In the Spotlight: Laura Addison
5/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
May 7, 2015
Senior/junior Laura Addison has had her best performances in the biggest moments. Back in the fall during cross country season, she set a PR at the Great Lakes Regional in her postseason debut, and last weekend at Stanford (May 2), she set a six-second PR in the 1,500-meter race to win her heat in her final race before the Big Ten Championships next weekend (May 15-17). Her sister, Becca, also ran at Stanford, winning the fastest heat of the 1,500m race. Laura sat down with MGoBlue.com this week to talk about running in her family and now running at the same meet as her sister, this week 'In the Spotlight.'
On her six-second PR at Stanford last weekend, and how she felt through the race ... "The race went really well. Coach Mike told me start out with the pack so I started out there. With one lap to go I still felt really good and I had a lot left so I knew I'd have a chance to win it, and I took it."
On running at the same meet as her sister, former Wolverine and current volunteer assistant Becca Addison, who trains with Coach Mike McGuire and how that motivates her during a race ... "It does motivate me. It's fun having her on trips, and it's cool that she helps coach us, too. When I came here I did not think she would be here with me all four years, but I love it. She definitely motivates me. We like to see each other before races, and we will always hug, so it helps me to see her."
On running in her family and how that led her to U-M ... "Both of my parents ran professionally and ran in college (Father, Ron at Tennessee; Mother, Sue at Michigan State), so it was not that they pressured me to run in high school, but they were definitely my motivation for getting started. My whole family did it, so why not? I used to play soccer, but I gave it up to try track, and I am happy I made that decision. How could I not run when my whole family did?"
On her peaking during the championship phase of the season, like she did in the fall, and what separates this year's team from previous ones she has been on ... "Yeah, being a senior I think I have figured it out. Honestly, we all get along so well and that goes a long way. There is always someone to compete with and it helps us push each other and motivate each other. Even across different event groups, we go on recovery runs together and meet for practice at the same time."
On plans for the upcoming summer ... "I will mostly be in Ann Arbor, and then I will be backpacking in Yellowstone for a couple of weeks at the end of June. I am going with a program called 'The Wild Land Studies' and I am going for field experience which I need for my major, Environmental Science. My focus out there will be wildlife management; we are going to track wolves."
• Previous Spotlight: Claire Kieffer-Wright
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard (734) 763-4423
