This week’s episode is a first for RYM as we’re so lucky to be joined by reigning World and Olympic champion pole vaulter Katie Nageotte. Katie may not have a lot of long runs in her training but she was a fantastic guest and I absolutely loved the opportunity to nerd out over one of my favorite events in track and field while getting into all the fun Run Your Mouth topics we love.

Katie is an Atlanta-based pole vaulter with a personal best of 4.95m (16 ft 3 in) who won gold in Tokyo and Eugene in 2021 and 2022 along with a World Indoor silver this winter in Serbia. But behind those big championship performances were a lot of mental and physical challenges along the way, and in this episode, we talked a lot about the barriers Katie’s had to overcome this year and how managing the “post-Olympic hangover” turned into one of the biggest hurdles of her professional career. This conversation really shows how the end result of an athlete’s season only scratches the surface of their story, and how getting to know some of the sport’s biggest stars can teach you a lot about overcoming your own obstacles.

This episode of Run Your Mouth is presented by Nike. We’ve partnered with them to help share athletes’ stories in a way that reflects the different reasons we all choose to run, work out, and find our part of the track and field community. In my conversations with athletes in all events and all levels over the years, one common theme I hear over and over again is that finding the unique ways running brings you joy is the best way to develop a happy lifelong relationship with the sport

Come run with Nike. For the everyday and common runner Nike is committed to motivating, standing by, listening to, and helping them from the starting line to the finish line and every inch, meter and mile in between. Whether it’s a local race, a major marathon, or just a run with friends, get out there and run. Just do it. Check out the Nike Run Club app and come run with us.

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NOTABLE QUOTES AND NOTES

On the post-Tokyo hangover:

“After I won [Olympic gold] I had so many cool opportunities […] but I didn’t realize how exhausted I was until I started competing again in January. I took six weeks off physically but not stepping away mentally or emotionally took a toll.”

On resetting after the season:
“When I’m training, even on rest days, I’m always focused on vaulting – it’s always in the back of my mind. So when I get time off, being able to step away and not think about pole vault for a while is the best thing for me.”

On growing slowly as an athlete:
“It’s taken me time at every level to reach the top. It took me until my senior year of high school to win the state meet and until my senior year of college to win a national title. It took me 5 years after college to get a contract. It taught me internal motivation – I’m not doing it for approval; I’m just here to be the best to be I can be.”

On training with Sandi Morris:
“I was pushed harder than I ever have been training with her. We’re competitive people and when we get on the runway we want to win, but in practice, we’re training next to each other, rather than against each other.”