Chappell Roan once ran a 20:06 5K – and was a cross-country standout
These days, it seems like everybody is talking about Chappell Roan, the Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter from Missouri, USA. Elle is speculating about her second album, while America: The Jesuit Review is even going so far as to compare her to Pope Francis. (Why not?)
And now, Roan is being discussed here, in the context of running – and not simply because many of the tracks from her 2023 breakthrough album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, would make for an excellent running playlist.
Instead, we’ve noticed that running plays a huge part in Roan’s live shows. She frequently runs around the stage while performing top hits like ‘Hot To Go!’ – without missing a beat – and, on social media, fans have often commented on the sheer physical stamina that her high-energy performance style demands.
What’s more, Roan herself hasn’t been shy to acknowledge the work that goes into such an active stage presence. In a video on TikTok, she noted that her tour preparation was ‘very hard’ and involved ‘two months of cardio vocal training, every day running the set while jump roping or doing a HIIT workout’. Not a walk in the park.
But Roan’s relationship with running existed long before she was commanding her own world tour. In fact, the Missourian artist who has already achieved a Best New Artist Grammy nomination was, at one time, a frontrunner in high school cross-country.
According to MileSplit, Willard High School’s Kayleigh Amstutz – who went on to adopt Chappell Roan as her stage name – ran her 5K personal best of 20:06.96 during her freshman year at a sectional meet in 2012. That qualified her as an individual for the Missouri State Cross-Country Championships, where she ran 22:03.85 to finish in 149th place. A MileSplit photo gallery offers a rare glimpse of a pre-Midwest Princess Roan – who is here wearing bib number 853 – in action.
Throughout her junior year, Roan competed in various cross-country races, as well as a few track meets along the way. Since she is also listed as having PBs of 7:00.12 for the 1600m and 3:07.03 for the 800m, the self-titled ‘girl who felt shame from the day she turned 13’ should by no means be ashamed of her swift race times.
But, eventually, running took a back seat to music. According to Biography.com, Roan graduated high school a year early to focus on performing and, at the age of 17, signed to Atlantic Records, which launched her on a new path to fame.
Roan, now 26, has since attracted countless fans across the world – including several fellow runners. One such runner is this artistic Strava user, who ran 46 miles on a route inspired by The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
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