Q&A: Dalton Finding Success After Rediscovering Love for Running
5/9/2023 12:30:00 PM | Track and Field
Dalton Q&A
If you asked anyone in the Indiana Track and Field program, they would tell you that no one has spent more time in the training room than Maddie Dalton over the last five years.
Multiple stress fractures, injuries during workouts and a global pandemic put a big pause in Dalton's running career for the first three-and-a-half years of her time at IU.
During the time away from competition during the pandemic, Dalton rediscovered her love for running. She returned to Bloomington a new athlete with a new appreciation for the sport she found at a young age.
After so many days away from racing and training, over the past two years Dalton has qualified for a regional meet, made a Big Ten indoor final, earned All-Region honors in Cross Country and run some of the fastest 1500-meter times in IU history.
She has become one of the most productive athletes for IU this season and is set to do what she does best in the postseason, run for the team and the name on the front.
How did you discover your love for running?
"I've always been the kind of person that just wants to do everything. I'm a big FOMO girl. I wanted to do every sport there was. Played soccer for a while and then I tried out running in the third grade and found some success in it. My dad ran all through high school. I think that was the main reason. My dad did it and I ended up being pretty good at it. I really enjoyed it the most."
When did you really start to take running seriously?
"I think the transition from middle to high school is when I needed to take it seriously. I had to decide between soccer and running and I had to choose freshman year. I had a really tough coach and he made me really good. I had some success in middle school to give me confidence. I dialed in right at the beginning of high school and took it from there."
How would you describe your time in high school?
"At Carmel, you're not going to be the No. 1 runner. I had girls like Kelsey (Harris) and Haley (Harris) that ran with me here and were obviously great. They are super talented but it made me that much better because I got to train with them every day. I got to balance not always winning with being a team player. That was what became the biggest motivating factor for me, being able to run for other people and compete as a teammate. I fell in love with cross country because it was so much of a team aspect.
What lessons did you learn that set you up for college?
"Carmel set me up with being able to handle the transition to college. When you get to college, you're not going to be the only good one. You're going to be with a bunch of girls that were the best at their high school. You've got to balance not being the single best person."
What made IU the right decision?
"I didn't make my decision until after spring break of my senior year. I'm not a gut feeling kind of girl. I like to balance and weigh all of my options. At the end of the day, it was about the team and the girls. I knew several of the girls coming here and they all became my best friends. I wanted to spend four years with a really good group of girls. That's happened and it's obviously become five years."
How has your relationship with fellow fifth years Jenna Barker and Sarah Schmitt grown this year?
"We've always been close but this year we've gotten extremely close. We know how to do things and how each other operates. Most importantly for us three, we know how the system works. Jenna (Barker) and I clearly do everything together. We are running the same workouts and the same times. It's one of those things that this bond is never going to break."
How did you fight through the first couple years with so many injuries?
"The support system is the reason I made it through the first three years of cross training. I maybe stepped into two workouts in the first couple years of me being here. I was in the pool, on the bike, the elliptical. I was a pro at it. I figured it out but it was not easy. My main outlet was people and God. If I did not have the faith that I did, I would not.
What did you learn about yourself during that time?
"I had to learn my identity outside of running when I got to college. I realized I wasn't here just to run. I found a lot of outlets for happiness. One of those was my faith easily. Not many people thought I was going to make it. There were times I didn't think I was going to make it. Every single day there was something in the back of my head telling me there was this untapped potential.
What changed for you during the COVID period?
"When we got sent home it was like a mental and physical reset. It was a forced rest that I was never forced to give myself. I hated it because I was taken away from my friends but I would literally go out and run just to run. I fell in love with running all over again. A lot of the mental toughness came from the desire to know there was something there if I kept working day in and day out. It will come someday."
How has your toughness and competitiveness shifted?
"I think my mentality just totally changed. I'm not here to just scratch for something, I'm here to represent my team. I have a completely different confidence. I've done it before and can do it again as long as I go out there and toe the line and give it my all. I didn't quite grasp my success until the end of cross country season."
How do you go about handling business and focusing on the final moments of your career?
"It's hard. I've gotten to soak in every moment. The trip to California or Penn Relays. I can enjoy every moment with the seniors that I haven't in the past. There are little things that you miss in other people's lives that you miss when you're so focused. I've got the time and I'm going to go out and race the best I can and soak in every moment."
What're your plans post college?
