THIBODAUX, La. – When Stefanie Slekis isn’t running the Nicholls State University Cross Country, Track and Field programs, she’s running.
“I have always been more of a distance runner. In high school, I was a bit of a miler and I was still competitive in the 2 mile. That was kind of my best event by senior year, and then in college, I became a 10k runner which is the longest you can race on track in NCAA athletics. Becoming a marathoner was just the natural step,” says Slekis.
The first time she considered racing the full marathon was at the 2013 U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Duluth, Minnesota.
It was there that she set her sights on a much larger goal.
“That was when I kind of thought well I’ll come back to Grandma’s next year and see if I can qualify for the trials,” says Slekis.
The 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials would come and go, but her determination grew stronger.
Slekis was hired as the Nicholls State University Head Cross Country, Track and Field Coach in 2017.
Running a successful program while running towards her goal of qualifying for the 2020 Olympic Trials.
“I think my workload theoretically increased as a head track and field coach, not just in charge of the cross country teams. I was just able to be creative and with the support, I had here in our local running community,” says Slekis.
“Also, the sports medicine department is great from Thibodaux Regional that our athlete trainers have let me pop in at lunchtime and do some exercises and get some treatment. That’s made me able to keep running at a high level myself while putting my all into coaching,” added Slekis.
In June 2019, Coach Slekis would return to Duluth for the 43rd annual Grandma’s Marathon, completing the race in 2 hours and 42 minutes.
A time good enough to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Team Trials in February.
Did I mention she was pregnant?
“My second daughter was a surprise from my husband and me. It wasn’t planned that I would be a few weeks pregnant at Grandma’s Marathon when I qualified. When I found out my due date, I really thought I wouldn’t get to run at the trials so I worked so hard to qualify, and here it was my due date was February and the trials were the 29th so it just seemed unfeasible. I just got it in my head that maybe I could run the Louisiana Marathon.”
That was in January 2019.
Coach Slekis placed 5th in the female division, running 26 miles in just over 3 hours, all while 8 months pregnant.
Her daughter Sandy Jane was born later that month, and 4 weeks postpartum she decided to run in the trials.
Slekis says, “My midwife cleared me and she said just to see how you feel and I got out there and felt fine enough to finish with no issues and that was just special to line up and be a part and then finishing was just kind of like my ultimate goal.”
She completed the race in 3 hours, 14 minutes.
Now Coach Slekis says she is in mom-coach mode, hoping that her accomplishments serve as motivation for her student-athletes.
