FULTON, Mo – As a rising star in a niche sport, Anna Hart has taken on the challenge of being a student, two-sport athlete, and the only athlete to take on the race walk at Woods. With all of that, the sophomore from Saint Peters was able to etch her name in the record books at Woods behind strong support and the promise to always push herself.
Anna Hart competes in both cross country and Track and Field. She is fresh off a national appearance at the NAIA Track and Field National Championships, finishing 17th in the racewalk. Race walking is an event that combines running endurance with precise techniques. Competitors must always maintain contact with the ground and keep their leading leg straight from the point of impact until the body passes over it
This event has made an enormous impact on Anna's life, as it was something new and created an unfamiliar set of challenges.
"This is kind of weird how it came about. I've seen it on TikTok, and I was like 'oh that's really cool as it was just different and not very popular." added Hart. "I like challenges, and race walking sounds really hard, but it also sounds like a lot of fun." For Anna, this was a way to make something her own and be a motivating factor in her athletic and academic endeavors here at William Woods.
Like most athletes, familial support resides in the forefront of success within an event or competition. For Anna, this was no different as her parents challenged her to better every day; eventually helping her choose William Woods University.
"I'm a homebody, I love my family, and I am very family oriented. I grew up very close to my brother, and if I want to, I can jump in my car after class to see my family," said Anna. She also loves the small school feel that Woods offers. "I love small schools. Big schools kind of scare me a lot. So, the fact that everything was so close-knit here and class size was a big thing for me, and I was able to keep doing the thing that I love, which is running."
"My parents believe in me more than I do sometimes. Being away from them hurts, but I know their support is always there. Especially with the racewalk, nobody was kind of there for me, I felt I was on my own." Hart, fully embracing this new challenge, researched techniques, and practices to dedicate her mind and her body for this new event. "Everyone was kind of like, what are you doing? Why aren't you running with us? And it took a lot of, time for everyone to make that adjustment, because it's something new." Once Anna realized she was performing at a high level with race walking, her teammates and coaches jumped on board with the endless support of her parents. However, Anna is still a member of the WWU Cross Country team, and training for long-distance races is a challenge in itself.
Hart, running cross country and the racewalk at the collegiate level, is in season all year long. Between classes, weights, distance training, and training for the racewalk, Hart found herself in a new position in relation to how far she could push her body.
"It was definitely a big adjustment, and my body took a beating in the beginning with constantly having to practice and lift with essentially no break." Hart added. "I really leaned towards recovery with our Athletic trainers this year, because they're always there for me. So, it was nice to get exercises and ice baths and cupping and all that stuff." For Anna, with the help of the trainers, has established a new care routine that aims to decrease recovery time while increasing her abilities on and off the course.
With her talent, support, and recovery tapped in, Anna qualified for the NAIA National Track and Field Championships; an experience she credits as being one of a kind.
"It was amazing, honestly, competing collegiately at nationals was so cool for me. It didn't go how I planned, but with me only learning race walking within a month, I'm just very new and don't have all the knowledge I really needed." With that, Anna was able to qualify for nationals and even break the school record for race walking, a record she herself set just a month prior, in just her first season. "Having to learn all these new things while I'm trying to race at nationals was a bit intimidating and frustrating," she added.
Despite not living up to her own expectations, Anna executed her first NAIA Nationals experience well. She took the experience and has used it as a learning tool to aid her in her quest for this upcoming campaign.
"That's what I was proud of. It was a learning experience. I was honored to be there. I mean, I didn't do terribly, but I didn't do what I wanted to. I learned a lot of nationals, and that is only motivating me to get back next year and place better with my newfound knowledge." Using that experience, Anna has her sights set on new goals for the upcoming season for race walking. "I have a chance to be an All-American this year and have the opportunity to qualify for both indoor and outdoor nationals."
With her newfound success and passion for race walking, Hart has learned that there are many misconceptions about the racewalk and aims to educate others on her new passion.
"It's not hard, I hear that a lot. But my body has moved in ways, and my muscles have moved in ways that I did not know could move like that. I wound up having a lot of knee pain in the beginning since my leg and muscles must be constantly flexed." But Anna thinks that the racewalk, like any athletic venture, places an unusual stress on the mind. "All sports have their own mental challenge, but with walking, you're thinking about your form, speed, and competition most of the time, so there are a lot of factors I have to think about when I compete."
With Anna participating in such a new and unfamiliar sport, it took some time for the coaching staff to understand and support her in this new adventure.
"At first, I didn't really get that much support, just because nobody really knew about race walking. There's not much to know about it, because it's not popular. It's in the NCAA, but you can't compete at the national level, so it's like you're just practicing and training and competing every once and a while. Only a few schools in the NAIA participate, so there's just not that much information out there on it." Anna didn't let that stop her and took it upon herself to create training regiments suited for this new event.
Once Anna offered all her research and training plans, Woods and the coaching staff were all in.
"My coaches wound up being really supportive after seeing all the training plans and the benefits that the racewalk would have for me and the team." The coaching staff has also been placing a special emphasis on the racewalk for Anna, sending her to a camp in Ohio in November to further perfect her craft in the event. "They're getting me race walking information and more resources, and I really appreciate that." Anna has seen endless support from her coaching staff as they navigated this unknown area with her and established William Woods in the forefront for the event.
Hart's coaches also aid Anna in her pursuit of attaining a college degree. WWU, and Hart, place an unparalleled focus on academics and getting students support when they need it most.
"I stress very easily, and my coaches have kind of learned that about me. With me taking 18 credit hours for my first two semesters, it wasn't always easy to communicate. Having team study halls really helped me with my academics and stress levels." That stress carries over to the track as well, "Before races, I tell my coaches to just crack jokes with me and not fill my head with times because that will freak me out, and they know that and reciprocate that to me all the time."
Although Anna is only a sophomore athletically, her post-graduation goals are never out of sight. "I want to be a kindergarten teacher, preferably back home around Wentzville, would be a good start, and start working with little brains. I love teaching them basic skills, and I don't remember having a teacher who impacted me so much in learning, like how to cut or push in your chair, or not to bite Sally. I feel like I would be higher up there if I had that growing up." Anna also plans to continue her love for athletics by working towards a master's degree in her first years teaching to eventually become an athletic director within a school district.
In her final words, Hart wanted to share some wisdom and a quote with the readers:
"Make something your own. I think that people just want to follow the norm, and that's not what I did. I decided that I want to do something completely different and accept the challenge, and sometimes it can be scary and intimidating, but once you get past the intimidation, you're going to have so much success with it. I feel like a lot of people don't want to go out of their comfort zone because it's not normal. Once I got out of my comfort zone, I realized I could do really hard things. I think people should get out of their comfort zone and do what they wouldn't think they would ever do. My plans have changed so many times, and it's because I've taken so many risks."
Anna Hart and William Woods Cross Country are currently mid-season, their next race day is the Blazing Tiger NAIA Classic hosted by Doane University this coming Saturday in Ashland, Nebraska.
William Woods Track and Field open their indoor season on December 5th at the Southern Illinois University Fast Start in Carbondale, Illinois.
