Grace Heglund-Lohman finds deeper meaning through running

Tell us about your introduction to running

I came to running by (happy) accident! I had dabbled in Girls on the Run in elementary school but decided that running was “too much work.” Fast forward a few years, I was looking for a way to retire my lazy 12-year-old bones from USA Gymnastics, and voilà! I thought I could just do that “sprinting stuff” and it would be easy. They reeled me in with middle school (200m hurdles), and before I knew the distance ratcheted up in high school (300m hurdles) and college (400m hurdles), I was hooked. As an adult, I’ve had the opportunity to coach Girls on the Run and high school track programs and watch my athletes experience something similar. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as watching someone else fall in love with running the way that I did.

How’d you get connected to RCTC?

Since I have a long history of running with a team, I’ve joined a running club to build community in every new place I’ve lived since college. I moved to Portland in the fall of 2020 to start law school and connecting with the running community here was hard in the middle of a pandemic! Often, I would see those yellow roses out on the trails or the mean streets of Portland. Solitary runs have their place in my training plan, but those early morning workouts and grinding it out in the rain are—dare I say it?—fun with the right company. RCTC looked like the right company for me.

So you have Alaska roots. Tell us about your training there compared to here in Portland!

Anchorage training is…a lot of cross training! Swimming and Nordic skiing are my best friends. Just like in Portland, running can take you to some pretty beautiful places in Alaska—but it requires a few extra accessories: bear spray is a must, leave your headphones at home, gloves are often a good idea for scree and scrambles, headlamps in the winter.

Stop by Skinny Raven Sports to add some studs to your winter trainers and you won’t regret some extra traction in the (shameless plug, I used to work there, everyone is amazing). Flip side is, in the summer months I can get several hours of trail running in after work. It’s breathtaking and hard and so rewarding. Mountain running in the wilderness without cell service, without Strava or mile markers, allows me to connect with running for what it is, an exercise in self-discovery.

What about running makes you laugh?

Starting line jitters—every. single. time. I ask myself why I’ve done this, again. And then, I do it again.

Describe your transition from sprinting/hurdling to running long distances!

Non-linear! As I’ve alluded to, I was a 400m hurdler in college. It wasn’t really until my third and fourth seasons when a new coach really ramped up our fall base training at the cross-country course that I finally had the endurance to enjoy distance running. (If you ever get the chance to run or watch a meet at Wisconsin’s Thomas Zimmerman Championship Cross Country Course, I highly recommend it—truly a runner’s and a spectator’s dream). It took quite a few 1200m ladders out there, but when I graduated and moved to Durango, CO after college I was able to wed my love of running and my love of the scenic places by running farther than 400m and so, a mountain runner was born. (I still love to go fast and jump over anything—puddles, roots, traffic cones, you name it).

Where do you want running to take you?

I want running to continue to take me to the top of mountains, way out in the desert, along coast lines, over rivers, and through new cities. Running has taken me to places of deeper understanding and awareness about climate change, social justice, nutrition, development, and ultimately, myself. Running somewhere, anywhere, adds a new perspective and can alter your perception of a place. You never know what you’ll notice along a new (or old) route.

Most of all, I want running to continue to take me across the paths of new and unexpected friends, mentors, teammates, and role models. My hope is that running takes me to a future where the sport only becomes more accessible and inviting, and that I can continue to make connections through running that build a community where everyone feels safe and welcome.

What’s something other people would be surprised to know about you?

Running in the rain is, actually, my most favorite.