Every year, the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships gathers 40 of the top high school runners from across the country to compete for the national title in San Diego, California. Many past participants have gone on to become Olympians or professional athletes. However, for each of those, there are many others who have taken different paths in life.
Tessa Barrett competed in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships only once, as a senior in the fall of 2013, but that was enough for her to claim the national title. She went on to win two more national indoor track championships before heading to Penn State. Barrett’s journey is ongoing and filled with struggles, loss, resilience, community, hard work, and a renewed love for running. Her latest achievement was winning the Marine Corps Marathon on October 27 with a personal best of 2:39:38.
At 28, Barrett prefers to race locally as she doesn’t travel well. The Marine Corps Marathon, which finishes near her apartment in Arlington, Virginia, is ideal for her. She jogged to the start of the race. Initially, she planned to start at a pace of 6:10 per mile and increase her speed, but she found herself running alongside 2:34 marathoner Hiruni Wijayaratne, going faster than expected. Barrett felt good and enjoyed the company.
Around Hains Point, just before the halfway mark, Barrett took the lead for good. This section of the course was quiet, with few spectators, but Barrett was accustomed to that. She trains on that stretch regularly and is comfortable running in solitude, getting into her rhythm.
Throughout the rest of the course, Barrett had strong support from the local community. She’s lived in the D.C. area for six years, trains with various local running groups, and has family and friends cheering her on. Barrett eventually won the race by more than six minutes (Wijayaratne dropped out after 35K), improving her personal best by 6 minutes and 15 seconds.
The Marine Corps Marathon was Barrett’s fourth marathon and her best performance to date. Her marathon debut was at the 2022 Chicago Marathon, where she ran 2:45:53 despite only seven weeks of marathon training. Her next two marathons were slower due to illness and nutrition issues.
The victory was especially meaningful because it occurred in the city where Barrett rediscovered her passion for running. “Never in a million years did I think I’d be able to run at a high level while working full-time and maintaining a social life,” she said. “It’s been a dream year of running. I have an amazing group around me, and to share this moment with them was exceptional.”
Success Despite Challenges
Barrett’s struggles began in ninth grade when she was diagnosed with atypical migraine syndrome. The migraines were so severe that they caused seizures, with fluorescent lights being a major trigger. Midway through her sophomore year, the seizures forced her to leave her high school and switch to online schooling. Despite this, running remained an important social outlet, though she felt isolated as “the sick kid.” “Running kept me sane; it was the one thing I could control,” she said.
It took time for Barrett to find the right medication, but it eventually helped, along with staying physically active. In her junior and senior years, when she was no longer sick every day, her running began to improve. However, it was still a stressful period due to her father’s illness and her college plans.
Barrett largely designed her own training in high school, running about 40 miles per week while also swimming, pool running, and strength training. “I was always pushing myself hard, probably not in the best way,” she said. “But I wouldn’t have listened to anyone if they’d told me otherwise. I didn’t know about proper stretching, taking rest days, or the female athlete triad.”
Tragically, Barrett’s father passed away shortly before she graduated high school. A week later, she learned she had a sacral stress fracture. In her early college years at Penn State, she faced ongoing injuries and mental health struggles.
Despite these setbacks, Barrett became a two-time All-American, finishing fifth in the 5,000m at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and setting a personal best of 15:28.99 that season. “By the time I found my footing, it was too late,” she said. “I did well, but I never fully reached my potential.”
