Laura Kaulen is a mother, wife, an intervention specialist at Central Crossing High School and she’s been an avid runner since the seventh grade, and is set to challenge the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials

Kaulen has a lot going on.

She is a mother, wife, an intervention specialist at Central Crossing High School and she’s been an avid runner since the seventh grade.

“Running; it brings me happiness,” Kaulen said. “It brings me peace. It brings me time to think. It gives me time to analyze my day and what’s going on.”

Running also brings Kaulen challenges – challenges like the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta, which will take place at about 12:15 p.m. on Sunday, February 29.

“To qualify for the Olympic Trials you had to either run a 2:37, which gets you in the A qualifier or B qualifier is under 2:45 flat,” she said. “And I ran a 2:42:48 at the Chicago Marathon this past October.”

That race pushed Kaulen into the Olympic Trials for the second time.“I feel good, she said. “I feel like my training has gone really, really well. I’m hitting a lot of hard workouts; running at marathon pace or under marathon pace, which will help me in Atlanta.”

That training, which averages about 75 miles each week, also runs over and into Kaulen’s role as an educator.“Running gives me time to think, so I’ve come up with some great lesson plans while running because it gives me time to think about this and that and how well this student is doing or what I need to do for this student.” She said.

Kaulen tells 10TV she hopes it can inspire her students along the way.

“There’s so many obstacles and not every day you’re going to feel good to be able to run and not every day are you going to set a goal to do something and you’re going to achieve it,” she said. “So I feel like I can relate to my students who have many obstacles.”The top three men and women finishers at the Olympic Trials will be eligible to represent the country at the summer Tokyo Olympic Games.

posted Thursday February 20th
by Molly Brewer