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By Alyssa Beebe

Ashley Brasovan’s road to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon is a story of redemption.

Brasovan excelled as a high school runner. She was the 2007 Foot Locker National Champion, the 2008 5K Nike Outdoor Champion, and a four time Florida state cross country champion. She expected this success to continue when she accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Duke University. Instead, a series of injuries led to her being told she could never run again.

Brasovan traces the beginning of her struggles all the way back to middle school, which is when she first developed an eating disorder. At the time, she wasn’t aware of the long term damage it was doing to her bones. She entered Duke with hopes of competing immediately but instead found herself in the midst of a series of life-changing injuries.

“Until I got to college it wasn’t even clear to me what was going on,” she said. “That was the point where I had all this physical data that was saying, you’re not healthy, and that I need to make a change or I won't be able to run again. That was the wake up call I needed.”

Brasovan was diagnosed with osteoporosis, amenorrhea, and suffered from four femoral stress fractures each year at Duke. It wasn't until she examined her physical results that she realized just how bad things had become.

“At that point, I was at rock bottom and I had this huge hole to get myself out of from a health and mental perspective,” she said. “It didn't seem like there would be daylight anytime soon.”

The turning point came when Brasovan began to seek help from nutritionists, therapists, and psychologists to get back to a healthier state. Although she was frustrated that she couldn't compete, Brasovan was grateful for the role that Duke played in her recovery process.

“I am super grateful to have been a part of a program at Duke that valued long-term physical and mental health over immediate results. This is a big reason that I am still able to compete at a high level even six years out of college,” said Brasovan.

When Brasovan learned to put her health and mental stability first, everything started to fall into place. In 2015, she accepted a job as an energy efficiency consultant in Denver which aligned with her passion for nature. At the same, Brasovan began training alongside running coach, David Roche, a friend from Duke, who noticed her determination right away.

“It is such a metaphor that you dream big, you shoot your shot, and you go for it,” he said. “For Ashley, a lot of times what happens is remarkable, but even when it is not, she still has the same perspective of wanting to go for it again.”

After qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Trials with a finish time of 1:14.30, Brasovan ran her first marathon five weeks later at the Trials in Los Angeles. Despite little preparation, Brasovan finished with a time of 2:48:39. In 2017, after a year of training, Brasovan ran a PR of 2:40 at the California International Marathon, which qualified her for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials.

Now 28, Brasovan feels stronger than ever as she prepares for this month’s trials. Her motivation is simple: a love for the sport that pushed her to never give up.

“I would love to break to 2:40, that would be a time goal and then just to have fun,” she said. “That is always the goal, to have fun and get to the starting line healthy and stay excited about the training.”

Leading up to the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon, Atlanta Track Club partnered with the Grady Sports Media program at the University of Georgia to profile some of the competitors in the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials. The authors of these stories are undergraduate students enrolled in the program and have been lightly edited by the Club. See all of the stories at https://www.atlanta2020trials.com/news/uga-trials-project.