"I'm moving to Madison, Wisconsin which is exciting to work for Epic, a healthcare software company. I'll start in October so I've got a nice little summer break."
If you asked anyone in the Indiana Track and Field program, they would tell you that no one has spent more time in the training room than Maddie Dalton over the last five years.
Multiple stress fractures, injuries during workouts and a global pandemic put a big pause in Dalton's running career for the first three-and-a-half years of her time at IU.
During the time away from competition during the pandemic, Dalton rediscovered her love for running. She returned to Bloomington a new athlete with a new appreciation for the sport she found at a young age.
After so many days away from racing and training, over the past two years Dalton has qualified for a regional meet, made a Big Ten indoor final, earned All-Region honors in Cross Country and run some of the fastest 1500-meter times in IU history.
She has become one of the most productive athletes for IU this season and is set to do what she does best in the postseason, run for the team and the name on the front.
How did you discover your love for running?
"I've always been the kind of person that just wants to do everything. I'm a big FOMO girl. I wanted to do every sport there was. Played soccer for a while and then I tried out running in the third grade and found some success in it. My dad ran all through high school. I think that was the main reason. My dad did it and I ended up being pretty good at it. I really enjoyed it the most."
When did you really start to take running seriously?
"I think the transition from middle to high school is when I needed to take it seriously. I had to decide between soccer and running and I had to choose freshman year. I had a really tough coach and he made me really good. I had some success in middle school to give me confidence. I dialed in right at the beginning of high school and took it from there."
How would you describe your time in high school?
"At Carmel, you're not going to be the No. 1 runner. I had girls like Kelsey (Harris) and Haley (Harris) that ran with me here and were obviously great. They are super talented but it made me that much better because I got to train with them every day. I got to balance not always winning with being a team player. That was what became the biggest motivating factor for me, being able to run for other people and compete as a teammate. I fell in love with cross country because it was so much of a team aspect.
What lessons did you learn that set you up for college?
"Carmel set me up with being able to handle the transition to college. When you get to college, you're not going to be the only good one. You're going to be with a bunch of girls that were the best at their high school. You've got to balance not being the single best person."
What made IU the right decision?
"I didn't make my decision until after spring break of my senior year. I'm not a gut feeling kind of girl. I like to balance and weigh all of my options. At the end of the day, it was about the team and the girls. I knew several of the girls coming here and they all became my best friends. I wanted to spend four years with a really good group of girls. That's happened and it's obviously become five years."
How has your relationship with fellow fifth years Jenna Barker and Sarah Schmitt grown this year?
"We've always been close but this year we've gotten extremely close. We know how to do things and how each other operates. Most importantly for us three, we know how the system works. Jenna (Barker) and I clearly do everything together. We are running the same workouts and the same times. It's one of those things that this bond is never going to break."
How did you fight through the first couple years with so many injuries?
"The support system is the reason I made it through the first three years of cross training. I maybe stepped into two workouts in the first couple years of me being here. I was in the pool, on the bike, the elliptical. I was a pro at it. I figured it out but it was not easy. My main outlet was people and God. If I did not have the faith that I did, I would not.
What did you learn about yourself during that time?
"I had to learn my identity outside of running when I got to college. I realized I wasn't here just to run. I found a lot of outlets for happiness. One of those was my faith easily. Not many people thought I was going to make it. There were times I didn't think I was going to make it. Every single day there was something in the back of my head telling me there was this untapped potential.
What changed for you during the COVID period?
"When we got sent home it was like a mental and physical reset. It was a forced rest that I was never forced to give myself. I hated it because I was taken away from my friends but I would literally go out and run just to run. I fell in love with running all over again. A lot of the mental toughness came from the desire to know there was something there if I kept working day in and day out. It will come someday."
How has your toughness and competitiveness shifted?
"I think my mentality just totally changed. I'm not here to just scratch for something, I'm here to represent my team. I have a completely different confidence. I've done it before and can do it again as long as I go out there and toe the line and give it my all. I didn't quite grasp my success until the end of cross country season."
How do you go about handling business and focusing on the final moments of your career?
"It's hard. I've gotten to soak in every moment. The trip to California or Penn Relays. I can enjoy every moment with the seniors that I haven't in the past. There are little things that you miss in other people's lives that you miss when you're so focused. I've got the time and I'm going to go out and race the best I can and soak in every moment."
What're your plans post college?
"I'm moving to Madison, Wisconsin which is exciting to work for Epic, a healthcare software company. I'll start in October so I've got a nice little summer break."
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