University of Minnesota Athletics
Five Minutes with Kate Shelerud
9/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
MINNEAPOLIS - Redshirt sophomore Kate Shelerud fell back in love with running during her first two years at the University of Minnesota. After red-shirting her first season on campus, the Esko, Minn., native ran in three cross country meets and 13 races on the track last year.
Shelerud ran her fastest 800m time as a Gopher at UW-La Crosse, clocking a collegiate-best 2:17.87. She also competed in the 400-meter and 600-meter dashes in her first season wearing the Maroon & Gold. A nursing major, Shelerud looks forward to seeing the success she and her teammates can achieve this season.
What is your favorite thing about Gopher track & field and cross country?
Cheesy, but every single day I get to be surrounded by my closest friends. I absolutely love being in the midst of a group of driven, fun and all-around great people on a day-to-day basis.
What's your proudest accomplishment in your running career so far?
I would have to say I am most proud of continuing in the sport. My junior and senior years of high school were pretty much filled to the brim with surgery, illness and injuries. I was not running near the level I had been earlier in high school, and I was completely frustrated and falling out of love with running.
Luckily, when I finally decided that I did want to at least trying to run at the U, Coach Hopkins was so incredibly patient and worked with me to get back to where I had been earlier in my running career. Now I could never dream of quitting this team -- coming to the University of Minnesota taught me that I could come back from a string of injuries and fall back in love with running.
What are your major and career goals?
I am a nursing major here at the U. I hope to work in a pediatric or newborn unit upon graduating and potentially go to grad school to become a nurse practitioner.
How did you choose the University of Minnesota?
I always knew. My older brother went here, and I would visit him all the time. The atmosphere and energy are unbeatable. In fourth grade, we had to write a letter to our future selves and I wrote that I would "go to the University of Minnesota and play soccer." The soccer part didn't come true, but I guess I just always wanted to wear the Maroon and Gold.
How did you first get into running?
I'm from a really small school in Esko, Minn. Since the track & field numbers were rather low, they would pull up some middle schoolers to run varsity each year. In seventh grade, my coaches let me run in the first varsity meet of the year. I ran the 800m in a painful 2:54, but I loved it! I kept running the 800m that year and ended up getting down to a 2:30, which was fast enough to be a part of a state qualifying 4x800m relay team. As a seventh grader, I just felt a click with the sport and knew I wanted to continue. The next fall I joined cross country and qualified for state, and the following eighth grade spring track & field season I qualified for state in three events. I was hooked at that point and just kept trying to PR and improve.
Were you involved in any other sports growing up?
Since I attended a small school, I played both varsity soccer and cross country in the fall. I couldn't decide between the two sports, and I was lucky enough to have accommodating coaches that let me do both. To make it work, I would meet with my cross country coach every morning at 6 a.m. before school and do our workout around town. Then I would shower in the locker room, get ready, go to school and practice soccer from 4 to 6 p.m. every day.
Do you have any pre-meet rituals or superstitions?
I must have music to listen to. I have barely changed my running playlist since about ninth grade. After all those years of listening, just hearing those songs gets me in the mood to get out there and compete.
What do you think makes being a Gopher so special?
There are way too many reasons to name them all. I had never been part of a group where every teammate truly pushes every last member to succeed. This group is talented and puts the work in, but everyone has fun while doing it!
What are you most looking forward to about the 2014-15 season?
I'm hoping to set a few PRs, and I'm looking forward to seeing what this group can do!
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Players Mentioned
