Hannah Chau: From an 18-Second Miss to Olympic Trials Qualifier

In this episode of Road to the Trials, Matt Chittim sits down with Hannah Chau, a newly minted Olympic Trials qualifier whose story blends big racing goals with an equally demanding path in medicine.

Hannah reflects on her first attempt at qualifying for 2024 while still at UC Irvine, when she narrowly missed the standard at CIM in a debut marathon that was both chaotic and unforgettable. She shares what she learned from that near miss, why she kept coming back, and how those earlier attempts helped her stay calm and execute when it mattered most.

Now in medical school at Creighton’s Phoenix campus, Hannah talks candidly about balancing a packed academic schedule with high-mileage training. She gets specific about how she made it work: early mornings, doubles, fitting strength work into the margins, and building a system that keeps running as an outlet without letting school slip. The conversation also touches on COVID’s impact on her college years and how that period shaped her perspective on mental health and long-term growth.

A major thread throughout the episode is family. Hannah’s mom has been a marathoner for years and running became a shared experience that strengthened their relationship. Hannah also opens up about the dynamic with her dad, expectations around academics, and how that support evolved over time.

This is a conversation about persistence, patience, and doing two hard things at once, with a finish-line payoff that’s been years in the making.

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