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 As a young girl Nicola Tufts, ran with her friends, discovered she had talent and so began her running journey. When you experience success at an early age, it can be difficult to carry that expectation forward.
Moving from high school to college, you're no longer the one always out in front. Still, you’re dedicated, training hard, and now have others to push you. It’s challenging and overwhelming. But it’s your life.
The RunDown
Nicola Tufts, Age 23.
Born in London, Ontario, Canada.
Lives in Boston, Massachusetts.
Grad Student at Boston College.
Studying for a Masters of Science in Administrative Studies.
Nicola Tufts, Photo courtesy of
prettysporty.com Off and Running
Nicola started running in 4th grade. It seemed the natural thing to do. “Everyone was running, I won some races and it was fun.” In 6th grade Nicola joined a club. They met a couple of times a week, played games and ran. A year later, while still in elementary school, she moved up to another club with all the high school kids. Now she was getting more serious; training was intense.
Her coach was protective and didn’t put any pressure on her. At the same time he didn’t give Nicola a lot of attention. “It was frustrating and not much fun. I felt so young and the others got to talk race strategies. Looking back, it was the right thing to do. You shouldn’t be too serious in 7th grade. It was a good way to get into running.”
Over the next four years Nicola worked with her coach Dave Mills. “He noticed I had talent and I became his special athlete. We developed a bond.” During grades 9 and 10 Nicola became more focused. She trained three times a week with the team. She followed her coach’s program and raced once a week. In the Canadian junior provisional champs, Nicola would win by large margins or place in the top three.
“I was dedicated when I was training but didn’t go above or beyond. Then in 11th grade, something switched. I placed 8th in the Canadian cross country champs and qualified for the World Junior cross country championships. I thought, “Oh my gosh, I have potential.” After that I became more serious. Running became my lifestyle.”
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Wearing the Canadian Jersey
In March 2003, Nicola along with her Canadian teammates, headed to the World Junior Cross Country Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. “It was amazing. I didn’t know any of the girls but we became good friends. It was so cool to spend two weeks in Switzerland and Europe.”
Nicola trained very hard and hoped to have a good race. But at the same time she didn’t feel any pressure to perform. “It was an honor to qualify and it was big deal at my high school, Saunders Secondary School. I didn’t know anyone who had done this, so it was more of a celebration. Before my race I was so excited and didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t scared and wanted to soak in the experience.”
Nicola Tufts with her Canadian Junior World Cross Country Team. The race was a two-lap course of 6k. Unlike her other races, Nicola didn’t have any family, friends or coach supporting her. She was out on the course on her own. Nicola was the first Canadian home and placed midway in the field of around 120 athletes.
“I remember as I started my second lap, a group of Africans (Kenyans and Ethiopians) in a pack of 10-15 flew past me. It was amazing. Some ran in bare feet. I thought that was a thing of the past. I know I ran hard, as I felt so tired afterwards. I don’t even remember my time but it was the toughest race of my life. I felt so much pride and excitement wearing the Canadian jersey. I’ll never forget it.”
The next night a banquet was held, attended by all the teams from around the world. “We couldn’t really speak to everyone so we took photos and traded t-shirts.”
Editors Note: The winner of the 2003 World Junior X-C championships was Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba. Dibaba is the current Olympic 5000 and 10,000m champion and world record holder in the 5000m. Top of Page Renewed Enthusiasm
“After the worlds, I dedicated myself to being a runner and decided this is what I want to do. I realized I could run and travel. I set higher goals and my workouts improved.”
Nicola’s other big high school achievement was winning the 2003 Canadian Under 19, 1500m championship. Impressively she won this race as a 16-year-old. She finished her high school running with some local races and provisional champs.
College Setback
Nicola was offered a full scholarship at Boston College (BC) in the United States. The coach visited Nicola and her parents to explain the program and gave her a tour of BC. “I fell in love with the campus and the team. I decided this is where I want to run.”
