About this episode

Courtney Frerichs discusses her journey of recovery from ACL and ankle surgeries, the challenges of missing the Olympic Trials, and her evolving approach to training and racing.

Courtney Frerichs returns to the podcast for a conversation that goes far beyond racing. Courtney opens up about the difficult road back from major ankle and ACL surgeries, missing the 2024 Olympic Trials, and what it’s looked like to rebuild both physically and mentally over the past two years. She shares how stepping into a completely new chapter of her career has changed the way she approaches training, racing, and confidence. We also go all the way back to Courtney’s early days growing up in Missouri, playing multiple sports, doing gymnastics at a high level, and discovering running later than most elite athletes. She reflects on the impact her college coach had on her life and career, what made their relationship so special, and how those lessons still shape her today. Courtney also talks about moving to Park City, joining Ed Eyestone’s group, racing with freedom again, and the mindset shift that helped her run her fastest 5K in over two years at the USATF 5K Championships. Topics Discussed: Returning to racing after ACL and ankle surgeries Rebuilding confidence after injury Letting go of comparisons to past versions of herself Missing the 2024 Olympic Trials Joining Ed…

People in this episode

Host: Lindsey Hein

Guest: Courtney Frerichs

Topics covered

• Rebuilding after injury
• Confidence in sports
• Training and racing
• Olympic Trials
• Career transitions
• Impact of coaching
• Finding joy in running

Keywords

• Courtney Frerichs
• ACL surgery
• ankle surgery
• Olympic Trials
• running
• confidence
• training
• coaching
• 5K Championships
• sports

Sponsors

Huug

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ed Eyestone’s group

Places: Park City, Missouri

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• Episode 686: Elena Hayday’s 2:24 Boston Breakthrough and the Road to the Olympic Trials · May 29, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Episode 684: Andrew Colley on New Fatherhood, the 25K National Title, and a Marathon Breakthrough Coming Soon · May 15, 2026 · 53 min

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