In less than four years of marathoning, Gabi Rooker has been a rising star for the U.S. Last year, she was the fourth American at the 2023 Chicago Marathon with an impressive 2:24:35 personal best. She went on to finish 19th at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

With a background in competitive gymnastics, Gabi has taken to the roads super well since her marathon debut in 2021. She spent time elevating her training as part of the Dreamweaver program, which was a program created by Nike to support female athletes aiming for the Olympic Trials qualifying time of 2:37 – all while balancing her career as a physician assistant in Minneapolis. The performance in Chicago was so good that she signed a pro contract with Nike ahead of the Olympic Trials.

In this episode, we unpack her race in Orlando but also how she’s adjusted to a part-time role as a physician’s assistant and being a professional runner. She shares a bit about her training and preparation heading into Chicago and what part of her story has resonated with the masses.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Gabi Rooker | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@gabirooker on Instagram

The following excerpt has been edited lightly for clarity. You can listen to the full interview with Gabi Rooker on the CITIUS MAG Podcast – available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your shows.

How those cheering her on during the Olympic Trials Marathon kept her going:

“Because I was so uncomfortable for such a long time, I probably wanted to quit 30 times. Every time I wanted to quit, I would see someone on the course. There were tons of Dreamweavers and that was the point of the program: we wanted to make it [to the Olympic Trials]... It still feels emotional because I wanted to stop and that person really wanted to make it. They worked just as hard as me and they didn't [qualify] for whatever reason. So it was like, ‘I see that person. I'm going to keep going for them…’ I was just like, ‘You can't quit. You have to keep going.’”

How meaningful it was to finish the Olympic Trials Marathon:

“I’m really proud that I finished with how rough it was. It really showed me that I can do hard things and I can continue to do those hard things. I have such a good support system. There were so many people who came out and showed that they cared and that was really important to me. I think that was the biggest thing: I felt so supported and I felt really proud. This is a completely different life than I ever imagined. I was a college gymnast and gymnastics ends when you're 22. Then I had this second life in a way. I feel so lucky that I get to do this.”

Her progression between the 2023 Chicago Marathon and the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials:

“My training was so consistent and just so part of daily life that it really felt like I could comfortably move these goalposts and not feel overwhelmed by them. At Grandma's [Marathon] in 2023, I did want to hit the Olympic standard at the time, so I felt like I was getting internally into the conversation… I had a lot of self-belief and Alex had a lot of belief as well. So after Chicago [in 2023], it felt much more attainable rather than a pipe dream. It was this situation where I remember being at the starting line of the trials and thinking, ‘The goal was to get here. And I got here.’”

How being a gymnast in college prepared her for marathon training later in life:

"I am super excited to get back out there. I was thinking about this recently because it has been a long time since I last raced. Cross country and track, if you're in college, you're going from the beginning of your semester, the fall semester, and until after your spring semester ends. And with gymnastics, you're training that whole time - but your meet season starts in January and it ends in April. So you're just training April to January. Just in the gym, five or six days a week. So I realized that's probably why it doesn't feel scary or worrisome to me, because with gymnastics, you train so much for the short season. And that's kind of what we're doing."

Her race plans for the 2024 Chicago Marathon:

“This year, I don't know exactly what they're going to have for pacers, so I'll have to figure that out. Alex and I haven't talked about a full race plan yet, but I know my goal is to definitely PR. I feel like I'm in that zone. I want to go out fast. Run fast, stay fast, stay strong. That's the race plan.”

Her parting advice to those pursuing their own running journeys:

"Running is for everyone and that's so important for me as a person. One of the coolest things about the marathon is you could be running on the same course as people breaking world records. You have trained differently, but you have put so much of yourself into it. You're not running a marathon alone – your spouse, children, co-workers or friends know that you've been training really hard and given up a lot to make it to the start line, push through the marathon and get to the finish. That's truly really important to me… Finding running looks different for everyone."

Time Stamps:

• 3:10 - How her current marathon build compares to previous builds.
• 4:13 - How her life changed after her breakout race at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
• 6:30 - Switching to part-time work, finding an agent, signing with Nike.
• 9:27 - Her progression from her marathon debut in 2021.
• 11:25 - How Nike’s Project Dreamweaver aided her improvement.
• 15:29 - Her training camp in Texas prior to the 2024 Olympic Trials.
• 20:57 - What her race plan + expectations were heading into the Trials.
• 23:13 - The support she experienced while racing at the Trials.
• 26:13 - Biggest takeaways from the Trials.
• 28:22 - How being a former gymnast has helped her running career.
• 31:17 - Training professionally in Minnesota.
• 33:30 - Her race plan heading into the 2024 Chicago Marathon.
• 35:13 - Goals for Chicago.
• 36:24 - Parting messages to those who hope to follow in her footsteps.
• 37:41 - Being inducted into UW La Crosse’s Hall of Fame.

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