Time Away from Racing Allowed Laura Roesler to Get Healthy and Find New Focus as She Prepares for the USATF Outdoor Championships

By Adam Kopet, DyeStat Editor

After an injury-filled two years, Laura Roesler took eight months away from competition after last year's Olympic Trials. After the stress and hardship of two different Achilles' injuries, she simply needed time away from the sport.

"I got to take a vacation and go on trips," Roesler told Eric Peterson of WDAZ, the Fargo, North Dakota, ABC affiliate. "It was just really nice, and bonus, I got to heal up."

Roesler grew up in Fargo. She graduated from South Fargo ND where she won 20 individual state track and field titles. She went on to a terrific career at Oregon where she won two NCAA titles at 800 meters. Now she runs professionally for Nike.

Skipping the indoor season, Roesler opened her outdoor season competing in the 1,500 meters in San Antonio, followed by an 800 in Georgia, before competing April 15 in the 800 at the Mt. SAC Relays. She finished second in 1:59.54, with Oregon junior Raevyn Rogers winning the race in the collegiate record 1:59.10.

A week later, Roesler ran a leg on the winning 4x800 relay for Team USA at the IAAF/BTC World Relays in Nassau, Bahamas.

It has been a successful start to 2017 for Roesler. But the races that really matter are at the USATF Outdoor Championships in June. Her goal is to earn one of the three spots to the IAAF World Championships in London in August.

Roesler's next race is Saturday. She is set to compete in the 800 at the Torrin Lawrence Memorial meet at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia where Roesler is now based. Roesler clocked 2:00.69 on that track April 8.