By George Banker
I was able to catch up with Katherine Taylor (that is with 2 E’s, an inside joke) after capturing the overall win at the 14th In Their Shoes 5K at Burke Lake (Virginia). Taylor set a new women’s record with a time of 18:32.
Every athlete has different approaches to the sport of running. As an athlete moves from high school to college, the focus is on supporting the team while improving individual performance. The post-collegiate running focus is on the individual. There are obstacles to overcome in training, work, and other aspects of life. A balance is required to be successful in attaining goals.
Taylor will share her thoughts as she navigates her career on multiple fronts. Keep these words in mind as you read the following: consistent, persistent, and insistent.
What was your inspiration to lace up your first pair of shoes to enter the sport?
Both of my parents ran and occasionally competed in marathons when I was a kid. My dad tells a story of taking me to a track one time when I was around 2 or 3, and he told me to run, not expecting me to do a full 400m. Though I don’t remember that, I also don’t remember ever deciding to be a runner. It’s just always been something I knew I was going to do, so that day must have been active in my subconscious. I signed up for the occasional 5k through elementary school and won the Pacer Test in my 4th grade PE class, but I didn’t really start competing until middle school when I signed up for cross country. At my school, we all had to do a sport, but I considered none of the others. It was always going to be cross-country. I haven’t stopped competing since then. I joined my high school team (Point Loma, San Diego) and was lucky enough to compete collegiately, too.
Where did you run in college and how has the transition been post-collegiately?
I ran for Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. I decided to also do a Master’s there after my undergrad, simply because I wanted another cross-country and track season with my team. I graduated in August 2025 and decided to train all fall for the best Turkey Trot performance of my life. Using my collegiate team’s 8k workouts, I modified them into 5k workouts and trained on my own. It was hard. I was happy with my race performance, but knew I needed to join a club if I was going to do marathons.
Now that I am with Georgetown Running Club (GRC), I mentally am having a much easier time training, but it is physically harder for a few reasons. First, as many new grads are, I was unemployed for the first few months after my graduation, so all I had to do every day was run. Now, I work 45+ hour work weeks and am running almost twice as much. But the thought of not running, or running on a less competitive level, has never crossed my mind.
A posting from October 8, 2019, by Taylor, “My mom is from Kingston, so I have visited at least once a year my whole life. I absolutely love Kingston and Queen’s campus. When I was in grade two, I decided I was going to do all I could to go to Queen’s. In high school, I fell in love with running, and my mom told me that Queen’s had an amazing cross-country team. I knew Queen’s was the perfect school for me.”
When racing, what is the priority: time or place?
Now that I am not on a school team, I care little about placing. I definitely still use other racers to push myself and will try my best to out-kick someone at the end of a race, but an important part of keeping running fun for me is to not compare myself to other athletes. I run to be my best, and every once in a while, it correlates to placing.
What is the distance that brings out your best?
So far, I have little experience in races longer than 8k. In Canada, our cross-country races were 8k, and I became confident with that distance. But I think the best distance that I have experience with is the 1500. I think it is the perfect distance.
Though I love the longer stuff (as long as it isn’t on a track), I still love to go fast, and I think the 15 is the best combination of strategy, speed, and strength. It’s too long for an all-out, but too short to ever comfortably set a pace. (PR for 1500m 4:38.98 on 2/21/2025)
How do you process results that do not match the effort you put forth?
I have struggled a lot with this throughout my entire career. Whenever I am upset with a result, I ask myself if younger me would be impressed and proud of me. Sometimes, I have a bad workout, but then I remember that there was a time I could barely race the splits I was hitting while doing repeats. And that’s pretty cool.
Has there been a time when you questioned your abilities?
All the time. I did not inherit great running genes, but I inherited generations of grit, determination, and stubbornness. I was once told by a coach that despite my lack of raw talent,
I was one of the hardest workers he had ever coached. To me, that was a massive compliment. It can be very discouraging to not have the same natural abilities as teammates or competitors, but I’ve learned to be that much prouder of my accomplishments because I know how much hard work went into them.
