Some athletes discover their passion for a sport by accident—Lilli Giddens is one of them. “I started running track my freshman year because I wanted to stay in shape for basketball and I ended up falling in love with it!” she said. What began as simple off-season training quickly turned into a full-blown commitment that’s now taking her to the next level.
A standout at Morris High School, Lilli credits a former coach for inspiring her early on. “He always pushed me to get better by making me run with the boys and in the weight room,” she said. That early challenge built the foundation for her competitive edge—and her goals this season reflect that drive. “My goal this year is to get a new PR with a 58 and win state in the 400m.”
Success, however, hasn’t come without its hurdles—mental and physical. “My most challenging moment was day two of state last year and my anxiety got the best of me before my race,” Lilli admitted. “I went from being third best time to seventh in the 400m. I have overcome that by working on my mental health before races and putting myself in high stress situations to better cope for this year at state!”
Lilli approaches training with purpose and structure. “My training goes into two-week blocks where Monday and Wednesday I have harder workouts and Tuesday and Thursday I’ll do recovery workouts. I also try to be in the weight room at least three days out of the week.”
Her leadership is evident both on and off the track. “My role for the team is to lead by example,” she said. “I try to always push myself to be the best in hopes that it pushes my teammates to be better as well.”
Looking ahead, she’ll be running at Oklahoma Christian University with hopes of becoming a physical therapist. “In five years I plan to be graduated from Oklahoma Christian and continuing my education at a physical therapy school.”
As she chases records and new PRs, one thing is certain: Lilli’s determination is just getting started.
