Written by Sebastian Colyn

It was not the ideal start Grace Konrad had in mind when she first visited a rainy Trinity Western University campus on a recruitment trip. The thought of spending her next five years away from home in a different province was not the ideal scenario for her. 

However, the Edmonton product quickly fell in love with the welcoming community and by the end of her first visit, she was sold.  Before coming to visit TWU, the opportunity to be a student-athlete was wasn't even on her mind. 

"I never really thought about running track in university until they reached out," Konrad says. "I just always thought I would go to Bible school after high school. Never did it cross my mind that I could run track and go to a Christian school."

The sprinter, who is in her fifth year studying at TWU, is very thankful for her upbringing and she credits her surroundings at home for a lot of her success on the track.

"I have been so blessed to have a very supportive family growing up. I have two older sisters and having been though a lot together, I would say they are my best friends. My mom always said that I had to be fast in order to keep up with them" 

However, aside from unlocking her athletic potential, spiritually her family has played a large role too. 

"A big thing with my family that I am so grateful for is that they were the ones to introduce me to God and the Christian faith. They have really helped me make my faith my own and taught me to rely on God in both the good and the bad times. " 

Her desire from a young age to "keep up" has grown into a remarkable career in track and field at the U SPORTS level. Konrad won back-to-back Canada West gold medals in the 300m in 2019 and 2020. Konrad holds the school record with a time of 38.80 in that event. Grace also holds records for the schools 200m (24.83s) and 400m (55.58s) races.

These great achievements come as no surprise to head coach Shane Wiebe, who after seeing Konrad put her spikes on for the first time was blown away by her work ethic.
 
"Grace has had high hopes since I started coaching her and she has always wanted to compete with the best. She has wanted to do everything and more ever since the start. She is the kind of athlete you have to hold back sometimes. On rest days after she has been working really hard, realistically she has to pull back a little bit and she doesn't like to do that. Over my time here, I have had a few instances where I have honestly had to tell her that today is not the day to be your usual 110 per cent self – today is a rest day. However, when you ask her for 110 per cent, she will give it to you every time."

That type of effort is never more apparent than when she rounds the final bend and races down the home stretch. 

 "She has this uncanny way of mowing down competitors in the last 60 metres," Wiebe says. "Sometimes it seems like she's out of the race after 200m…but after that watch out, she has another gear. It is so amazing to watch."

How then does Konrad unlock this next gear to blow past her competition? She credits her simple race day preferences like eating oatmeal, doing devotions and encouraging teammates to calm nerves and get in the right frame of mind. She also has a higher desire when she runs.

"While I am competitive and want to get better, ultimately to be able to worship God through my events is my biggest purpose."

This is something that is very clear to her coaches and teammates who see her living out what it means to be a Spartan athlete. 

"…[S]he is always kind, always passionate, always positive," says assistant coach Jamie Sinclair. "She is very sure in who she is and is always looking for ways to serve. She encompasses everything there is about being a Complete Champion and what our programs at Trinity are striving for in who they are creating as athletes".

Just as Konrad has made her mark on the track, her coaches and teammates will say she is having the same impact off it. 

"She embodies the word hospitality," Wiebe says. "She will take teammates under her wing in a way that no one else does – whether its driving them to practice or engaging in meaningful conversations. She likes including teammates regardless of their circumstances."

Konrad's character is something that her close friend and teammate Jouen Chang says makes her such a great person.

"There are so many things that I love about Grace," Chang says. "Something that stands out from the rest is her servant heart. She is always wanting to serve others in the best way she can and show God's love to others. After becoming friends in our first year, I've always enjoyed all the conversations, Bible studies, study dates, runs together, and of course the travel memories at track meets with Grace. She is just someone who is always there when you need support or encouragement."

Leaning into friendships like these has been the key for Konrad to maintain a balance in her life. The demands of her decision to pursue nursing at TWU have built up an incredibly busy schedule for Konrad. 

But this is Grace. 

There's no doubt she'll be flying to the finish.

About TWU
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in CIS sports. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
 
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 29 Canada West team championships.
 
The views expressed by our student-athletes and our alumni are their own. We appreciate varying individual views within Spartan Athletics. 

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