Elle St. Pierre, a runner who grew up on a dairy farm in Vermont, will represent the United States at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Look who is going to be refueling with chocolate milk all the way to Paris! Congratulations, Elle on representing the USA this summer! #TrackFieldTrials24 🏃♀️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/O73LThSrOu
— American Dairy North East (@AmericanDairyNE) June 25, 2024
St. Pierre, 29, most recently set a new record at the U.S. Trials in the 5,000-meter final, beating the previous mark by just 0.02 seconds and securing her place on the Olympic team for the second time. Elise Cranny, who finished just behind her, will join her in Paris, along with Karissa Schweizer.
Even before the trials, St. Pierre was having a standout year. In February, she ran 4:16.41 to break her own U.S. indoor mile record.
The following month, she outpaced Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, the 5,000-meter world record-holder, to win the world indoor 3,000-meter title with a time of 8:20.87, setting a new U.S. record.
Her outdoor season has also been impressive, with personal bests in the 1,500 meters (3:56.00, second on the all-time U.S. list) and 5,000 meters (14:34.12).
St. Pierre, who studied nutrition at the University of New Hampshire, said she couldn’t reach the heights she’s attained without the help of dairy.
“The first thing I do when I get done running is I chug a glass of milk. And I just know everything in there is going to help me do better,” she said. “It’s got the perfect ratio of carbs and protein, when you add the chocolate, and just so many vitamins and minerals. It’s crazy what a great resource it is for athletes like me.”
Throwing hay bales and milking cows on her parent’s farm gave St. Pierre a fitness jumpstart. It wasn’t until she was 11 and beat her father, Charlie Purrier, in a footrace that they discovered her penchant for running.
St. Pierre’s great-grandfather Harvey Lambert purchased the family’s farm in 1904. In the 1990s, her parents took it over, raising their family working on the farm.
St. Pierre’s first structured run was in the eighth grade in the national Girls on the Run program. In high school, she played basketball, participated in 4-H, and eventually was convinced by a coach to try out for the track team.
From there, her high school coach and history teacher helped her to understand the similarities between farming and running. The parallel helped make her into the runner she is today.
“The cows need to get milked every single day — twice a day at least — usually three times. And yeah, really similar to running, where I have to train every day,” St. Pierre explained in an interview with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Although the family’s dairy farm was sold in 2020, she’s continued to advocate for the dairy industry across news channels and events. Her husband, Jamie, is also a dairy farmer, who proposed with with a ring and a heifer named Rita.
When she’s not training or running, she’s helping on the farm.
“It’s a lot different for me to go from the small scale to the large farm,” St. Pierre told Lancaster Farming. “But it’s so much fun. I enjoy it immensely. I’m learning a lot. There’s so much opportunity to work there. I love being involved.”
The 2024 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad and officially branded as Paris 2024, are just around the corner. They will kick off on July 26 and run through August 11.
»Related: How one farmer prepares for the Olympics on his farm
