Q&A with Morgan Mitchell

Date: 12th February 2016

How long have you been involved in athletics?

I’ve been involved in athletics since I was 6. I took a few years off in high school starting when I was in year 8/9 and then got back into it in 2012.

Will you be competing at this year’s Woolworths Stawell Gift? If so, which race will you be competing in?

Unfortunately I won’t be competing this year as it is the week before Nationals/Olympic trials. If it were the week after Nationals, I would’ve entered because I absolutely loved it last year! I may head up to watch for the weekend and am hoping to compete in 2017 if everything works out well with my program/race planning.

What has the last year has looked like for you in terms of competing? Were you expecting to smash your PB at the Hunter Track Classic?

Last year was a tough one, the main focus was getting fit as I had a few set backs throughout the year. I still competed at the World Championships for the 4×400 relay, which was an amazing experience and we had qualified our relay team for Rio also, which was incredible. I was expecting a PB at Hunter, my coach and squad had all put in a lot of work early in the summer season and had a two week training camp which we all benefitted from, most of us ran PB’s which was good. We really wanted to get the qualifier at the Hunter Track Classic so we could just keep on training and not worry too much about the racing part until it got closer to nationals. I’m just happy and relieved we’ve done that and can now keep on working towards more PB’s.

What is your greatest achievement in athletics?

Sounds a little cheesy, but I think my greatest achievement in athletics was coming back into the sport, finding that love for it again and working a lot harder to get to where I want. With that I have won a senior national title and have ran at both the Commonwealth Games and World Champs and now have my sights set on Rio, so yeah I guess it’s all very exciting!

Who is your idol athlete?

I have a few… Cathy Freeman is obviously one of them. What she did in her time I don’t think can/will ever be replicated. She is definitely in a class of her own. I’m also a pretty big fan of the UFC and have a love for Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor. The training and mindset that they both practice is amazing, I love it.

What is your training regime like?

Training is pretty crazy at the moment. I am on the track 4-5 times a week and in the gym twice a week. I have also included Pilates, swimming and boxing into my schedule just to maintain that base fitness. It’s intense but I’m enjoying it.

What inspires you to run in the Stawell Gift? 

I think it is the atmosphere. It’s just a really fun weekend for me, and when it comes to the racing I’m usually one of the back markers, I love the chase. It keeps it interesting and fun.

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