Amanda Eccleston Brooks Beasts

(listen to Amanda’s full audio below)

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“Looking at this photo I’m first struck at how happy and kind of relaxed I look considering my finishing place. I think someone must’ve just asked me if I got hurt when I fell over the finish line because I’m looking down at my elbow at the scrape on there and laughing about it.

I remember a lot being asked about, you know, “Did you think you were actually going to dive across the finish line?” It was never a dive. 

I remember thinking about 40 yards from the finish line that my legs were going to give out and I was gonna go down and I just didn’t know if I would make it to the finish line before that happened.

It was definitely a very emotional race, much more so after. I went into the final of the 1500, definitely a huge underdog, probably to everybody else but I had spent the entire year really believing and focusing and training with the intention of making the Olympic team and I got on that start line and I really didn’t doubt that I would make it. I was just really really convinced in my fitness and my ability to compete get out there and finish top 3.

I probably didn’t position myself the greatest going into the last lap which I think is the only mistake that I’ve really noticed in the race. I still remember thinking with 200 meters to go I think I was in 7th place, a decent amount behind top 3 but the only thought in my mind was “You can still make it, you can still make it.” 

There wasn’t a single negative thought that whole last part.

I was just focusing on pushing myself as hard as I could and when I came around the curve with 100 meters left it sort of seems like everything was in slow motion. I was in 6th place. I could see that Brenda was moving up. I could see that Morgan and Alexa were maybe coming back a little. And so, even though Brenda was only even in 5th at the time, I really focused on, ok she’s gonna be the one to beat just based on how everyone else was moving. And I just… I really thought I could reel her in and I thought I would get there in time and just ended the tiniest bit short.

It’s still one of the races, well, the race, that I am most proud of. I just think I prepared every possible way I could’ve. I went out an executed exactly the way that I wanted to. 

And it really proved to me that I have what it takes to compete at the top level even though the outcome wasn’t what I wanted, I came about as close as you can possibly come.

And it just really kind of opened the door for me and showed me that being a professional runner was a career that I could have and I could be successful at and it was something that I loved and to be successful at something that you love that much is just a really cool thing to get to enjoy that kind of lifestyle.

And so it is surprising that I look, you know, pretty happy I know in my interview after I was smiling and laughing. I think that’s just cause I had no regrets.

I was disappointed not to make the team but at the same time I got to race my heart out and did absolutely everything I could and thats something I could be really proud of and walk away with good memories from those Olympic Trials.”