A woman running on the track in a race.

An Interview with Juliette Whittaker: Setting Sail to the Olympic Trials


In just a couple days, Juliette Whittaker will be lining up against the fastest 800 meter specialists in the country.  What makes it more impressive is the fact that she is still just a rising senior in high school at Mt. de Sales.

While Juliette’s first serious running competition began her freshman year, Juliette had swum for eight years for a local club, so she was used to hard work and dedication.  Juliette ran a handful of middle school two mile races, but when she entered high school, she had to choose a sport.  Cross country and track fortunately won out.

Those middle school races did something as Juliette won the IAAM XC Championship her freshman year on a challenging McDaniel course.  By the end of her freshman year, she had already run 2:05 and 4:48.  At the outdoor IAAM Championship in 2019, she helped lead the Sailors to their first team title since 2003.

Juliette established herself as a premier competitor her freshman year, but she continued to make strides her sophomore year.  She ran 30 seconds faster to defend her title at the IAAM XC Championships at McDaniel.  She won four indoor titles, including one relay, at the indoor IAAM Championships in January 2020.

 The pandemic halted Juliette’s racing for a bit, but she continued training and was ready for a series of indoor meets during winter.  She hit the trials qualifier at the Virginia Showcase back in January, running 2:02.07; just a couple weeks ago, she lowered her PR to 2:01.15.

Throughout her running, she has maintained her focus and hard work.  In a typical week she runs 30-35 miles, and in higher off-season weeks she hits 35-40 miles.  That may not seem like high mileage, but that is within the range of an 800 meter runner, who does more speed work.

While this year’s Olympic Trials has an incredibly deep field with fourteen women under two minutes, Juliette is seeded 25th among 46 total women.  Though a competitive field, she is more than ready to accept the challenge.

Schedule/Startlist/TV Viewing Information
Thursday, June 24 7:00 p.m. EST
TV-9 p.m.-12:00 a.m.-NBCSN
Heat Sheets (Available Day of). https://results.usatf.org/
Results referenced