Austen Dalquist (Keller, Texas) - Hails from Keller High School where he was state champion in the 1600 and 3200 his senior year. He capped off his High School career with a 7th place finish of 4:05 in the mile in the Dream Mile in 2014. 

 

Austen continued his running Journey at the University of Arkansas, where he was an All American and All SEC athlete, winning many SEC team titles and posting PR’s of 4:00 in the mile, 8:07 in the 3k, 13:50 in the 5k, and 29:08 in the 10k. 

 

The journey has continued to the present day for Austen, where he is pursuing his olympic dream running for Roots Running Project in Boulder Colorado, being coached by Dr. Richard Hansen and training with all star teammates Frank Lara and Noah Droddy. 

 

Outside of running, Austen is a follower of Christ, video game player, Mac Miller’s #1 fan, food connoisseur and ultimate yes man. 

Austen’s favorite quote: “People give up on their dreams when they see how far they have to go instead of seeing how far they have come.”
 

Why coaching for the toad lyfe? - Austen wants to give back to a sport that has given him so many great things, including lifelong friends and memories. He wants to be a positive light in the running world and help people achieve their goals in a healthy manner, while smiling along the way. He believes in leaning on love and grace, and that running is way more than just a time on a results sheet. He believes it is a community, a learning tool, a stress reliever, a way to love our bodies, and so much more. 

 

Toad Lyfe to Austen means to pursue our dreams with a positive mindset and a smile on our face. We know reaching goals will be hard, but loving the journey along the way will make it enjoyable and worth it. Whenever we look back, we will be grateful for the highs and lows, as long as we continue to learn from each day and run! 

 

Favorite type of toad: 

 

Austen’s favorite toad is the Golden Toad: The Incilius periglenes is known as the Golden Toad due to its bright, yellowish-orange color. They were small in length and were considered true toads. They used to live in high-altitude regions in an area of around 4 sq km (1.5 sq mi) north of the city of Monteverde in Costa Rica. They used to be really common in the elfin cloud forests.

Austen likes the Golden Toad due to its color and its name!  He believes that we all are “Golden” in our own ways. Shine your light!