For some people, it’s difficult to understand why athletes would choose to compete in distance running events – like the 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs – for track and field.
And Laura Streck doesn’t understand those people.
The Van Meter junior walked away from the Iowa high school state track meet with quite a bit of hardware – securing a spot on the podium in each of her four events over the weekend.
She kicked things off with a win in the 3,000-meter run, before adding a second-place finish in the 4×800-meter relay and a third-place finish in the 800-meters. Streck capped the meet with another state title, this time in the 1,500-meter run.
“It feels so good to do hard things and challenge yourself,” Streck said when asked why she runs the distance events. “That’s part of why I love it.”
That love, though, isn’t ever present.
Even in the moments following one of the top accomplishments of her high school career, Streck recalled the lows. She jumped to the top of the cross country standings as a sophomore, finishing in second place at the state meet.
With the weight of outside expectations on her shoulders, Streck didn’t perform as well as she hoped during her junior cross country season. A season filled with ups and downs – as she mentioned – ended with Streck in 16th place at the state meet, finishing a minute-and-a-half behind her podium-worthy time from her sophomore year.
“I feel like I was just not doing the right things with training, and I feel like (that experience) was a lot of motivation to bring into today,” Streck said. “I’m just so grateful to God for getting me here through all the ups and downs.”
That pressure to be the best didn’t follow Streck to the track – even with her history of success on the Blue Oval.
Streck finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 3,000-meter run as a freshman and sophomore. She came in 10th in the 800-meter run two years ago and sixth last season. She won two titles as a part of Van Meter’s 4×800-meter relay team as a freshman and sophomore.
After finishing third as a freshman and second as a sophomore, Streck finally secured her 1,500-meter state title in 2026.
And even with her most successful state meet weekend to date, Streck already has high expectations for her final season of high school track.
“It feels really good,” Streck said about ending her junior year on a high. “Just going into the summer knowing that I did what I wanted to this season and having even higher goals for next year.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Van Meter’s Laura Streck clinches 2 titles at Iowa state track meet
Reporting by Alyssa Hertel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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