Flame on the Hot Seat: Olivia McLain
Photo courtesy of Olivia McLain
This week’s Flame on the Hot Seat is sophomore cross country runner Olivia McLain. McLain is a business administration major from York, Pennsylvania, who moved south to run at Lee. McLain said she found an incredible running community with the nationally-ranked Lady Flames team.
When did you start running cross country or track?
“I started competitively when I was in seventh grade because that’s when middle school sports started. I started running when I was younger than that … probably around age ten because we ran little road races like the mile and the 5k.”
What brought you to Lee?
“So many different things. The fact that it was a Christian school. Also, they obviously have a really good running team. That was a huge attraction for me, and when I came and visited, our coach was amazing, and I could tell the team was amazing as well. The campus was really pretty, and the fact that it was out of state, for me, was interesting.”
What is your favorite thing about running?
“The environment — I played basketball for six years. I played soccer, too, and running is a whole different environment. The team is not ever competitive with each other. It’s more like they’re your best friends, and you never are getting on each other’s nerves. It’s more of a sibling thing and a best friend thing rather than a competitive teammate thing. They’re the kind of people I hang out with all the time.”
What are your favorite and least favorite distances to run or race?
“Oh, my least favorite is probably the 800 [meter]. That’s the shortest I’ll do. My favorite is probably the 5k. I might like the 10k more, though. We’ll see when I run it.”
What is your best memory from your time so far on the team?
“Probably going to California last year for cross country nationals. It was an experience to be there with the team on top of getting to run out there. It was super cool.”
Where’s your favorite place to run?
“I feel [as if] there’s so many places that I want to explore because you can run anywhere. I think running in different states is really cool. So far, my favorite place I have run was probably when we went to California this summer. I ran in Yosemite a couple of times. Getting to run through the base of the mountains was really cool, but here I like our Cherokee National Forest runs. They’re always fun because you’re running along the river, and it’s on this dirt road, so no one’s ever around.”
Photo courtesy of Lee Athletic Communications
What’s your favorite time of the day to run?
“Definitely morning. As much as it sucks to get up early, it’s always cooler. At least in the summer, and it’s nice to get it out of the way in the morning and not have to think about it all day.”
What music do you listen to while you’re running?
“If I’m on my own, it’s kind of a mix [of] whatever I’m feeling — whatever my favorite songs are at the moment. I’d say mostly pop music.”
How do you stay motivated when you don’t want to run?
“I think just knowing how good it feels after running and after racing. Just knowing the long-term benefits of running. It keeps me in shape, physically, but also mentally, even spiritually, going out and running. It’s kind of a break from everything else. Even if you’re alone, just thinking about whatever you want. You don’t worry about homework and stuff. It’s kind of relaxing to do it. That aspect always just keeps me motivated.”
Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
“Definitely working, hopefully, with a house and a family. I don’t have many ideas of what I want to do with working, but I’ve wanted to be a missionary for the longest time.”
What are some of your favorite hobbies besides running?
“Definitely skiing. It’s up there with running. I love to ski when it’s wintertime. Outside of that, I spend a lot of time hanging out with friends if I’m not running or doing homework. Sometimes, I like to do crafty stuff, make friendship bracelets and do stuff outdoors.”
If you could sit down with anyone dead or alive and have a conversation with them, who would it be?
“A famous runner. I think that’s really cliche, but, for me as a runner, that’s a big part of my life. There’s so many runners, so it’s hard to choose one. Maybe someone who’s older and has lived through a lot. Someone that can tell me benefits from running later in life that has come from their experiences of being a collegiate or high school athlete.”
