An Interview with an Olympic Trialer
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to race at the highest level, against names such as Conner Mantz or Clayton Young? This week, I got the chance to reach out to Kristoffer Mugrage, a long-distance runner who had the opportunity to race in the Olympic Marathon Trials this summer and compete against some of the best runners in the world.
Kristoffer Mugrage is a 30-year-old runner residing in Alamosa, Colorado. He attended Adams State University for a Master in Kinesiology, as well as to run for one of the best teams in all of D2 athletics. Mugrage now teaches at his alma mater. On the athletics side, he trains consistently under his previous high school coaches, Jeff Sowards (of Lakewood High School, WA), and Jonathan Murray (now coach of Arlington High School, WA). He has had successes in the marathon such as winning the Columbus Marathon twice, as well as having a PR of 2:15.19 in the California International Marathon. Without further ado, here is my interview with Olympic Trialer Kris Mugrage:
Q: When did you start running competitively? What made you decide to choose the sport?
“I would say that I started running competitively in my sophomore year of high school. This is when I decided to quit playing soccer and go full-time into running. I had played soccer all my life on club teams, but I felt that I would have had a better chance at getting a college scholarship for my running rather than playing soccer. And I was decently good and it was fun with my high school team.”
Q: When did you decide that you wanted to compete on the next level? What made you decide this?
“I could answer this a couple of different ways. I first decided that I wanted to compete at the next level in high school, like my junior/senior year. I was super into running and following all the pros. I knew I wanted to run professionally one day but didn’t know how I would go about that. I ended up out of high school going to Everett Community College to save money and figure out what I wanted to do. But in high school, I knew I wanted to run in college. Having run faster each year at Everett I knew I wanted to go to a good running school. I kept telling myself that I was "D1 Material", and that I would only go to a Division 1 school. But I was introduced to Adams State, a Division 2 school that alumni of my high school went to in the 90s. I learned that they were very good and school wasn't too expensive. Having gone on my visit to Adams I learned just how good they were. Being the most successful XC/Track program in the nation. The 2 walls full of NCAA championship trophies were very persuasive during the visit. So then I was fully into moving to Colorado and joining Adams State.”
“The second time I decided to run at the next level was my senior year at Adams where I didn't have any XC eligibility left but I had Indoor and Outdoors. My coach and I decided to do a big base phase in the XC season and train for a half-marathon. I ended up running around 69 min for the half and Coach Martin told me that based on my half-marathon time I was pretty close to being fit enough to qualify for the Olympic trials in the marathon. They say that if you take your half-marathon personal best, double it, and add 4 minutes, that is roughly your predicted marathon time. With that, I was only 3 min off of making the 2020 Trials. My senior year in Spring of 2018 indoor and outdoor track did not go as well as I wanted but I was still working on my Master degree at Adams and wanted to pursue running still, so the summer of 2018 I started training for the marathon. In December of 2018, I ran 2:20:01 at the California International Marathon and was only 61 seconds from the trials standard. And the rest is history, from that moment I believed I could do it.”
Q: What was your dream when you were in high school/college? When did you realize that you really had a shot at that goal?
“My dream in high school was to run professionally, get a shoe sponsor, and become an olympian. I realized it was possible after going to Adams State and being surrounded by people that had done those things already or had shared goals/dreams. I learned that there was no secret besides hard work over a long period of time. And having the support of friends and those people I looked up to. It really solidified for me when I started marathoning and when I ran a big PR at Columbus and won the Columbus Marathon in 2021.”
Q: Who has been the biggest inspiration for you and your athletic endeavors?
“The one person who has been my biggest inspiration since I started running has been my high school coach, Jon Murray. He has been a big influence on my life since my freshman year of high school. Hearing about how he ran 14:06 in the 5k and was one of the top 50 5k guys in the country was very cool to me. He inspired me that I could do it if I stuck to it long enough. And it helps that he has always been in my corner in supporting me. It is a blessing to have someone who has gone through the same endeavors as you and can share their advice on how they got through them and life in general.
Q: What does the normal day in the life of an Olympic Trialer look like? What does training and recovery look like? How do you balance training with life?
