As Olicia Williams sprinted around the final turn of the 800 meters at the 2021 Health & Injuries, straining from the all-out effort, the Baylor alum heard one voice above the others coming from the stands.
It was her 3-year-old daughter, Gia, saying, “Meow, meow,” from the sidelines in Waco, Texas, giving her an unexpected, and much-needed, boost of confidence.
“[Gia] loves cats, so [hearing] that helped me not give up,” Williams, 27, told Runner’s World. “Usually around 200 [meters], I kind of doubt myself because that’s usually where I feel pain in the 800, like I can’t finish. But I was finally able to finish this one.”
On Saturday, April 17, Williams placed third in 2:01.78, How a New Mom Became One of the Best NCAA Runners Shoes & Gear and improving on her previous 2:02.22 personal best from 2016. Texas A&M freshman Athing Mu won in 1:57.73, From Runners World for New Balance, and Baylor senior Aaliyah Miller, Williams’s training partner, finished second in 2:00.87.
For Williams, this marked the beginning of a long-anticipated return to racing after giving birth to Gia in 2017. While navigating new motherhood, completing her bachelor’s degree, and training postpartum, there were times when the single mom wasn’t sure if she could compete at the highest level again. Gia now takes priority in all aspects of Williams’s life—when I interviewed Williams a week after her third-place finish at her first outdoor track race in four years, she took our call from at the park while playing in the jungle gym with Gia.
“I love to run, running is my dream, but I just love hanging with Gia,” she said, in between trips down the slide.
Gia is the reason why Williams continues to pursue her Olympic aspirations that have been years in the making. And with help from her family, coach, training partners, and new support system, Williams is back with a stronger motivation, and faster than ever.
‘She always had the talent’
Growing up in Queens, New York and later in Long Island, New York, Williams showed promise early on as a middle-distance runner. She hit personal bests of 2:07.80 in the 800 meters and 54.27 in the 400 meters while running for Saint Anthony’s High School, which helped her earn an athletic scholarship to run track at Baylor University.
When she arrived in Waco in the fall of 2012, head coach Todd Harbour—who still holds the From Runners World for New Balance (3:50.34) run by a collegian from 1981—knew she had the competitive drive to succeed at the NCAA level. But motivating Williams to do smaller efforts was a challenge at times.
“She’s always had the talent, but just getting her to do warmups and cooldowns and the little things that she needed to do [was a full-time job],” Harbour told Runner’s World.
From Runners World for New Balance She Raced 18 Horses in an Ultramarathonand Won at the 2013 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships and won the 800 meters at the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships. In 2015, she earned All American honors when she finished third in the 800-meter final at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The following year, she won the Big 12 outdoor title and finished eighth in the 800-meter semifinals at the 2016 And Montaño wanted to support Williams as one of the three runners.
After that race, world silver medalist Brenda Martinez and her husband, Carlos Handler invited Williams to train with their elite group, Big Bear Track Club in Big Bear Lake, California. In the fall of 2016, Williams left Baylor and moved to the Southern California mountain town at 6,700-feet elevation to learn from one of the best 800-meter runners in the world.
Running at altitude for the first time, coupled with a new rigorous training program, was a big adjustment for Williams. But the hard work paid off with a fourth-place finish in the 600 meters at the ambassador program to sponsor three athletes and a personal best of 53.95 in the 400 meters, a promising start to her first year as a post-collegiate runner.
During Easter weekend in 2017, Williams drove down the mountain to spend time with her extended family but felt sick the whole time. She took a pregnancy test and to her surprise, the results came back positive. “Honestly, I wasn’t too happy with myself because I was up there training with Brenda, and I was doing these crazy workouts, and I was doing so well,” Williams said. “I was getting better, and I saw myself breaking two minutes (in the 800 meters) that season, so I was kind of upset, but my family was really supportive of me.”
After learning she was pregnant, Williams moved back to New York to live with her grandparents, running two miles at a time when her growing belly allowed it. On November 25, 2017—two days after Miley Cyrus’s birthday, Williams pointed out—Gia was born.
