Local Would-be Tokyo Olympians Discuss How It Feels to Be On Hold.

Waiting to Compete

By Amanda McCracken

Weddings, funerals, graduations—ceremonies of all types—were postponed or canceled in 2020. But the biggest deferment is arguably the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (now scheduled for summer 2021). Qualifying for the Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many athletes, so it’s no surprise that Boulder’s Olympic hopefuls had to make physical and mental adjustments to deal with the delay. Boulder Magazine spoke with a few of the talented athletes who have already qualified or are hoping to qualify.

Jake Riley Sport: Marathon Tokyo 2020 will be his first time competing in the Olympics. Of Note: Personal best in this event: 2:10:02, Feb. 29, 2020, at U.S. Olympic Trials in Atlanta, finishing in second place. Hometown: Bellingham, Washington Age: 31

Flora Duffy (No relation to Colin) Sport: Triathlon Competes internationally for Bermuda; Tokyo will be her fourth Olympics (she placed 8th in Rio). Of Note: In April 2018, she won the women’s sprint triathlon by 43 seconds and became Bermuda’s first female Commonwealth gold medalist. Hometown: Stellenbosch, South Africa Age: 33

Colin Duffy (No relation to Flora) Sport:  Climbing Tokyo 2020 will be his first time competing in the Olympics. Of Note: He started climbing when he was just five years old at ABC Kids Climbing in Boulder. Hometown: Broomfield, Colorado Age: 16

Cory McGee Sport: 1,500 Meters If she qualifies, Tokyo 2020 will be her first time competing in the Olympics. Of Note: She is recognized by U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association as an eight-time All American miler/1500m. Hometown: Fairfax, Virginia Age: 28

Nell Rojas Sport: 10,000 Meters If she qualifies, Tokyo 2020 will be her first time competing in the Olympics. Of Note: Won 2019 BOLDERBoulder 40 years after her father, Ric Rojas, won the first BOLDERBoulder. Hometown: Boulder, Colorado Age: 32

BMag | What was your reaction to finding out the Olympics were postponed (and consequently, the trials as well)?

Jake Riley: I was partially disappointed, but I had some time to prepare myself. I think I’m pretty good with taking things as they come. That cycle of frustration and hope is something I had to work on after being injured for so long.

Flora Duffy: I was relieved. Pools and gyms were closing, making it difficult to train. I felt like my world was getting smaller and smaller. I had to weigh all the risks—like whether or not I should go out and get a massage or see a physical therapist. I also felt extreme disappointment because the last few years of my career were built around performing at the Tokyo Olympics. There’s also a whole production of people who sacrifice to make that day happen.

Colin Duffy: I was overall relieved. With the COVID-19 pandemic spreading, my training was affected [due to gym closures], and health concerns were growing. I was glad to see the International Olympic Committee made the smart decision to postpone the games. This gives me another year to grow and prepare, and the games will hopefully be run safely this way.

Cory McGee: My reaction was initially confusion, but I trusted the choices made by people in charge of our safety and the safety of others. After the confusion subsided, I felt motivated to use the time without competitions as a time to focus on my weaknesses. Keeping a positive mindset through training without any idea of competition dates was challenging, but my coach and teammates helped me to focus on the day-to-day and concentrate my efforts where I needed improvement.

Nell Rojas: Racing is a huge part of my life, but I was able to look at the big picture and see that it had to be done. It was a bummer, but when I realized that people were (and still are) losing their jobs and loved ones—I was able to put it in perspective.

BMag | How have you adjusted mentally to the postponement and the changes that COVID has brought to your training?

Jake Riley: I put myself on ice. Any sort of plan was made knowing it could fall through. The only sure thing was that I could get my runs done. It felt like we were in a perpetual state of half-readiness. I still visualize the Olympics happening, but I’m not worried about filling in the details between now and then. I also wear a mask wherever I go including whenever I run. My lungs are essentially my livelihood, so I have to be on point.

Flora Duffy: The hardest day for me was the day I was supposed to be racing [at the Olympics] and the few days after. I was expecting to feel such different emotions. There would have been some relief that it was over. But now I have to prepare myself again.

Colin Duffy: I am more calm with the postponement. Since I just qualified in March [2020], preparing in such a short amount of time would have been very stressful, along with the media attention and other factors. Now, I have the chance to plan ahead for my training and ease into the stress of the Olympics.

Cory McGee: I have adjusted slowly over the months of postponement and learned a lot about my body and mind. My mental game has become stronger and I’ve drawn on skills I built as a high school athlete in Mississippi during the post–Hurricane Katrina training environment I experienced. I became focused on small, incremental improvements and celebrated small victories to be mentally revitalized and encouraged while I was training alone.

Nell Rojas: At first, I was pretty strong and hopeful that this would give me more time to prepare for a fast 10K time. The longer it has gone, I will admit that having nothing to prepare for has been hard. Luckily, there have been some elite-only races that have popped up. These opportunities have given me new motivation and excitement. The big races will happen again; we just have to be patient.

BMag | How have you adjusted physically to the postponement and the changes that COVID has brought to your training?

Jake Riley: If you are going to compete in championship races like the Olympics, you have to have a faster gear. I took three years off with an Achilles injury, so I lost a few steps. But since the Olympics were postponed, I have time to do the speed work on the track that I wouldn’t have had time to do between the February trials and the August Olympics.

Flora Duffy: In March [2020], I was living in South Africa where there was a very strict lockdown. We were not allowed to leave the home for exercise for five weeks. I had to figure out how to train from my garage. I quickly bought a treadmill and set up my bike trainer. I wasn’t able to swim. In May, we were allowed to leave for a couple hours a day to train, which, as a triathlete, doesn’t help much. My coaches had to figure out what level of fitness to keep me at in case races did occur. I was very lucky because I was able to race a couple times in Europe in 2020.    

Colin Duffy: With the postponement, I have the chance to have a more specific training plan, which should help my physical shape peak at the Games. Since I initially only had a few months to prepare, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to make minor tweaks to my training like I do now. While COVID impacted my ability to get to the gym at first, I’m thankful to [now] have access to facilities where I can climb at a high level. This would have certainly been a major issue if the Olympics had happened in 2020. Lastly, the delay gives me the chance to grow and mature. Being 16, I’ve been growing a lot.

Cory McGee: I adjusted well physically due to the postponement and changes from COVID. The time away from racing and the focus being entirely on training allowed me to focus on strength and building the best base I ever have. Overall, I was able to adapt to the nature of a lot of base work and less of the glamorous speed work I usually do as a middle-distance runner.

Nell Rojas: The minute we heard that all races were canceled or postponed, I backed off on intensity and volume. Running is very hard on the body, and elite athletes are always treading the fine line between being injured and healthy. So my coach and I figured that there was no reason to take any risks; I could still have solid workouts, but nothing that put me in danger of getting injured. So that means slightly less mileage, slightly more cross-training, and workouts that I can step away from knowing I could have gone harder and longer. It was also a good time to work on weaknesses with no races coming up and no urgency to work on preparing for a big race. For me, that means more speed work.

The Tokyo Summer Olympics are currently scheduled for Friday, July 23 through Sunday, August 8, 2021.