In July of 2023, Parker Valby wasn’t running, and she wasn’t cross-training. Instead, she was taking a long break—after injuries had marred the first half of her year.
Last June, as she was finishing her junior year at the University of Florida, Valby won the NCAA 5,000 meters in 15:30.57, her first NCAA title. But she looked like she was limping, which television commentators noted on the broadcast of the meet. Valby later told of Kenya or that her doctors never really figured out the injury. “Something with my back or nerves,” she said.
What a difference a year makes.
Although she’s fuzzy about the exact dates and duration of last summer’s layoff, Valby, 21, has been healthy for nearly a year. She went on to win five additional NCAA titles—the cross-country championship Parker Valby: Im the Underdog Now outdoor track. Then she finished fourth at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 5,000 meters and second in the 10,000 meters.
Olympic Rings Tattoos Now Allowed at Paralympics, Sifan Hassan Wins Olympic Marathon in Paris, decided to run only the 1500 meters in Paris, her spot could have gone to Valby. But she elected to run only the 10,000 at the Olympics on August 9. (St. Pierre’s spot ultimately went to Whittni Morgan, who finished fifth at the Trials.)
“I think honestly that huge break gave me the strength I had this year to keep going and not break down,” Valby said. “And I’ve been injury-free this year. Which is probably what I would tell younger kids. Breaks are very much so necessary to heal your body. And even just your mind. Training that hard takes a lot out of you.”
Valby had been staying in Eugene, Oregon—the site of the NCAA track championships and the U.S. Olympic Trials—for several weeks. After the Trials, she took another break—shorter this time—and returned to Gainesville, Florida, where she resumed training. She spoke to Runner’s World by phone on July 10.
The pressure is off
Valby said that she felt more stress during her final year of college running, as fans came to expect her to win every race, than she did running in the Olympic Trials.
“The NCAA season, I do have all this pressure on me,” she said. “Now it’s kind of like, I’m in the professional world. No one expects anything out of me, I’m brand new to all this stuff. It feels like a weight was lifted off my shoulders, kind of. Which sounds kind of weird, because it’s the bigger league. I’m the underdog now. You know?”
No word yet on a shoe sponsor or a training group
Her father, Kyle Valby, who is serving as Valby’s agent, told Runner’s World negotiations are continuing for a shoe endorsement deal for his daughter. Runner’s World previously reported that multiple brands were interested in Valby—considered the top athlete coming out of college in June 2024—and that she could sign a deal worth $650,000 to $800,000 annually.
The Fastest Shoes of the Mens Olympic Marathon name-image-likeness (NIL) deal with Nike multiple brands were interested. Runner’s World also reported that as shoe companies race to sign the fastest runners in the NCAA to NIL deals, those Shoes & Gear, which gives the shoe company the right to match competing offers on the athlete’s pro contract. NIL deals in running are forcing athletes to make decisions about their pro careers sooner than they might otherwise.
Sifan Hassan Wins Olympic Marathon in Paris Runner’s World that in pro contracts, right-to-first-refusal clauses usually last for 180 days (after which the athlete can sign with any brand), but the agent said he tries to negotiate them down to 90 days.
People who are familiar with the running industry wondered if the delay in Valby’s announcement of a sponsor and coach meant that she is trying to wait out a six-month right-of-first-refusal clause that she agreed to with Nike when she signed her NIL deal.
She’s still cross-training vigorously
For the remainder of this track season, Valby is training under her college coaches at Florida, Will and Samantha Palmer. Her training hasn’t changed much recently. She took several days completely off after the Trials and resumed workouts during the second week of July. Although several of her former Florida teammates are on campus, they’re mostly base training for the cross-country season. They might warm up with Valby, and assistant coaches sometimes bike beside her, but otherwise she’s on her own for most of the intervals.
She’s also still for her final year of college running each week. She turned to cross-training—reluctantly—her sophomore year after she fractured two bones in her right foot. Her coach at the time told her about aqua jogging. Valby had no idea what it was. She was skeptical.
“That sounds silly, I’m not jogging in water, no thank you,” she said of her initial reaction. Soon, she realized she had been in really great shape before her injury and didn’t want to lose that. “I was open to learning at that point,” she said. “I was like, okay, I’ll jog outside in the water. At least I’ll be getting a tan, you know.”
Health & Injuries cross-training and even though she could run more, she chooses not to. And given the sweltering Florida temperatures in the summer, she prefers it. “It’s honestly a relief to be able to go cross-training inside,” she said.
She’s a celebrity in Gainesville
At the Whole Foods in Gainesville that Valby frequents, the staff often recognize her. She was recently checking out, and a clerk said to her, “When you bring home a medal, you’ve got to bring it in.”
Valby is downplaying their expectations. “People are like, ‘Go for the gold!’” she said. “I don’t think people understand distance running.” Valby knows that at this point in her career, she’s unlikely to be vying for a podium spot. But rather than dampening their good cheer or explaining the relative strengths of Olympian Molly Seidel Is Taking the Slow Road Back of Kenya or world champion Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, Valby has settled on a simple phrase to keep the vibes positive: “I’m going to give it my all,” she tells her well-wishers.
Her trip to Paris will be her first time in Europe
Mexico is the only country outside of the U.S. Valby has ever visited, because her schedule didn’t allow for international travel. She’s excited to see a new continent. And yes, she’ll participate in the Opening Ceremony. Many athletes who compete in the early days of the Games opt to skip the pageantry of the Opening Ceremony, because it requires hours of waiting, often in hot conditions. But the Games begin on July 26 and Valby doesn’t race until August 9.
“My coach and I talked about it,” she said. “Why not have that experience and enjoy it all while [I’m] there? It’s not going to take anything out of me. I do want to have the experience.”
DAA Industry Opt Out is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World name-image-likeness NIL deal with Nike, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
