Newsletter: August 29, 2025
Contents Competition Calendar Coach's Corner: From St. Paul to Northern Ireland Spotlight: USATF 20k Championships In My Own Words:...
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Cailie Hughes
Residence: Bloomington, MN
Date of birth: 01/04/1999
Hometown: Girard, KS
Occupation: Full time runner for Puma
College: Iowa State University - Bachelors in Kinesiology 22', Masters in Kinesiology 24'
Favorite Pre-Race Meal: Night before: spaghetti with meat sauce, Pre-Race Meal: Peanut Butter and Banana Bagel Right before racing: Gummy Bears
Favorite Pump-Up Song: Spirit- Judah and the Lion
Funniest Mid-Race Thought: "SOAP!" At NCAA's my last year at Iowa State, our head coach's name was Coach Sudbury, and he went by "Suds." He told us that every person we passed we could say to ourselves "SOAP!" and I remember passing people and not being able to help but say "SOAP" in my head.
Personal Bests
1500m
Mile
3000m
5,000m
10,000m
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4:18.16
4:36.46
9:00.76
15:36.40
32:19.37
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Achievements
2025 USA Cross Country Championships, 2nd​
2024 USATF Club XC Championships, 7th
2024 World Cross Country Champs team member
2024 USA Cross Country Championships, 5th
2023 NCAA DI Outdoors, 6th in 5000m and 10,000m
Multiple times Conference Champion
Multiple times All American
2021 - NCAA DI XC Championships, 4th
2021 -USA Olympic Trials - Track & Field, 10,000m.
Cailie grew up in Erie, Kansas, where she attended Girard High School. She won 11 Kansas state championships, placed 3rd at Nike Cross Nationals, and was named the Kansas Gatorade Athlete of the year in 2017 and 2018. She ran personal bests of 4:44 in the 1600m and 10:09 in the 3200m.
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Cailie was recruited to run at Iowa State University. She won USATF Outdoor Junior National Championships in the 3,000m and 5,000m, earning the opportunity to represent Team USA at the U20 World Athletics Championships. She won 13 Big-12 Championships, including 3 each in cross country, the outdoor 5000m and 10,000m. At the national level, Cailie placed as high as 4th in the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships, and 6th in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 5000m and 10,000m. The summer after her final season as a Cyclone, Cailie qualified for, and competed in, the 2021 USA Olympic Trials in the 10,000m. She finished her collegiate career with personal bests of 9:00.75 in the 3000m, 15:36.40 in the 5000m, and 32:19.37 in the 10,000m.
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In her first year as a professional runner, Cailie was 5th at the USATF Cross Country Championships, earning her a spot on the US team at the World Cross Country Championships. Since joining Minnesota Distance Elite in September of 2024, she has continued to excel in the longer track distances and on the roads including a win at the Save the 10,000m with Des and Kara and a 14th place finish at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 10,000m.
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