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Elizabet Runarsdottir competes in the Hammer Throw during the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships. Runarsdottir took home the gold medal before qualifying at Nationals.
Photo provided by TXST Athletics.

BRINGING THE HEAT

TXST TRACK & FIELD
Thursday, June 8, 2023

Freshman hammer thrower qualifies for NCAA National Meet in Austin

Despite being a native of Iceland, freshman hammer thrower Elisabet Runarsdottir is very definitely a natural Texan.

“I really enjoy the heat here,” Runarsdottir said. “I do not like the snow or the cold weather, so being from Iceland was probably not the best thing for me. Heat and snow don’t mix well together.”

But as much as Runarsdottir said she enjoys basking in the Texas sun, the freshman was bringing the heat as well to become one of three Bobcats to qualify for the NCAA National Meet, after placing ninth in the Hammer Throw.

“I’m really excited to get this far in my career,” Runarsdottir said. “I feel really good heading into this week. I’m ready to compete.”

Despite qualifying for Nationals, Runardottir said she knows that she can be even better than what her regional performance indicates.

“Not going to lie, it was not my best one this year,” Runarsdottir said. “I wasn’t really happy with how I competed, but I was able to get the distance. It was stressful because I was sitting in ninth place and there were still a lot of throwers that could have gone further. So, it was a little bit stressful in the position that I put myself in but it got me here so I’m happy.”

Similar to other individual roads to the National Meet, Runarsdottir's journey was not an easy one to get through.

However, the freshman’s one of many challenges was not in the throwing circle.

“The first thing that was difficult for me was switching languages while I was throwing,” Runarsdottir said. “I am so used to doing everything in my own language, so that was the first obstacle I had to overcome. But as soon as we (Runarsdottir and Frasier) got the hang of each other and learned how to work as a team, we just clicked. We have been doing really good things at practice which has helped me improve a lot.”

With the help of head track coach John Frasier, who is also in charge of the throwing events, Runarsdottir said she was able to find her footing in San Marcos.

“Coming here was the first time I had to change coaches,” Runarsdottir said. “That was a really big change for me. But me and Coach Frasier have worked really well together. Most of the technical changes that we have made are really helpful to get where I am at now.”

As intimidating as coming to a different country where hardly anyone speaks the same language as you, Runarsdottir credited the track team who helped her through the tough transition.

“It was a pretty [big] change but the people here have made it really easy,” Runarsdottir said. “The people here are very welcoming and helped me with everything I needed help with. Even though this was a big change, the people were here ready to help me.”

What Runarsdottir did not need help with was adjusting to the competition having competed at several international track meets before coming to Texas State.

“Back home is a lot different,” Runarsdottir said. “The high schools don’t have teams so it’s more of a sports club. I didn’t face that change because I have been competing internationally for five years now. With having the experience of competing at the big meets, the change wasn’t that hard for me. I know what I’m doing when I’m competing because of my experience.”

Because of the international competition, Runarsdottir said she believes that is the reason the transition into competing in college athletics has not been difficult.

“It was about getting that high level competition experience,” Runarsdottir said. “I’ve competed at World U20s, European U20s, and Youth Olympics. I look at those events as an experience and I try to take the good things to bring them with me at my next track meet while learning from my mistakes. I feel like this has put me ahead of the other athletes.”

But while wanting a taste of different competition was a motivation, Runarsdottir wanted a change in scenery.

“I needed to change the things I was doing,” Runarsdottir said. “Back at home, I had to train indoors for about five to six months a year. For a hammer thrower, that wasn’t what I wanted to be doing. Coming here I decided that I wanted to be somewhere that was warm. Then Coach Frazier reached out to me and we just clicked. He is the main reason that I’m here and I’m grateful for that.”

For Runarsdottir, being able to just be outside has been a huge advantage for her.

“When you are throwing indoors, you are only throwing into a net,” Runarsdottir said. “You have no idea how far you are throwing or knowing what you can be doing better from the length aspect of the throw. Just being out in the warm weather has really been good because I’m freezing and needing to wear all my clothes to practice.”

“It’s a lot better than trying to go through snow just to find my hammer,” Runarsdottir said, laughingly.

As Runarsdottir looks to make a name for herself in Austin, the freshman is sticking with a simple game plan.

“The main thing I am looking forward to is showing off all the work that I have put in this year,” Runarsdottir said. “I’m going in there really positive and just do my thing to see where that gets me.”

cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtomBMc

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