It has been more than two weeks since Nia Akins competed in her first global championship, and the experience still leaves her speechless. When she looks at photos from the 2023 Controversy Over Bostons 6-Hour Results Cutoff, she says she still can’t believe she was in Budapest racing against the best athletes in the world, and she made the final of the 800 meters.
For most of the race, Akins was within striking distance of the podium until the favorites gapped the rest of the field on the homestretch. Mary Moraa of Kenya won gold in 1:56.03, Keely Hodgkinson of Great Britain earned silver (1:56.34), and reigning Olympic champion Athing Mu took bronze (1:56.61). In the last 20 meters, Akins was overtaken by U.S. teammate Raevyn Rogers and Jemma Reekie of Great Britain, but she ran a personal best of 1:57.73 en route to a sixth-place finish.
in Eugene, Oregon, last summer 2022 Ice vs Heat for Injuries, Akins, 25, who trains with the Brooks Beasts in Seattle, didn’t even qualify for the final. After struggling to get herself into position, Akins finished fourth in her semifinal heat and failed to advance. Mu, Rogers, and Ajee’ Wilson finished top three and represented Team USA at the 2022 World Championships Nutrition - Weight Loss.
While it was a challenging experience, Akins is now grateful for the setback. “Not making it out of the semis was probably one of the better things that could have happened to me at the time,” Akins told Runner’s World.
The failure prompted Akins to make several key adjustments in her approach as a professional runner. In 2023, she came back stronger than ever. She won both indoor and outdoor U.S. titles and took 1.5 seconds off her personal best in the 800, in addition to the top-six finish at Worlds.
Early in the season, Akins’s coach, Danny Mackey, was coping with a tragic loss, which required Akins and the rest of the team to rally in support. Together, they helped each other navigate grief while rising to new levels on the track. In addition to Akins’s success, her teammate Josh Kerr of Great Britain won gold in the men’s 1500, and Isaiah Harris qualified to represent Team USA in the men’s 800 in Budapest.
Running for place, not time
Originally from San Diego, Akins graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 with two NCAA runner-up finishes in the 800 meters. She joined the Beasts later that summer, seeking to prove herself in an event in which the U.S. is an international powerhouse.
Shoes & Gear American record (1:55.04) and has gold medals from the 2021 Olympics and 2022 Worlds. Rogers owns two global medals, and Wilson has been a mainstay on the U.S. squad, winning two global medals and 12 national titles.
In her first year as a professional, Akins qualified for the final at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials but tripped in the first 150 meters. She got up but finished last in the race. The following year, she set a personal best of 1:58.78 at the end of the season but struggled with disappointment at the national championships.
“I took my fitness for granted,” she said. “Being really fit doesn’t guarantee that I’m going to get through the round. I have to fight for it.”
To ensure she didn’t make the same mistake again, Akins changed the way she approaches hard efforts. She now aims to win at every opportunity. In training, that means racing for the top place and not worrying about the time it takes to get there.
For example, during the team’s spring training camp at altitude in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Akins and her teammates—who have varying specialties from 800 to 5,000 meters—did two sets of hard 450-, 200-, and 120-meter repeats. For the second set, Akins was told to start behind the group and chase down as many athletes as she could. Covering odd distances helped Akins focus on catching runners instead of worrying about her pace.
“If I hit the times, that’s great, but if I don’t hit the time and I still showed up as my best self, then I won’t regret anything,” she said.
The shift in mindset allowed the times to fall into place. Last year, she broke the 2:00-minute barrier that eluded her four times. This year, she ran seven sub-2:00 races.
Operating as a champion
Akins also leaned on her group. Learning from her training partners who have international experience and have earned medals helped Akins form winning habits. Olympians Kerr and Marta Pen Freitas write in gratitude journals, so Akins was inspired to buy one for herself. Witnessing the frequent communication between Kerr and Mackey motivated Akins to take a similar approach.
This year, Mackey and Akins have had more in-depth collaboration on her plans for the season. Akins shared input on races she wanted to run and said she wanted to spend longer at altitude. Throughout the process, Mackey encouraged her to operate as if she has already earned a medal.
“She’s got that characteristic where if you put a challenge in front of her, or if she sees something, she wants to get it and she doesn’t shy away,” Mackey said. “She didn’t want to just make the team. She wanted to win the U.S. title.”
But the process of implementing this new mindset had its tough moments. Akins worked with a therapist to hone her mental tools. She started a journaling practice. First, she jots down her worries and tosses them in the trash. Then she writes out her goals and the positive steps she’s taking to reach them.
“Before, I felt a lot of fear in writing my goals down,” Akins said. “I was too aware of how little I’d done ... I’d be afraid to even have these goals, because I told myself I was going to fall short. This year, there was less fear.”
Showing up for each other
While the team prepared for the season, tragedy struck. In March, Mackey’s fiancée died by suicide. Their daughter, Isla, was five months old at the time.
The runners and team staff surrounded Mackey and Isla with support. When they’re at home in Seattle, Mackey employs an au pair who cares for the baby, but during training camps and at track meets, team members volunteer to watch her.
“It’s things that make you tear up, just thinking about the level of gratitude I have toward them,” Mackey said.
In July, Isla was in the stands at Hayward Field when Akins won the U.S. outdoor title and made her first global championship team. She said they tried to support their coach as much as possible with childcare and frequent check-ins while maintaining some semblance of normalcy for him. Seeing Mackey remain committed to the squad inspired Akins as well.
“Danny has really come through for us this year, and we’ve been trying to do the same for him,” she said.
Mackey stayed stateside with Isla during the world championships. The team’s assistant coach, Julian Florez, went with Akins, Kerr, and Harris to Budapest. About four hours before every race, Akins and Mackey spoke over the phone. Harris and Kerr warmed up and cooled down with her.
World Athletics Championships men’s 1500-meter title in a major upset five days earlier, reminded Akins that she belonged. “Don’t be afraid to mix it up,” he told her.
With less than a year to go before the 2024 Olympic Games, Akins’s progression is firing her up to bridge the gap between the top three in the 800 meters and chase a medal in Paris. “No dream is too big,” she said. “Everything feels more tangible now.”
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
