LYNNFIELD — Track and field could arguably be considered one of the hardest sports to compete in. The long-distance runs and relays can take a huge toll on just about anyone. However, Boston College senior track star Kate Mitchell is setting the sport aflame with her blazing speed.
Mitchell placed first in the ECAC Indoor 800m with a lightning-fast speed of 2:04.72, putting her at an all-time second for that race. That impressive speed is also a brand-new personal record for Mitchell.
“I didn’t really expect to break any records, but I think this season has been a breakout season for me,” said Mitchell. “It’s ironic — when I stopped caring about the time on the clock and started just focusing on the race, is when I started getting faster times.”
Another of the incredible records broken by Mitchell was the 1000m at the John Thomas Terrier Classic. Mitchell finished first, with an astonishing 2:44.49, breaking the previous record held by Caroline King (2:44.60), which was set back in 2011.
Traditions and superstitions have been around just as long as most sports, and just like any other athlete, Mitchell has her own. On the days that she races, Mitchell has to eat exactly three and a half hours before, and her go-to meal is oatmeal with honey and protein powder. Whether or not the oatmeal is magic and gives her the record-breaking speed she possesses remains a mystery.
Mitchell also writes Romans 8:18 on every new pair of spikes she gets.
The passage reads: “I consider that the sufferings we presently endure are not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed to us.”
Initially, Mitchell wanted to be a soccer player and during her freshman year at Lynnfield High School she started running track as a way to get faster; however she fell in love with running.
“I thought I wanted to play soccer in college, but when I started track my freshman year, I just started to love it.”
Off the race track, Mitchell chose to attend BC mostly due to the fact that during her time in high school, she loved her community and BC reminded her a lot of that community she grew to know and love. She is currently getting her Bachelor of Science in management with a concentration in finance and business analytics.
Olympic track star Anna Willard and one of the coaches for the BC track team is someone that Mitchell looks up to. Being the first-ever female athlete to run a sub-two minute in the 800m and a sub-four minute in the 1,500m, it’s easy to understand how Willard is such an inspiration to anyone wanting to be a track runner. Mitchell hopes to one day be that good.
Mitchell comes from a very athletic family where her father played football, her mom did cheerleading and her sisters competed in track alongside her. She also attributes a lot of her success to her mom and dad. She idolizes both of her parents immensely for how hard they’ve worked to be where they are today.
Mitchell and both of her sisters were able to compete in a relay together for a national tournament. Being a senior and having her younger sisters as freshmen on the same track as her is one of her favorite memories as a racer.
Regardless of what happens in the future, Mitchell has etched herself into the history books of Boston College.
