Hell-bent on making the Olympics: Barooga’s Brooke Williams reflects on big year of running

By Daniel Webb

Dec 22, 2022

Determined: Barooga's Brooke Williams competed in Melbourne’s Zátopek 10 on December 15. Photo by Ryk Neethling

It has been a year of training, learning and growth for Barooga runner Brooke Williams.

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The athlete, who recently competed in the prestigious Zátopek 10km race in Melbourne, has realigned her goals, with a tilt at the Olympic team now on the agenda.

Admitting the Zátopek race did not all go to plan, Williams — who finished 13th — said it was good to cap the year in front of her family and coach Steve Moneghetti.

“It was a really fast race,” Williams said.

“It was a shorter field than usual, but it was really good, it (10km) is not really my pet event that’s more the 5km, but it’s always good, I just enjoy doing the national championships, it’s really enjoyable.”

Falling 10 years after her first Zátopek 10km, Williams said the event had extra significance to her.

“I didn’t really know that side of athletics or running before (I did the event the first time),” she said.

“But that sort of planted a real fire in my heart that there was this whole other side where you could like qualify for a world championship and you race against Olympians, so it’s crazy 10 years later I’m still doing it.”

Shoulder to shoulder: Brooke Williams competes in the Zátopek race. Photo by Ryk Neethling

Having a significant break away from the sport due to a cardiomyopathy diagnosis since her first Zátopek race, Williams has taken time throughout the year to work out the best race for her abilities.

This year she has narrowed her focus to 5km, with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games now the ultimate goal.

“They just released Olympics standards and I am really hell-bent on making the Olympics,” she said.

“For me to be able to achieve that in 18 months’ time I had to say ‘hey, I’ve got this really hard goal, what does my life need to be like in order to achieve that’ and I need to work back from there.

“You have to dedicate almost your whole life to it and I’m happy and ready to do that.

“That was just a huge step this year in just like understanding what it takes, the life-style that you need.

“I hope no matter where I finish in 18 months’ time I just want to cross that line and say ‘I’ve had three years of really trying for this goal and I came wherever I come’ and I want to know that that’s the best that I could give.“

Still attending Park Run in Shepparton on Saturday mornings, Williams hopes to encourage more mums to get into running in 2023.

She said the community of running had helped her as a mother in the past year.

“I think it’s just so cool that you can buy a pair of runners and you can really focus on a goal and be part of a community of running,” she said.

“A lot of mums lose their identity after they have kids and I think that running is such a powerful way to sort of just find your community.

“You sort of become a bit isolated especially in the country, so I feel like over this past year running has really become like my home."