Standing on the start line at the 2024 Paris Olympics marathon as a member of Team USA is the second major accomplishment. The first one comes roughly six months before, when you have to race to earn your spot.
On a hot and humid morning in Orlando, Fiona O’Keeffe won the Olympic Marathon Trials in 2:22:10. To call it a stunning debut marathon would be a massive understatement. O’Keefe commanded the lead in a field of deeply-talented runners with a calm-yet-complete confidence, and won by over 30 seconds.
O’Keeffe, 25, is by no means new to running. (She was a six-time All-American at Stanford University.) But she is new to the intense spotlight that Olympic success often brings. Luckily, the Team USA star excels at protecting her peace.
“I’ve been with the PUMA Elite Running Team for the last month or so of my training buildup in Mammoth Lakes, California, which is one of my favorite places in the world,” O’Keeffe says. “It’s so calming and beautiful to just spend time outside here—there are beautiful alpine lakes and forests filled with pines and aspens all around us. I also find it helpful to have a nice group of teammates up here, so I’m not constantly thinking of only my own preparations.”
The soft-spoken, under-the-radar racer caught up with us ahead of her Olympic debut to share a few healthy habits that not only keep her stress in check, but keep her mentally and physically on top of her game.
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1. She knows how to bounce back
Recovery is a huge part of her actual job, especially during a marathon training block. So this is not a spot that O’Keeffe skimps on. In fact, she’s often considering how to maximize her recovery even while running.
“Training in the PUMA ForeverRun NITRO and Magnify NITRO 2 shoes gives my legs a little extra love when they’re feeling tired,” she says. “I also get regular sports massages—not always a relaxing experience!—and use a foam roller and lacrosse ball to target tight spots most days.”
But the piece that makes the biggest impact on how she ensures she’s being built up rather than beaten down by tough training? Prioritizing bedtime.
“Sleep is huge for me,” O’Keeffe says. “I always have a pair of earplugs and a physical book on my nightstand—I need to read a physical book at night to fall asleep.”
2. She finds time to unwind
When she’s not running, there’s a good chance you’ll find O’Keeffe with a book–usually a physical copy–in hand.
“My taste in books is a bit all over the place,” says the voracious reader. “I rotate between classics, fun light reads, non-fiction, and memoirs. I recently read Emily Henry’s Beach Read as well as Lindsey Vonn’s memoir, which was pretty inspirational. Currently, I’m working my way through Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls and a Paulo Coelho novel.”
She puts her own pen to paper, too.
“I do a good amount of journaling,” adds O’Keeffe. “I’d describe it as pretty unstructured. Writing has always been a nice outlet.”
“Sleep is huge for me. I always have a pair of earplugs and a physical book on my nightstand—I need to read a physical book at night to fall asleep.” —Fiona O’Keeffe
3. She shops smart
O’Keeffe is very passionate about environmental issues, and tries to live more sustainably and consume more consciously.
“I definitely use a reusable water bottle every day and always have it on hand to do my best to stay hydrated,” she says. “However, I think the biggest way we can live more sustainably is to reduce our overall consumption rather than focusing on specific products. If there’s a specific trendy item on social media, I try to discern whether it would really be something that holds up and that I’d use for a long time. If not, I try to pass on it.”
4. She keeps it simple
O’Keeffe is a great reminder that not sweating the small stuff is an active choice. Her favorite non-running accessory at the moment? A pair of sunglasses she picked up from the grocery store. “They just happened to fit perfectly,” she said. “You’d never guess!”
From how she keeps her gorgeous locks healthy (“My hair care routine is very simple—the biggest thing is not washing it too frequently and using a good conditioner on it,” she says) to her pre-race packing list (“I pack in a small black PUMA roller bag—as long as I have my uniform, running shoes, and a book I’m good to go!”), O’Keeffe doesn’t waste energy worrying about all the little things. And as a result, she has more energy to care about the big things, like bringing her best 26.2 to the streets of Paris.
You can catch Fiona O’Keeffe competing in the women’s marathon on August 11. NBCUniversal is the official U.S. broadcaster for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Watching options include Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, USA Network, CNBC, and E!
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