Sprinting From Friesland to Coral Gables
By Jihad Shatara
HurricaneSports.com
Digging her spiked shoes in the synthetic tartan track did not come easy for University of Miami sprinter Anna Runia. She is from a province and country known for producing speed skaters due to the long and harsh winter months.
Although she did not put skates to frozen lakes, Runia naturally gravitated towards running track.
But even before that, it was Runia’s parents who threw her into the competition right away. It was a small club called Spartacus that she joined at the age of six.
“I was at a tiny club. I did not even know what track was. But it was just fun, and I liked it,” Runia said.
Runia got bored though. The club was not competitive enough. By the age of 10, she was the only girl competing and needed another challenge. Her drive is one of the many ways you would describe her.
“Anna is a hard worker. She led by her work ethic. She fit right in and the team respected her for her hard work,” assistant coach Shannon Hatchett said.
Her teammate and fellow sprinter Carolyn Brown came in with Runia when they both entered in the fall of 2015.
Runia seemed standoffish at first but actually became quite the jokester.
“We realized how funny she is and how outgoing she is. She has put so much work ethic and she has led by example.”
Growing up in what she describes as a “super, little, tiny village,” Runia credits her work ethic and success as a runner to her home province of Friesland in the Netherlands.
“I have always just really always wanted to win. If I did not win I would get really mad at myself. Other girls [in the club] just did this for fun. In the Netherlands you have to do everything by yourself.”
When she describes how she came to fall in love with running, it is the most fun any six year old can have when racing friends. Her love for track came from beating her male cousins in races around the streets of Friesland.
Her aunt was the one to originally suggest it to her after watching those races take place.
“I would always race against my older boy cousins and my aunt thought maybe I would be good at this,” said Runia
But as she continued to run in high school in the small village in the Netherlands, she was not performing well. Runia decided that it was time for the next step. She had offers to have free schooling at multiple universities in the United States but the concept of free schooling was foreign to the junior runner.
“I had these scholarships, I did not even know what that was. I never even thought I could go to America.”
And it did not get any easier for Runia. With over 70 offers to run at the collegiate level in the United States, she wanted to make sure she chose the right situation. But the choice was right in front of her face the entire time.
An offer eventually turned into a reality. Miami has nearly the same population as Friesland. It was eventually big city dreaming for Runia.
“There was a top three and I planned on visiting all three. But when I visited Miami I did not want to visit any other schools. It was top one.”
And while her transition to the United States was a tough one, Runia instantly proved herself where it mattered most.
“You cannot ask for a better person to go out and perform and do what we ask,” Hatchett said.
For Runia, her freshman year did not go as planned. She underperformed in most events and did not even understand the structure of collegiate athletics. Head Coach Amy Deem knows Runia has come a long way.
If you fast-forward to now, things have turned in a big way for Runia.
“Those girls [Anna] are really coming into their own. There is now a pride of not to go backwards,” said Deem.
The transition was not an easy one. After struggling her entire freshman season, Runia was really questioning if she had made the right choice. After that first year though, Deem approached Runia about moving from 100 and 200 meter races to the 4×400 meter relays and even some shorter burst races like the 60 meters.
It all goes back to her work ethic. Runia is now an ACC Champion twice, ran in the junior world championships for Europe, and a member of the All-ACC Academic Women’s Track and Field team. She has come a long way from the little girl who competed at Spartacus.
“Being a stellar student first then being a stellar athlete also. You will see her get the workout done and she will not complain. Then you will see her go out there and just excel and be a great track and field athlete,” Brown said. Her teammates truly love her.
“When she comes out to practice it is game time and she is ready to compete. She came here with the mindset that I am going to be great.”
