Mission: To be a track and field finalist at this year's Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia

On July 16, Marla Runyan made history when she became the first legally blind competitor to qualify for a U.S. Olympic team. Marla is 31 years old and lives and trains in Oregon. TFK caught up with her to talk about why she's right on track with her goals and dreams.
 

Marla (in blue) hits her stride at a race in Seville, Spain, last year.

Q:You finished third at the U.S. trials and made the Olympic team despite a leg injury that almost forced you out of the race. How do you feel?
A: Considering the injury, I think I was very, very fortunate. It just made me really appreciate it more.

Q:What’s the hardest part about competing?
A: The minutes leading up to the race, and trying to remind yourself that you’ve trained hard and you should be confident going in. You can get kind of scared.

Q:What do you do to stay calm?
A: I remember how hard I trained. I always want to go into a race and give it 100 percent effort. That’s really all I can do anyway.

Q:When did you start running?
A: I didn’t start running track until high school. I didn’t get serious about running until college, which is probably a good thing.

Q:In the fourth grade, you lost your sight to Stargardt’s Disease. How did that affect your schooling?
A: I had to change schools twice. I was always going to school in another town. I didn’t have a lot of friends.

Q:When you were a kid, did you ever think you’d make it to the Olympics?
A: Not really. I loved the Olympics. I watched it on television. I never really thought I would make the Olympic team. I always looked at running as a hobby, not something I would make a living off of. The last few years have been a very good surprise.

Q:What is your goal, not only for the Olympics, but in life?
A: My goal for the Olympics is to get through to the final round, and to place in the top eight in the finals. Obviously it will be a challenge. I would like to improve my personal best time by 3 to 4 seconds. That’s it for this year. For next year, I want to focus more on the 5000-meter race.

Q:What message do you have for kids who have big goals like yours?
A: I want to tell kids, whether they’re in sports or in whatever they’re doing, to not take it so seriously that they stop having fun. Then you lose your motivation.