With international experiences already in her career at the Under-20 level in cross country in Scotland, as well as track in Finland, Logue set to make her senior level debut for the United States in the 10-kilometer women’s race at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Serbia

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

In her first year as a post-collegiate runner, Cailie Logue knew she wanted to set a goal that excited her, motivated her and was also achievable.

So, she went back to her roots: cross country.

Logue, who is from Erie, Kansas, grew up in the countryside with dirt roads and trails as her running canvas.

She was a four-time cross country champion at Girard High, and a three-time NCAA Midwest Regional Cross Country champion at Iowa State.

The USATF Cross Country Championships – a qualifier for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships — aligned perfectly with Logue’s schedule and goals.

“I knew that World Cross Country Championships happened every two years and I followed the success of other runners who had done that, and even had some people give me the advice that trying to make a world cross team is a really good way to try and make your first world team, and a great experience,” Logue said. “So pretty much from May on I just kind of put it on my calendar as that is what I want to focus on.”

Fast forward to Jan. 20 at the USATF Cross Country Championships at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Va. where Logue finished fifth in the women's 10-kilometer final in 33:52.7 to qualify to represent the United States at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships on March 30 at the Park of Friendship in Belgrade, Serbia.

Logue will be joined in the senior women’s lineup by Weini Kelati – the winner of the USATF Cross Country Championships – Katie Camarena, Emma Grace Hurley, Abby Nichols and Allie Ostrander.

“It’s a really great honor and it’s something I’m really very excited about,” Logue said. “I think one of my favorite aspects of competing in cross country is that team component; you know that every person you catch or every spot that you move up is impactful for that team score and overall goal for the day. Getting to be on a team with other women who I know are training just as hard and are highly motivated, and get to interact with them and be around them is just an honor. This is something I’m very excited to learn from, take this experience and appreciate it, and use it going forward as well.”

Logue, who is with the elite group of Fitness Sports Distance Project based in Ames, Iowa, is looking to utilize this opportunity as a first step in the next phase of her running career.

After completing her collegiate eligibility this past spring – ending her career at Iowa State as a six-time All-American and 13-time Big 12 Champion in both track and field and cross country – Logue knew she wanted to finish her academic journey while still training and remain involved in the sport.

Logue is currently a graduate assistant on the Iowa State track and cross country teams and finishing up her Master’s degree in kinesiology and health. She’s set to defend her thesis shortly after she gets back from Serbia.

“Eventually I’d like to teach kinesiology and anatomy at the college level and coach,” she said.

Stationed in Ames, Logue’s days are a balancing act of coaching, academics and training. As she nears the completion of her Master’s, Logue said this spring she’s been able to increase her training workload and mileage to what she was doing in college.

“That’s been exciting to be able to see myself cutting down those workout times and getting stronger and hopefully that plays into a gradual progression,” she said.

Those results are a welcome sign for Logue, who said she battled a bad case of pneumonia this summer, resulting in a longer recovery process.

Leading up to the USATF Cross Country Championships, Logue competed in a few road races in the fall and focused on regaining strength and feeling like her former self.

Heading into Worlds, Logue is hoping to put herself in the best position individually to help the United States try to improve on last year’s fifth-place team finish in Bathurst, Australia.

“My main goal is to have our team do well and represent the United States well, so I think my part in that will be staying as close to that fourth scoring spot,” she said. “I want to stay with the other U.S. runners as long as possible and have that top 40 in sight, with the team score in mind. The thing with being on a great team is you never know how it will play out, but I just want to put myself in the best position possible to help that team score be as low as possible.”

Serbia will not be Logue’s first international experience as she was part of the junior women's team at the Great Edinburgh XCountry International Challenge at Holyrood Park in Scotland in 2018, and then qualified for the IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.

“I think each international experience is a little bit different, so it’s exciting in that way and seeing what (Serbia) will be like,” Logue said.

While defending her thesis will be top of mind when she returns, with hopefully a medal in hand, qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials this June is also something that will shift to Logue’s forefront.

Logue explained she'd like to get a 10,000 qualifier this spring, as well as a PR in the 5,000.

“It’s kind of been a transition year for me, I’ve gotten to keep some of the things the same that I enjoy, but also get some of those new experiences and get used to them going forward,” Logue said. “I’m definitely excited to get on the track this spring.”