The summer before she left home, Nicola got her first and only serious injury, an iliotibial band (ITB) problem. It can be a frustrating injury, often difficult to diagnose and treat.
“I think I prolonged the injury as I tried to keep running and kept testing it out.” Nicola missed the summer racing season and was injured going into her freshman year. “It was so disappointing that I couldn’t pick up where I’d left off in high school.”
A Tough Transition
Nicola arrived at BC and signed up for cross country. She ran a couple of indoor and outdoor races with disappointing results. “I was thinking, I’m supposed to win or be in the lead pack. But I wasn’t up there. It was awful. I doubted myself. With running you build off your past races. It’s a cycle. If you’re feeling good you train better and then race well.”
Nicola was now surrounded by a large group of talented girls and she wasn’t in shape. It was a bad combination. Making it harder, there was no one to talk to.
“None of my teammates were injured so I couldn’t share my feelings. I kept to myself. Plus these girls didn’t know I was so much better, as they’d never seen me race well. Our coach was good but with a huge team it’s easy to get lost. I’m passive, quiet and do what I’m told. The more vocal girls had a better relationship with the coach.
My freshman year was a write-off.”
 Running Well
Everything came together in Nicola’s junior year at BC. “I did things differently that year. I only raced a few times indoors.” In one of those races, Nicola ran a personal record for the 3k with a time of 9.36.
“My training got better as I could get more in with less racing. It set me up for the outdoor season. I came in refreshed and excited to race.”
That summer on the track Nicola ran two more personal records: 16.38 for 5k and 34.02 for 10k.
“Looking back I get kind of upset that I never really got back to how I was in high school. But my junior year made everything worth it.”
Photo courtesy of prettysporty.com Team Running
The BC team qualified for the National cross country championships every year that Nicola was at college. “The Nationals were a great experience. As a team we didn’t do that well. Our emphasis was always to qualify at regionals, which was two weeks before nationals. It was like a huge weight was lifted. Then we either freaked out or got overwhelmed. We were also tired at the end of a long season.”
As a senior, Nicola was captain of the BC cross country team for two years, and track for one. She worked closely with the coach and had input into the training. Her role was to be there for the girls, especially the young girls, who were new to the training. She was someone they could look up to. Giving comfort during that difficult switch from high school to college running. 
Nicola Tufts with her Boston College Team.
Photo courtesy of prettysporty.com
Sharing Mom’s Challenge
Exercising has always been a huge part of Nicola’s family life. Her parents, brothers, grandparents, aunts and uncles are all active. “My brothers, Jonathon (25) and Patrick (19) are athletic but don’t run. My dad, Paul, runs with his friends, as does my mom, Janet.
After I moved to Boston for college, my mom’s goal was to run the Boston Marathon. She took up running later in life and had never run a marathon. When I’d go back home we’d sometimes have a run. We’d head out together, and then go our separate ways, as we were running different paces. But we were in the same park and knew each other was out there.
Mom ran two Boston marathons. I waited at the top of heartbreak hill and ran the last six miles with her. Of course she couldn’t talk at that stage. But mom said it was a relief to see me. It gave her that extra bit of energy to finish. I was pretty impressed, she was moving a lot faster than I thought she would.”
Letting it Happen
Nicola’s college eligibility ended in May (2009) and she took the summer off. “After five years of college running, I was ready to be done. I enjoyed the break, both mentally and physically.”
She is running for fun at the moment. After graduation in December, Nicola would like to stay in Boston and work for a couple of years. Once she gets settled with work, she’ll think about running competitively again. “I’ll contact my high school coach and come back slowly.
I know running will always be a part of my life. The nice thing about running is that it’s a sport you can peak at later. It’s taken me awhile to get to this place. Where I don’t feel guilty that it’s not a huge priority.
It’s a good feeling to know that I can throw on a pair of shoes and start running and let it happen.”
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