Lisa Uhl won’t have to travel far to compete in the USA Track and Field Championships this week. The Fort Dodge native and former Iowa State standout will make the short drive from Ames to Des Moines to compete in Thursday night’s 10,000 meter run.
“It’s made it really exciting for me actually, I ran on the Drake track in high school and college, and now to do it as a professional is pretty special,” Uhl says. “It’s also just made the preparation really relaxing. I don’t have to travel, I don’t have to worry about getting adjusted to the weather, I get to sleep in my own bed every night, so it’s made it really easy for me.”
Uhl is anxious to compete in her first race in a couple of months. She had a minor car accident a few weeks ago and bruised her leg, so she had to sit out of competition for about two months, and says she is ready to race again.
Uhl competed at last year’s London Olympics and says her goal for this week is to finish in the top three and qualify for the World Championships in Moscow. “I think there’s probably about six or seven women who have a good chance at being in the top three, but you never know what is going to happen on that day, especially with the humidity and the weather, you just never know until you get to that finish line,” Uhl says. She says with a little luck she will be going to Russia, and “if I do that I will be very happy.”
The U.S. Championships begin on Wednesday.