For Runner Grace Hadley, the Team Makes Training Worthwhile

Grace Hadley ’23, MS ’24, was one of the fastest Division III milers in the country in the 2023-24 indoor and outdoor track seasons, but that doesn’t mean she limited herself to just one distance. She competed in everything from the 800m to the 10K and found success in most as she stayed healthy and injury free in her final year of collegiate racing.

“The 10K is more strength-based, and the 800 is good to practice for speed work,” she says. In addition to the mile (including the outdoor equivalent 1,500 meters), she also qualified for the NCAAs in the 3K (indoor), and 5K (outdoor), and was a member of the WPI cross country team that went to the NCAAs in fall 2023 and finished seventh overall, the team’s best finish ever. (She does draw the line at running the steeplechase: “I tried it once and I had bruises all over my knees. It really hurt.”)

And while running can be an intensely individual endeavor, she says being on a team adds a layer of enjoyment that makes the long hours of training worth it.

“Because I was the anchor, I could watch most of it before running. We were in 10th place when I got the baton. All our girls were running fast times—it was such a fast race,” she says. She focused on passing each runner in front of her, and then charged past the tiring leaders on the final turn to catch them at the wire. “All my teammates were crying and were super excited at the end. We thought we could win it if everything went well, but it’s another thing to actually do it.”

Hadley says staying healthy and training consistently were keys to her success running as a graduate student. (She retained eligibility due to COVID cancellations in 2020.) “A lot of it is just putting in the work you need every day and not any more than that,” she says, adding that she ate well, got lots of sleep, and was able to avoid some of the injuries she suffered in her undergraduate years. “That uninterrupted, consistent work got me excited to compete and train. It’s what I looked forward to every day.”

Hadley was a high school junior varsity soccer player who started running to increase her endurance on the soccer pitch. She transitioned over to track when she found success in middle-distance races and then expanded to longer races. She visited different types of colleges as a track recruit and found a comfortable fit at WPI.

Originally a biology major on the pre-health track, Hadley discovered an interest in the bench side of medicine. She earned her BS and MS in biochemistry through the five-year program, interned at two pharmaceutical companies, and hopes to eventually work in research and development or regulatory safety. “It’s rewarding to see how developments in the lab can greatly improve patients’ lives. And the sky’s the limit on what you can do.”

The crazy busy summer and fall after her undergraduate years proved to be a blessing in disguise for consistency in training. “There were a lot of changes in my life, with my friends and boyfriend graduating. I moved to Somerville to work full time in Boston at a co-op, while still attending classes in Worcester and training.” Running helped her cope with the stress and gave her confidence in her endurance.

Working and competing in a varsity sport at an academically challenging university also required her to plan her day intentionally.

“Being a student-athlete forces you into a schedule because you have to be efficient with your time. It can be tough to manage. But I had my routine, and I knew I had to be on top of it,” she says. “I have a tendency to procrastinate, but I knew I couldn’t because I didn’t want to be staying up late to finish assignments.”

Even with her collegiate racing days over, running will always be an important part of Hadley’s life. “I’m hoping to still compete in some aspect,” she says. “There are a lot of club teams you can join, so we’ll see.”