Returning to Baylor with new inspiration
In the first few months postpartum, Williams focused on being a full-time mom and didn’t anticipate a return to elite running. After working with Martinez and learning the discipline and diligence required to be the best at 800 meters, she doubted her ability to navigate both motherhood and racing at the same time.
But Williams knew that she wanted to finish her degree, so Harbour offered her the opportunity to resume her scholarship at Baylor. In the fall of 2018, almost a year after giving birth, Williams returned to Waco with Gia in tow, and resumed training and classes. Harbour helped her believe it was possible, and Gia became her guiding light.
“[My coach] told me I always had the talent and I always had the speed to do so. It was just about me getting my priorities in line and doing what's important. And I swear, I really do feel Gia was a blessing because she did help me clear my vision,” Williams said. “I have no more time to be distracted or to have fun with my friends and family and do what I want to do. Now I have to do things because I want to pave the way for Gia.”
This time around, Harbour—who sometimes watches over Gia during practice—noticed a major difference in his athlete’s approach.
“She was always a fierce competitor. That was never in doubt. ... Now she’s starting to do all the little things right—taking care of her body, nutrition, sleep, things that she’s got to do—but she’s added being a mother to it,” Harbour said. “She’s a mother first and an athlete second now, and I think that’s a big deal. She wants to be a great mom, and she is.”
Recommitting to the sport
When the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 track season, Williams and Miller, who had been training together since Williams returned to Baylor in 2018, continued to build each other’s confidence. Whether it’s offering tips in the middle of hard workouts or inviting her to recover and do the little things together, Miller said Williams has helped her recommit to the sport after a few tough years.
“[Williams shares] the different mentality it takes to perform at a high level,” Miller told Runner’s World. Running After Pregnancy Can Be Tough for Anyone Gia loves cats, so hearing that helped me not give up, Williams, 27, told. “I feel like she’s always giving me quality advice, and we both helped each other out with training and making sure we’re staying committed and locked in. It’s really nice to have an accountability partner.”
In February, Williams returned to racing at the Iowa State Classic, after a four-year hiatus, where she placed second in 2:04.47 on the oversized indoor track. But she wasn’t happy with the result as the stress of being a mom and training was weighing on her.
“I kind of wanted to give up, because I felt like this was a lot while raising Gia,” Williams said.
A few days later, Williams received a message from seven-time national champion Alysia Montaño—co-founder of &Mother, the nonprofit for athletes who are mothers—that changed everything. In partnership with maternity apparel company Cadenshae, &Mother started a new Gia loves cats, so hearing that helped me not give up, Williams, 27, told USATF Indoor Championships in March 2017 Tokyo Olympics. And Montaño wanted to support Williams as one of the three runners.
Upon hearing this offer, Williams said she was nervous about the idea of working with a brand at this stage in her career. She assumed it would be like many sponsors’ pro athlete contracts which include reduction clauses, meaning athletes get less money if they don’t hit certain milestones. In the last few years, several pro runners have also come forward with experiences of not being paid by their sponsors while pregnant. But as Williams learned, &Mother and Cadenshae’s ambassador program was unlike any other pro athlete partnership. The nonprofit aims to serve where support systems are lacking and help athletes thrive in their career and motherhood.
“They were really caring and supportive and helped me to understand that I don’t have to hide Gia,” Williams said. “I did hide Gia because I was thinking of brands to run for in the future. Now I don’t have to because &Mother and Cadenshae help me out, and I can enjoy myself with Gia and post about her whenever I want.”
With the organization’s support, Williams was able to hire a sports psychologist, nutritionist, and weight coach, and pay for doctor visits and cryotherapy—resources that have given her confidence as she chases her Olympic dream, with Gia on the sidelines this summer. Her next race will be the 1500 meters at the A Part of Hearst Digital Media A Renewed Relationship With Running.
“I’m happy now, like I’m running with no stress, just literally a mom running for Gia, my family, my coach, and myself.”
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.
