Facing ever-higher peaks, runner attacks
By Clint Talbott
On her morning runs, Jenny Barringer leaves the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and bounds westward toward Pikes Peak, looming 8,000 feet overhead.
As she runs farther west, the foothills—which are about 6,000 feet lower than the mountain that inspired “America the Beautiful”—begin to appear almost as large as Pikes. Soon, they appear taller, completely obscuring the massive mountain beyond.
To Barringer, the illusion signifies the steadily rising challenges of the running season. The year’s first contests—regional meets—are less demanding than the ones that lie beyond—the world’s top runners. But when the gun goes off in that first race, it’s just as serious, just as daunting, just as hard as those yet to come.
Every season begins with low-key races, she says. But you run knowing that “very soon, you face the best in the world.” Nonetheless, “The one that’s right in front of you is the one that’s more intimidating, no matter what.”
Barringer is a December 2009 alumna of the University of Colorado, earning degrees in political science and economics. She is better known as one of the best runners ever to compete under the CU banner.
A three-time-Big 12 champion, four-time NCAA champion, five-time All-American and, by the way, an Olympian. She holds the American record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 9:12.50. Last year, she broke four minutes in the 1,500 at the Prefontaine Classic, clocking in at 3:59.90.
A list of her collegiate milestones stretches over pages. After graduating, she was named 2010 Colorado Sportswoman of the Year, an honor previously bestowed on former CU runner (and Olympian) Mary Decker Slaney. She also began making the transition from student-athlete to professional athlete.
With an agent, a coach and a contract from New Balance, Barringer began preparing for the first challenge in her professional racing career. That came in early May, when she won the 1,500-meter run at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational at Stanford University. She beat her nearest competitor by more than a second. Her time was 4:08.11.
A couple weeks later, she competed again, this time turning in another personal record in the 800-meter run: 2:02.12.
But those were veritable foothills. As Barringer noted recently, the first tough test came on June 12, when she raced the 1,500 meters in a New York Diamond League event. Against some of the best runners in the world, Barringer was the fastest American and came in fourth, at 4:03.64.
“This was my first really hard effort of the year,” Barringer told Universal Sports. “In college, you dominate, and everyone wants your autograph. Out here, it's all about performance and winning.”
There’s another change from college days, when academics were a big part of the picture; she graduated with a 3.71 grade-point average and made the dean’s list five times. In school, she juggled workouts with studying.
“It took me a couple of months to get over feeling guilty about being well-rested after workouts,” Barringer says. “One day I realized, ‘It’s my job now to be well-rested.’”
During college, the kind of drive that propelled her to a string of victories on the track also pushed her to succeed in her studies. Barringer says she was drawn to political science because she enjoys “active debate.”
Economics, on the other hand, came a bit less easily.
“I really think I was drawn to it because it was so challenging,” she recalls. There were times at CU that she thought about just forgoing the economics degree. “I really had to work hard.”
But she didn’t quit. “Part of that is just the mentality of a competitive person. … It was really difficult to back down.”
While it was difficult, it was also captivating, she notes. As an economics student in 2008, she watched scholars as they sorted out why the economy was melting down.
“It was a very fascinating time to be in school. It was interesting to see my professors excited about witnessing a disaster.”
Although her future holds several possibilities, for now she’s focused on her running career. “I’m really excited about where I am right now.”
She is preparing for the London Olympics in 2012 and has her eye on the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro. “Beyond that, I just really want to continue this quest of faster times and stronger efforts as long as I really believe as I can train at full capacity,” she says.
She emphasizes that she wants to have a healthy body and mind for the rest of her life, she doesn’t want to compete so long that running loses its appeal. “I really want to go out and enjoy a run when I’m 60 years old.”
That milestone is still 36 years off. At some point, she might go to law school, which complements a runner’s mentality. “If you’re willing to run really hard for 16 or 20 miles, you’ve got another level of focus and drive.”
Meanwhile, she keeps a clear-eyed view of running as a career. “There are going to be good days, and there are going to be bad days, but almost every day is going to be a hard day.”
And not every day will end in victory. That can take an emotional toll, but Barringer emphasizes that her life has significance outside of running. She’s getting married in October, maintains deep family connections and has a strong faith.
At the same time, she’s more than grateful for the success she has enjoyed as a fleet-footed competitor.
“The story of my career has been better than I could have written it.”
