Going into the Tokyo steeplechase final, Emma Coburn intended to win gold. During last summer's buildup to the Olympic Games, the 2017 world champion and Olympic bronze medalist excelled in workouts she found challenging in years past. And those efforts gave her great confidence heading into the podium pursuit in her third Olympic final.
Instead, what unfolded in Japan's capital city left Coburn and American fans in disbelief. On the last lap, the world championship silver medalist tripped on a hurdle and faded to 14th in 9:41.50, almost 40 seconds slower than her personal best. She was later disqualified for stepping on or inside the rail.
“I was begging my legs to move faster. I was doing all the things I could, and it was just shutting down,” Coburn told Runner’s World. “Shoes & Gear.”
Almost a year later, Coburn said she still doesn't have all the answers to explain the uncharacteristically off day. She believes the intense heat and humidity played a role in making her feel depleted throughout the 10 days leading up to the final. She also wonders if she pushed herself too hard in big workouts earlier in the season. But over time, Coburn recovered and in the months following the setback on the world stage managed to rebuild her confidence through self reflection, support from her family and team, and a few key shifts in training.
At the USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Coburn put it all together when it mattered most. On June 26, the University of Colorado alum won her 10th national title and qualified to represent Team USA at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. “After having a hard race in Tokyo and having something that you worked for for so many years fail, this feels really good,” an emotional Richardson and Thomas Medal in 200 Meters A World Champion Shares 4 Keys to Rebuilding Confidence After a Tough Race.
Here's how the steeplechaser came back from a tough race and regained her stride heading into the world championships, which begin Friday, July 15.
Lean on a support system that looks beyond running
Right after the Tokyo final, Coburn gave herself time to grieve by leaning on her family and friends. Following the race, her training partner and fellow Olympian, Cory McGee, consoled her in the Olympic village. Once she returned to the U.S. from Tokyo, Coburn went to her hometown of Crested Butte, Colorado to spend time with her family, who helped put the disappointment in perspective.
“I emotionally bounced back from it because I have a support network that lets me know they value me beyond my running,” Coburn said, explaining that her young niece and nephew in particular help keep her grounded with a focus on spending quality time together.
“When it's not your day, it doesn't make you less valuable as a person, sister, aunt, wife, or daughter,” she said.
Looking back on the coping process, Coburn says it's important to not let the sport define who you are as a person. Even though running professionally is her career, she places more value on the dedication and effort used to achieve her goals rather than letting performances define her success. “That's what our families and friends value in us, seeing that daily commitment to our dream, but the result at the end of the day is somewhat insignificant to the actual people who love you most,” she said.
Listen to your body
In the days immediately following the Tokyo Games, Coburn believed she'd bounce back and continue her season with Diamond League competitions in the fall of 2021. But when she returned to her training base in Colorado, she soon found out that her body had other plans. Paces that normally feel manageable to the national champion felt like all-out efforts. Coburn took those workouts as a sign that she needed to start her break earlier than she anticipated.
“The two weeks that I was at home trying to salvage [the season], my body was just begging me to stop,” Coburn said. “Finally I did and then spent the fall just enjoying my break.”
When she tried to resume training in November, Coburn stepped in a pothole during a workout, which triggered an old ankle injury. She took more time off to heal before restarting a base phase of training in December.
By January, Coburn was recovered and building fitness, but she could tell her body wasn't quite race ready. Again, she listened. “I recognized how my body felt in workouts and felt like this is what it's supposed to be, but I was not fit enough to actually be successful indoors even though there was a feeling of finally being recovered and good,” she said.
Don't be afraid to adjust training
Instead of racing indoors, Coburn and her husband and coach, Joe Bosshard committed to a new training phase with higher mileage at altitude. In the spring, she ran over 90 miles per week for 30-plus weeks, a jump compared to 2021 when she averaged 80 miles per week. This year, the workouts shifted from “heroic” sessions to a more strength-based, consistency focus. For example, a typical hard day this season includes double threshold workouts with a morning session of 5-6 mile repeats at 5:45 mile pace followed by 20 x 400-meter repeats or 8 x 1-kilometer repeats at a similar effort in the afternoon. Instead of pushing herself beyond the assigned paces like she's done in the past, Coburn has stuck to the paces and approached each workout as a building block contributing to a long-term body of hard work.
“What we learned is that those (past) workouts don't necessarily make me fitter. They're a good proof of fitness, but I don't necessarily get that much better after I accomplish those,” Coburn said. “Even though they're fun and it's great to look back on, now we prioritize doing the workouts that might be less fun and sexy, but they're the workouts that make me improve.”
Coburn's first race since the Tokyo final was an 11th-place finish in the 1500 meters at Mt. SAC Relays on May 19. “I got my doors blown off,” Coburn said. In response to the tough race, she didn't judge the performance too harshly and instead maintained her faith in the training cycle knowing that higher mileage that week likely contributed to a slower time.
On May 28, she returned to racing at the Prefontaine Classic, where she made her season debut in the steeplechase with an eighth-place finish in 9:18. Coburn said she felt controlled but wasn't able to push beyond her comfort zone at that point. “I think some of that was due to the fact that my last steeplechase was such a disaster,” she said. “I think there was a deeper part of me that was protecting myself to get through the race without drama and feel good.”
While the time and place weren't spectacular by Coburn's standards, she still gained confidence from the performance because she felt the race helped close the chapter on Tokyo, she said.
On June 11, the momentum continued at the Portland Track Festival, where Coburn ran 4:04 for 1500 meters, another sign that the training was starting to pay off at the right time. “I came into the U.S. championship feeling that I could look at the body of work that I had done in 2022 and feel confident in it,” she said.
That increase in confidence showed during the steeplechase final at Hayward Field. With about 600 meters remaining, Coburn made a decisive move to the front ahead of American record-holder Courtney Frerichs and NCAA record-holder Courtney Wayment. By the homestretch, Coburn had a 40-meter lead on Wayment and completed the race in 9:10.63, her fastest time so far this season.
Remember you're not alone
Looking back on past setbacks she's overcome, Coburn said it's easy to feel like you're the first and only person who has ever experienced a specific hardship, but that's rarely the case. In those moments, she wants other runners to remember their value outside of the sport and that everyone is navigating their own set of challenges when they toe the line. Plus, many in the running community have faced similar obstacles and are willing to offer advice for others in those situations. For example, in addition to her friends and family, many of Coburn's peers in the running world reached out to offer their support after the Tokyo final, a gesture that helped the steeplechaser get past the hardship and look forward to her next goal—another medal at the world championships.
“Everyone has their ups and downs, and if you can just commit to knowing your own worth as a person first and then having your worth and value tied to your sport after that, that's important,” Coburn said.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