“This really all depends on what time of the year it is. Typically my life is VERY busy. I am a professor at my Alma Mater Adams State where I usually teach 5 classes. I am the head esports coach at the local 2 year college in town. And I do a good amount of Mental Strength Coaching with the Adams athletes on the side. On top of all that I live with my girlfriend, Sky, and have an 8 year old American Pitbull Terrier named Bella. During the school year, I usually am up at 6am to get my first run of the day in, 4-6 miles, then teach from 8 am-1pm. Then get my second run, 8-10 miles, around 2-3 pm. And then usually most evenings I am busy with either a class, esports practice or competition, study hall, or sometimes relaxing with my girlfriend watching a movie, or hanging out. Then get in bed by 9/10 pm and do it again. And then there's the challenge of eating and getting enough meals throughout the day where I can fit them in. Usually lots of Domino's pizza during marathon training. Some days I am doing my interval workout for the week with the Adams team at 6 am or doing a double threshold workout at 5:30 am and 3/4 pm on Fridays. The weekends are typically a bit more chill as long as I am not traveling for racing or anything else. During the summer I have a lot more free time to train and recover and do what I want normally. But again it depends on what my training is, what phase I’m in for my training, and racing. This ranges anywhere from 90-130 miles per week if I am getting ready for a track race or a marathon. Recovery is very important to me, especially with how much mileage I run each week. Sleep is the most important, getting at least 8 hours per night and taking naps when I can squeeze them in. Then eating enough calories throughout the day and making sure to eat whole foods, I try my best to not eat too much processed or junk food. But sometimes after 20+ mile days it is the easiest way to get calories in. I also own a pair of Normatec compression boots that help with recovery as well. Making sure I stay off my feet as much as possible is important.”
“I am able to balance training with life because my training makes me feel like myself and I feel very accomplished and fulfilled when I get my morning training in or at the end of the day. It is a part of who I am but does not define me. Some days I am just too busy and half to cut a run short or completely. Mitigating stress is very important with all of this.”
Q: What was the best moment or experience that you’ve had in your career? Why was this the best?
“The best moment in my racing career would have to be winning the Columbus Marathon in 2021. It was a turning point in my career. Prior to that, I hadn't run a marathon in 2 years and we had Covid and everything. It was hard to know if my fitness had paid off during that time. It was my first race that had real prize money and I had no idea what the competition was going to be like. I remember being in the top 10 through the first half and thinking it was going well; but once we passed the turn for the half-marathoners to finish, I was by myself and the lead car pulled out in front of me. That's when I realized I was in the lead for the rest of the race and it was very exciting and stressful. I had to just watch a clock on the back of a truck while I tried to maintain about 5:15 pace for the rest of the race. I ended up finishing and winning. It was a crazy experience, being handed a trophy and having to do an interview. At that time, high school Kris would have been very proud. Exactly living a dream I had when I was younger. That race validated everything I was doing and I had set a new personal best of 2:17:10 in the marathon going way under the previous and current Olympic trials standards of 2:19 and 2:18. In 2019 I ran 2:19:06 and had missed qualifying for the 2020 trials by 6 seconds. So, to come back 2 years later and go that far under was so reassuring to everything I had been doing. That had resparked my dream to qualify for the Olympics in the marathon in 2028. That race led to me doubling down on marathon training the next year and winning Columbus again in 2:16:05 and 2 months after that getting 13th place at the USA marathon championships in 2:15:17. 2022 has arguably been my best year of running so far.”
Q: How do you keep yourself motivated through injuries or times without improvement?
“I know MY WHY. My meaning and purpose of why I am running. My biggest reason is to be a role model for the younger generation like coach Murray was for me. To inspire kids to follow their dreams no matter what anyone else says. You never know how far you will make it if you don't give up on the path. Being a Sports Psychology teacher as well, I know that my sport is all about consistency and staying on the path. Peaks and Valleys come with the journey and that's where we learn the most about ourselves. Getting up every day to train even when one is in a lull can be a grind, but your future self will always thank you. Knowing one's “why” is important in staying motivated and disciplined.”
Q: What advice do you have for athletes who aspire to compete at high levels?
“Do your best to stay as consistent as possible, for a long time. Consistent hard work over days, months, and years will compound into getting you into the best version of yourself to compete. Also learn how to listen to your body and drop your ego. Know when your body is tired and needs a rest day or slow down during a run. Learn to ignore pride and not compare yourself to others' work, which is hard to do in this day and age with social media. You don't need to knock it out of the park every workout. It doesn't need to be an A+ workout every week. I have learned if you can have C to B+ workouts consistently and keep showing up over the months, fitness will compound like crazy and your confidence will be through the roof.”
“Lastly, don't let sport consume you. You are more than just an athlete. You need to have other hobbies and interests to balance your mind. You can't be training and thinking about your sport all the time. You need breaks from it. Have a social life, have hobbies you look forward to, and other things that bring you joy. Because you will not always perform how you want or to the best of your ability, and many people let performance dictate their self-confidence and self-esteem. We want it to be the opposite. You want those other things in life to help you identify who you are and give you self confidence in yourself so that that will dictate performance. Remember you are a son/daughter, brother/sister, reader, student, video gamer, snowboarder, friend, etc. I learned this after college and it has helped tremendously to have other things and people to fall back on.”
A huge thank you to Kris Mugrage for taking part in this interview, and good luck on your path to making the 2028 Olympics!
Works Cited
“Kristoffer Mugrage - 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon.” Orlando2024trials.com, 2024, www.orlando2024trials.com/athlete/50/34/kristoffer-mugrage. Accessed 9 Sep. 2024.
Mugrage, Kristoffer. An Interview with an Olympic Trialer. 8 Sept. 2024.