Jenny Barringer crosses the finish line with only the competition behind her as she wins her first race as a professional.
On her morning runs, Jenny Barringer leaves the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and bounds westward toward Pikes Peak, looming 8,000 feet overhead.
As she runs farther west, the foothills—which are about 6,000 feet lower than the mountain that inspired “America the Beautiful”—begin to appear almost as large as Pikes. Soon, they appear taller, completely obscuring the massive mountain beyond.
To Barringer, the illusion signifies the steadily rising challenges of the running season. The year’s first contests—regional meets—are less demanding than the ones that lie beyond—the world’s top runners. But when the gun goes off in that first race, it’s just as serious, just as daunting, just as hard as those yet to come.
Every season begins with low-key races, she says. But you run knowing that “very soon, you face the best in the world.” Nonetheless, “The one that’s right in front of you is the one that’s more intimidating, no matter what.”
Barringer is a December 2009 alumna of the University of Colorado, earning degrees in political science and economics. She is better known as one of the best runners ever to compete under the CU banner.
A three-time-Big 12 champion, four-time NCAA champion, five-time All-American and, by the way, an Olympian. She holds the American record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 9:12.50. Last year, she broke four minutes in the 1,500 at the Prefontaine Classic, clocking in at 3:59.90.
A list of her collegiate milestones stretches over pages. After graduating, she was named 2010 Colorado Sportswoman of the Year, an honor previously bestowed on former CU runner (and Olympian) Mary Decker Slaney. She also began making the transition from student-athlete to professional athlete.
With an agent, a coach and a contract from New Balance, Barringer began preparing for the first challenge in her professional racing career. That came in early May, when she won the 1,500-meter run at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational at Stanford University. She beat her nearest competitor by more than a second. Her time was 4:08.11.
A couple weeks later, she competed again, this time turning in another personal record in the 800-meter run: 2:02.12.
But those were veritable foothills. As Barringer noted recently, the first tough test came on June 12, when she raced the 1,500 meters in a New York Diamond League event. Against some of the best runners in the world, Barringer was the fastest American and came in fourth, at 4:03.64.
“This was my first really hard effort of the year,” Barringer told Universal Sports. “In college, you dominate, and everyone wants your autograph. Out here, it's all about performance and winning.”
There’s another change from college days, when academics were a big part of the picture; she graduated with a 3.71 grade-point average and made the dean’s list five times. In school, she juggled workouts with studying.
“It took me a couple of months to get over feeling guilty about being well-rested after workouts,” Barringer says. “One day I realized, ‘It’s my job now to be well-rested.’”
During college, the kind of drive that propelled her to a string of victories on the track also pushed her to succeed in her studies. Barringer says she was drawn to political science because she enjoys “active debate.”
Economics, on the other hand, came a bit less easily.
“I really think I was drawn to it because it was so challenging,” she recalls. There were times at CU that she thought about just forgoing the economics degree. “I really had to work hard.”
But she didn’t quit. “Part of that is just the mentality of a competitive person. … It was really difficult to back down.”
While it was difficult, it was also captivating, she notes. As an economics student in 2008, she watched scholars as they sorted out why the economy was melting down.
“It was a very fascinating time to be in school. It was interesting to see my professors excited about witnessing a disaster.”
Although her future holds several possibilities, for now she’s focused on her running career. “I’m really excited about where I am right now.”
She is preparing for the London Olympics in 2012 and has her eye on the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro. “Beyond that, I just really want to continue this quest of faster times and stronger efforts as long as I really believe as I can train at full capacity,” she says.
She emphasizes that she wants to have a healthy body and mind for the rest of her life, she doesn’t want to compete so long that running loses its appeal. “I really want to go out and enjoy a run when I’m 60 years old.”
That milestone is still 36 years off. At some point, she might go to law school, which complements a runner’s mentality. “If you’re willing to run really hard for 16 or 20 miles, you’ve got another level of focus and drive.”
Meanwhile, she keeps a clear-eyed view of running as a career. “There are going to be good days, and there are going to be bad days, but almost every day is going to be a hard day.”
And not every day will end in victory. That can take an emotional toll, but Barringer emphasizes that her life has significance outside of running. She’s getting married in October, maintains deep family connections and has a strong faith.
At the same time, she’s more than grateful for the success she has enjoyed as a fleet-footed competitor.
“The story of my career has been better than I could have written it.”