Name: Julia Lucas
Date of birth: March 4, 1984
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
High School: Myers Park High School (Charlotte, N.C.)
College: North Carolina State, 2007
Current residence: Eugene, Oregon
Primary event: 5,000m
Personal bests:
 • 5,000m, 15:08.52, 2012
 • 1,500m, 4:05.89, 2013
 • Mile, 4:35.69, 2011
 • 3,000m, 9:01.16, 2012
Career achievements:
 • 5,000m
   - 2012 Olympic Trials finalist (4th place)
   - 2013 USA Outdoor Championships finalist
   - Two-time Atlantic Coast champion
 • 3,000m
   - 2004 Penn Relays champion

Why have you chosen to live and train in Eugene? I came here for the chance to train under coach Mark Rowland and with some of the best athletes in the world with OTC Elite. But now, Eugene is home and I love it for the people and the trails and the quirky neighborhoods and many, many things.  

What is the most challenging moment you’ve faced as an athlete? It would be easy for me to point to the 2012 Olympic Trials, wherein I missed out on an Olympic spot by .04 seconds.  But, the truth is that the year that followed was much more difficult. To try desperately, to fail totally, and to choose to try again without reservation has been the hardest part of my career. It's also the reason I'm going to run so fast in the coming years.  

How would you win The Hunger Games? Running is my only physical skill. I'm not an outdoorsman, a strategist or much of a schmoozer. It's actually pretty sobering how little I'd bring to the table here. I do have the experience of faking sick once a week, every single week of my childhood to get out of gym class. So, maybe faking my own death would be the way to go.  

Why have you chosen to run for Coach Rowland? I chose Coach Rowland because he was honest with me. When I came to the OTC, I was in a rough patch in my career and struggling with whether or not I was good enough. He sat me down on the front steps of the Bowerman Building and he told me, "look, I don't know if you can do this, but if you're in then I'm in." He told me that he wasn't going to waste his time or mine, and that he'd appreciate it if I did the same. From that point on, I'd follow him anywhere.  I trust him.  

What is your spirit animal/what animal do you relate to? "And then a she-wolf showed herself. She seemed to show every craving in her leanness." -Dante Alighieri. At the beginning of the year my teammate, Anne Kesselring, sent me this quote, and told me it was her vision for my 2014. I'm hungry and prowling and dangerous. It's perfect.  

What drives you to work so hard? To beat those more talented than I.     

If you could road trip across the country with anyone, who would it be? I could pick anyone on the team. I've loved and hated every one of them in moments, so they've been road trip-tested.

What is your dream job after your athletic career? I'm trying not to think about the rest of my life at this point. I think that any sense of safety or comfort in the future would take the edge away from my now. My goals in this sport are beyond my reach; I need the desperation that comes from jumping without a net.  

Who or what has been your greatest inspiration as an athlete? I’m inspired constantly, every day. Every little guy, underdog, down-and-out long shot who finds the strength to try. They've all got my heart.   

What is the key to your success? A lack of grounding in reality.  

Which teammate inspires you and why? I have to pick? I don't think there's a group as dynamic, strange and inspiring as this one. I am so proud to be standing on the line next to these people.  

What are your other favorite sports? I'm afraid of sports other than running. That's actually how I discovered running; running away from PE class.