk away with a spot on the Worlds team.”
Quigley finished third in 9:30.97, while new pro Allie Ostrander came in fourth in 9:38.52. All four top finishers will go on to compete in Qatar.
“It’s great having Colleen as a teammate, because when one of us is having a good or bad day, we can work together to accomplish our goals,” Frerichs said. “It’s awesome to have Emma to race with, but I feel really lucky to have Colleen, because we can challenge each other all the time.”
When BTC is training at their homebase in Portland, Oregon, Frerichs often does two workouts per day, plus weight training and drills. She especially leans on her teammates before morning workouts, because she’s “not a morning person,” she said. Here, the 2019 national silver medallist describes how she typically starts her days to set herself up for A+ workouts and races.
Wake Up with Pancakes or Peanut Butter-Oats
We leave for practice around 9 a.m., so I try to get up at least an hour before that, at 8. The night before, I’ll be in bed by 10 p.m., then I’ll usually watch one episode of a Netflix show (my go-to is New Girl) before going to sleep around 10:30.
For breakfast, I’ll make one of two things: either pancakes with blueberries and raspberries, or oatmeal with sliced bananas and peanut butter. My teammate Karissa Schweizer and I are obsessed with Wild Friends Sugar Cookie peanut butter—last year, we stocked up with nine jars. For the pancakes, I’ll mix up a batch of Kodiak Cakes, or I’ll make them from scratch the night before if I have more time.
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Netflix and Coffee
I am not a morning person, so I usually watch New Girl or Parks and Recreation while I’m eating my oatmeal or pancakes, because it’s lighthearted and puts me in a good mood. I always have coffee with half-and-half or vanilla creamer with breakfast, too.
I’m a big coffee person—I have it before every workout and race. Usually, if I’m traveling to a meet, it’s not too hard to find a place that serves drip coffee, although I did have a scare at the World Championships in London. I went down to this little cafe before my race, and they were all out of coffee, but they were able to make me an Americano at the last minute. I ended up having a great race, so now I order Americanos before every race.
Pack Snacks, Head to the Track
We often head right to the training room or weight room after working out, so we won’t get home for lunch until around 12:30 p.m. I always try to pack a little snack to have when I’m finished running, like the protein balls Karissa makes with oats, peanut butter, honey, protein powder, flax seeds, and collagen.
Courtney Frerichs’s Morning Essentials
Kellogg's Froot Loops Breakfast Cereal
Wild Friends Peanut Butter
Hyperice Hypervolt Portable Massage Device
Nuun Sport Cherry Limeade Electrolyte Tablets
I also sip on a sports drink throughout the workout and afterwards—my favorite is Nuun’s Cherry Limeade electrolyte mix. Since it’s summer, I’ve been drinking a lot more water and electrolytes; especially when we’re training at altitude, where it’s easy to get dehydrated without realizing it.
Stretch, Massage, Activate, Go
I meet up with my BTC teammates around 9:15 at the track or the trail, and we stretch, roll out, massage, and do activation drills before we start running. I recently bought a Hypervolt massage gun, which is an absolute lifesaver. We usually pass it around before the run to loosen up our muscles. Once we’re all stretched and ready, we’re off!
Lucky Race Day Fuel
My morning routine doesn’t change too much when I’m racing—I usually stick to what I know. And for me, that’s a bowl of Froot Loops on race day. I ate them before getting a silver medal in London and before setting the American record in Monaco, so I’m convinced they’re lucky.
If it’s a morning race, I’ll just have the Froot Loops with milk, plus coffee. If I’m racing later in the day, I usually need a little more than just sugary cereal, so I might have oatmeal and fruit or pancakes along with the Froot Loops. I once passed out in a race after having a big plate of scrambled eggs that morning, so I won’t eat eggs on race day. Obviously, the eggs weren’t the reason I had a bad day, but I think it’s all about feeling good and worry-free going into a race.
Hailey first got hooked on running news as an intern with Running Times, and now she reports on elite runners and cyclists, feel-good stories, and training pieces for Runner's World and Bicycling magazines.