What challenges have you overcome so far in your career?
I’m very grateful to have not had injury issues during my career, but I have had my fair share of mental challenges. I started taking running seriously at an age when I was most susceptible to disordered eating. I remember being told not to “chunk up” during off-season, that I was a “bigger girl,” so I should use my size to my advantage, and that the less I weighed, the less weight I’d have to carry while I ran. I never had an eating disorder, but I was not blind to it. This sport can be very dangerous because of the culture that unfortunately still exists. I think all athletes, especially runners, must overcome that, and it is incredibly challenging to counteract and unlearn the dangerous messaging that has permeated endurance sports for so long.
What are your last thoughts before a race begins?
I get very anxious before racing, so instead of hyping myself up, I usually have to calm myself down. But the last thing I always tell myself is that I have prepared myself to the best of my ability and to trust myself. I also usually tell myself that it will only be a few minutes of pain, but that strategy won’t be useful before my marathon.
How do you maintain balance in your life with work and sport?
Honestly, I am still trying to figure this one out! I think having friends to run with is the best way to balance it all because then sport time is also social time. But I am not an expert!
How did you come to join the Georgetown Running Club?
After my season of solo training last fall, I decided I needed a club to train with. I wanted something fairly structured that would really push me to become a better and faster runner. After some time Googling, I found the GRC website and emailed Jerry.
Do you change a race strategy during an event or stay with your plan?
My university coach used to give what I once thought was the worst racing advice ever, but have come to learn it was the best thing he could have ever suggested: “race.” As an 18-year-old who thought you could just be told how to be fast, I absolutely hated when he said that. But after a few years, I became more confident in myself and my abilities, and now I don’t need race advice. There are so many factors that can influence a race, and coming in with too much of a plan would set me up for failure. If one thing went wrong, I would have no way to recover. But if my only plan is “race,” I can adapt to challenges more fluidly. In the same way a boxer must respond to their opponent, I must respond to the race. The way other people race, the conditions of the course, or losing a shoe (it’s a long story) all require different responses that all fall under the plan to just “race.”
How has sport changed your life?
Sport has changed my life so much that I can’t even imagine where I would be without it. Almost all my friends have found out about running. It has allowed me to find and build communities wherever I go.
How do you maintain your mental focus?
I need to have a tangible goal to stay focused with training. I can’t stay consistent by just going for runs. Now that I don’t have the pre-planned structure of collegiate racing, I always try to make sure I have races in mind that I am specifically working towards.
What performance do you look back on and smile, knowing you achieved your goal?
The last race I ever competed in for my university was the 1500 at indoor provincials (OUAs). I was in the slower of the two heats but seeded toward the top. All I wanted out of that race was to know I gave it everything I had so I could leave with no regrets. I can’t remember exactly what my time was, but I will never forget pulling into the lead with 400m to go, hearing my teammates screaming my name from all around the track, and seeing my dad crying after I crossed the finish line. I placed 9th overall after the fast heat raced, but that never really mattered. I had the best race of my life and could proudly leave my team knowing I did the best I could. Note: Ontario University Athletics, 1500m, 4:38.98, 2/20-21/2025.
What do you think about once you cross a finish line?
Mostly, I try to stay upright until I can get somewhere safe enough to sit down.
What changes have you seen in the sport, and is there anything you would like to see change?
I think over the last 13 years since I started running, there has been a big shift in the eating culture and the discussions about body weight. I think it is still far from perfect, but I have noticed a clear intention in dismantling those trends that I think are making the sport not only healthier but more accessible.
What do you want the reader to know about Katherine Taylor?
Just like running, life isn’t just about PRs and medals. It’s about the work that goes into getting across the allegorical finish line. It’s about friends that help you get through the hard workouts and hard days. It’s about setting goals and believing in yourself, all the way until the end. It’s about those who cheer you on, not just with funny poster boards along racecourses, but in the stagnant phases when you’re not sure where to go. Life, and running, gets a lot more enjoyable when you appreciate each step, and not just the last.
We all wish Taylor success with her running career.
Categories: Athlete Profiles
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