Yes, I know what you’re thinking: our Road to Rio star Esther has been usurped. 
Don’t be silly, Part 6 is coming soon but in the mean time I thought we’d hop across the Atlantic to see how the US contingent is coming along. Great Britain, Holland, USA, Trinidad and Tobago – you see, even though I’m a Brit no one can accuse me of Olympic bias.
Or can they…? Esther Akihary, Dina Asher-Smith, Ato Boldon, Jenna Prandini. Spot the connection? Yes, sprinters all. Does that make me long-distance ist? Or any other athlete-ist for that matter. In my defence your honour, one has hosted Sir Steve Redgrave MBE, Lizzy Yarnold MBE, Chemmy Alcott, and a host of other sports people. That being said, I must confess to a penchant for sprinting. Consider the facts: if you ran a marathon last weekend, your friends will ask how fast. Middle distance runners are the same. Sliders, skiers, boarders – it’s all about speed, albeit the solution to distance over time is a relative one. But sprinters…sprinters are the sharp edge of speed. They’ve taken the concept, stripped away ingredients like endurance and stamina, and boiled it down to its trace elements until speed is all that’s left. They are the fastest of the fast ones. Not better but, undeniably, quicker.
And I think that’s the appeal. At least it’s what led to my involvement with sprinting (and here I use the term involvement in its loosest definition). Jenna Prandini’s approach, I have to say, was somewhat more comprehensive.
“Growing up I played many sports,” she explains. “Volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball, and track. It didn’t take long for my family and friends to see that I was that fastest kid on the court and on the field. My older brother and sister both ran track, so naturally I wanted to do it to so I could be just like them. When I was in elementary school I was too young to join the school volleyball team, so cross-country was my only option. It didn’t take long for me to realize that those long distances were not for me! Once track season came around I got to sprint and long jump and completely fell in love with it. I loved stepping on the track and challenging myself to run faster and experience the thrill of racing.”
And it’s a thrill that’s come studded with the jewels of success. PBs of 10.92 and 22.20 over 100 and 200 metres respectively: times that have caused the athletics world to sit up and pay attention. She’s taken gold and silver at the National Championships and silver at last year’s 4x100m World Championships in Beijing. Not bad for a twenty-three year old. Even so, despite the globetrotting, Jenna retains a loyalty to her roots.
“My proudest moment of my career was probably this past year at USATF Championship winning the 200 meters. I had worked so hard the whole season with my coach so I was ecstatic that I was able to win on my home track at Hayward Field.”
None of this has come easily though. Especially when you consider that up until recently Jenna was mixing her athletics with a full time education.
“Up until a few months ago, I had to go to classes in between my training sessions. Now it is a little bit easier to manage my schedule because I graduated this past winter.”
Easier isn’t a synonym for easy though.
“My days vary greatly,” she replies when I ask what a day-in-the-life looks like. “Some days I have long days and spend a lot of hours on the track and in the weight room. Other days might be more intense workouts, but won’t take up that much time. Thursdays and Sundays are spent recovering and are a very important piece of my training. Today for example I woke up and ate breakfast. Then I had a morning weight session. After that I went and got treatment from my physio. The next few hours I spent recovering and eating lunch. At two I had my afternoon track session for about 2 hours. I eat dinner around 6:30, then go to bed around 10.”
Being an athlete – at least a successful athlete – is an endless series of sacrifice and, hopefully, reward. I ask Jenna about the ups and downs of her life in sport.
“The pros of being a professional runner is the fact that I am able to pursue and fulfill a life long dream. For me I grew with a dream to become a professional athlete. To actually be able to live out something that I have dreamed of and worked towards my whole life is still surreal to me. Running allows me to travel around the world and have once in a lifetime experiences. The cons of my career is that it is both physically and mentally demanding. It is a 24/7 job, because every part of your life affects your performance on the track. Things like recovery, sleep, and nutrition are essential to be able to show up to the track everyday and have quality practices.”
A worthwhile trade-off though if you ask me. Even so, don’t assume Jenna doesn’t occasionally gaze whistfully upon the lives of those in pursuit of a more regular vocation.
“There are definitely days when I do think about what it would be like to do something more “normal”. Being a professional athlete you have to make so many sacrifices to truly be successful. The thing that I envy the most of others is the time I miss being with my family and friends. My career makes me miss out on a lot of things that people with a “normal” job might not have to sacrifice. While this can be hard from time to time, my love and passion for what I do drives me to keep going. I am able to live out lifelong dreams and am given opportunities that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
Speaking of opportunities, I’m sure you’re wondering by now if I’ll ever get around to asking about a certain sporting event taking place in Brazil this summer. Will we be seeing Jenna at Rio?
“I hope so, that is my goal for sure! I would absolutely love to get the chance to represent the USA. Ever since I was a little girl I have dreamed about going to the Olympics. The United States is full of so many talented athletes, so qualifying for Rio will be no easy task. I am currently training extremely hard for the Olympic trials and hope that when the day comes I am healthy and ready to roll!”
I want to know what it takes to become an elite athlete. Not for my own sake – at 38 I think I may have left it a little too late – but I know there are readers among you who have very realistic aspirations of a track career. Jenna’s advice though is surprisingly generic. Perhaps it applies to me after all…
“One piece of advice that I would give someone is to always follow your dreams. I think the most important thing you can do is pursue something you love! I didn’t start out only in the track world – I loved playing other sports and being active. When I decided to focus on track, I did it because I knew I had a lot of room to grow, and I loved the thrill of competition. That passion has helped make me into the athlete that I am today.”
My grateful thanks to Jenna for her time and also to Mike Skinner at Pace Sports Management.
You can find out more about Jenna on her website: jenna-prandini.com or stay up to date on social media:
Twitter: @j_prandini
Facebook: /jenna.prandini
Instagram: instagram.com/j_prandini/
Finally, to see that hometown 200m win, go here for the video.
Images courtesy jenna-prandini.com