From the beginning, the Olympics have represented greatness. For some, going to the Olympics has been a life-long dream. For others, such as AU alumna Samia Akbar, competing in the Olympics did not appear on the horizon until much later in her athletic career. Akbar recently qualified for the U.S. women's Olympic Trials for the U.S. marathon team. Akbar has proven that she indeed represents greatness.
Akbar, a 2003 AU graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences, did not start running seriously until the end of her high school career. She came to AU on a full scholarship and competed on Coach Matt Centrowitz's cross country and indoor and outdoor track teams.
"I was so busy focusing on school and doing what I could do to run well, it wasn't until January of my senior year that I really thought about continuing to run because I really loved it," Akbar said.
During her 2002-2003 season at AU, Akbar received All-American in the 10,000-meter race after finishing in ninth at the NCAA championships with a time of 33:38.55. Gaining an honor like this made it clear that Akbar was on the road to success.
Although Akbar didn't start on the road to the Olympics until much later in her life, she had grown up with running all around her. Both her older sister and father took pride in the sport. Her sister competed on the high school team, and her father ran to exercise.
"I would go with him to the track" in elementary school, Akbar said. "I would see how many blasts I could do before getting tired."
Akbar said that because she didn't start seriously running until she was older, she has yet to burn out.
"I'm very patient about what I am doing," Akbar said. "I love to do it - it keeps me going on a day-to-day basis."
Patience is a must in running, especially long-distance running. Akbar took part in her first marathon in 2006 at the ING New York City Marathon. She debuted with a time of 2:34:14, making her one of the eight fastest American women for the year.
Running the marathon in that amount of time qualified Akbar for the Olympic trials for marathon running, a feat few can accomplish.
"I was really, really excited and really, really nervous," Akbar said of her first marathon. "In a marathon, you never know - there are so many factors that go into it." Akbar described how marathon runners not only have to take on the challenge of running a full 26 miles at one time, but they also take on the challenge of battling against factors such as the weather, when to hydrate and how to pace themselves. However, Akbar learned how to deal with each of these marathon factors in rigorous practices with her coach, Scott Raczko.
Akbar trains with a group of runners called DC Elite under the guidance of Raczko. The runner said she runs every day, sometimes twice a day. Akbar also said that she works out twice a week, when she and her coach work on general strengths. Although Akbar gets days off, she describes them as "planned days off," meaning she can't simply cut practice whenever she wishes.
One of Akbar's immediate future goals is to "do well at the trials, just to do a great job and the best I can do there - if that means making the team, that would be fantastic," she said. "I would love, love to be on an Olympic team in any event."
Akbar credits Centrowitz for her accomplishments thus far.
"He was one of the people responsible for encouraging me to become a pro athlete," she said. "He was great in showing me the next level in running."
Akbar encourages people to not be afraid and to try things.
She said, "If you don't try, you will never know what you are capable of"
