Maggi Congdon had a breakthrough indoor track season while running for Northern Arizona University this season, where a dream of competing in the U.S. Olympic Trial became a possibility. 

At an indoor meet at the start of the new year, Congdon had a breakthrough, running a mile in 4 minutes, 40 seconds. 

“So many things just all of a sudden seemed way more possible than they ever had,” Congdon said.

A handful of months later, Congdon would run her fastest time in the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Track National Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Her time of 4:07.81 in the preliminaries would qualify her for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Having grown up in Ski Town, U.S.A., Congdon graduated from Steamboat Springs High School in 2020. The COVID-19 outbreak canceled the track season that year, but Congdon had already made her mark on the running scene and committed in November 2019 to further her education and running career at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. 

During that time, she had no clue her athletic career would take her to the highest level of national competition. 

“Once I knew it was definitely going to happen, I was super excited because it’s cool to get to come (to the trials) with not really any pressure,” Congdon said. “There are always a lot of athletes here with a ton of pressure to qualify for the Olympics, which is everyone’s goal, but it is cool to come here as a younger athlete and just get to compete and not have any pressure and be in that atmosphere and see what is possible.”

This week, Congdon returned to historic Hayward Field in Eugene, known as TrackTown U.S.A., for the trials. 

In total, 36 runners have qualified to compete in the 1,500 meter U.S. Olympic Trial. They will be split into three heats of 12 on Thursday night for the first round run, with a chance to progress into the semifinal. 

The top seven in each heat and the next three fastest individuals on Thursday will advance to day two on Friday, which consists of two heats of 12 runners. The top five in those heats and the next two fastest individuals will reach the final day, Saturday, where they will compete for their Olympic dreams. The top three will represent the U.S. in Paris at the end of July.

“I know she gets on those start lines and she just wants to run away but she never has, which is good,” said Leslie Hunt, Maggi’s mother. “Just getting that experience running with people who are incredibly fast shows her she can do this.” 

“She belongs in that group of 36 for sure,” said Bob Congdon, Maggi’s father.

Of those 36, just 10 will be representing a college or university. The remainder have already gone pro. Maggi is ranked 23rd in the field. 

“For (Maggi), it has been a really steady progression of getting a little bit faster all the time,” Bob said. “Now all of a sudden, she is at the top level of the NCAA, and that overlaps a little bit with the pros.” 

After nationals in early June, Maggi had one week of intense workouts to prepare for the trials. Since then, she has rested her body and trained to maintain her speed for the trials. 

All U.S. Olympic Trial events can be watched on NBC, Peacock or USA Network. Maggi will race in the first of the three 1,500 meter heats beginning at 6:23 p.m. Thursday.

Maggi gives massive amounts of credit to her parents and coaches for supporting her over the years — specifically local running coach Lisa Renee Tumminello, who inspired Maggi to continue with the sport through college.

Her goal is to enjoy her time in Eugene and make the most out of the experience. She looks forward to competing against the top runners across the country. 

“Even though I am competing against some really big names, I can still do a lot and run with a lot of these women,” Maggi said.