SU alumna Neely Spence Gracey, class of 2012, returned to Shippensburg University Monday to give a speech on human communication, which she majored in, and the role it plays in the world of sports.

Gracey, one of the most decorated athletes in Shippensburg history, was a 10-time PSAC Athlete of the Year and an 11-time NCAA All -American.

The speech focused on how her education at Shippensburg continues to shape her professional and personal life as a professional runner. Coaching was something Gracey found a passion for early in her college career.

“Coaching and communication are so important together. You can’t have one without the other,” Gracey said. Gracey finds coaching as a creative outlet to relieve some of the mental stress training can produce.

Today, Gracey manages her own coaching business where she oversees 40 different athletes who all bring different personalities and different challenges to the table.

“We’re all very unique and we’re all very different,” Gracey said. “The interesting thing about coaching is you have to trouble the comfortable and comfort the troubled.” Each athlete is different, and Gracey continues to use the communication skills she learned at Shippensburg University with her clients every day.

SU was also a period of tremendous growth for Gracey.

“I feel like Shippensburg allowed me to develop my passion and my talents over time,” Gracey said. “I graduated loving the sport more than ever.”

Over the weekend, Gracey competed in the Philadelphia Rock N’ Roll half marathon, finishing with a time of 1:12:08. She was the first American woman to cross the finish line. This race was just one step toward her current goal of competing at the New York City Marathon on Nov. 6, which is celebrated as the biggest marathon in the world. More than 50,000 runners compete at the NYC Marathon annually.

Gracey was prepared to take on Olympic trials in both 2012 and 2016, but a pair of injuries held her out from competing on the ultimate stage.

“That’s when you know you’ve really made it is when you finally make an Olympic team,” Gracey said. The 2020 Olympics will be held in Tokyo, something Gracey has thought about extensively. The marathon is one of the biggest sporting events in Japan, and is comparable to the American Super Bowl.

“I absolutely would run in Tokyo,” Gracey said. “My dad’s best marathon in his career was in Tokyo where he had the bronze medal at the world championships, so that would be a cool story.”

Gracey considers her greatest accomplishment to date when she competed in the Boston Marathon in April. She was the first American woman to finish the race, with a time of 2:35:00. Gracey endured several physical and mental setbacks during her training, which made her ninth overall finish that much sweeter.

“I had a lot of things go wrong in the buildup for that race,” Gracey said. Several injuries hindered Gracey’s training, forcing her to once again adjust. “That’s one of the biggest and most important races that I’ve had in my career, because I learned that I was able to overcome so much and still meet my goals.”

Setting goals was a common theme discussed during Gracey’s speech. Whether it is the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo or the New York City Marathon, Gracey has set goal after goal and smashed them every time. Nov. 6 is the next date circled on the calendar, but her love for the sport will take her as far as she can go.

“Ultimately, you’ve just got to keep going.”

Share