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Kiwi Maia Ramsden executed an outstanding tactical performance to secure the NCAA 1500m title in Austin, Texas last weekend. We find out more about the 21-year-old Harvard University student’s life and running journey so far.

Global traveller

Maia was born in the US, to a Kiwi dad, Mark, who was raised in Masterton, and mum, from Connecticut. Her dad works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so for much of her school years she bounced around from country to country living in the US, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Ethiopia. From the age of around three-and-a-half to seven she lived in Wellington and attended Lyall Bay School.

“I’ve only lived in New Zealand for just under four years of my life but as my dad worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that would allow us to come back as a family several times a year. I definitely call it my home,” says Maia.

Fiji beginnings

She started her sporting journey from the age of ten competing in triathlons when living the Solomon Islands. However, her track career only began three years after moving to Fiji. Her school PE teacher introduced her to the sport, and she recalls the thrill of competing in front of up to 20,000 people at the annual national schools competition – the Coca-Cola Games.

“A big turning point for me came when I finished fourth in the 1500m one year at the Coca-Cola Games,” she explains. “That was the point I thought in order to improve I need to be more serious at this, so I stopped a lot of other activities to focus on running.”

New Zealand age-group success

A New Zealand resident because her father worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she opted to enhance her running education from 2016 by competing in national competitions here in Aotearoa. In 2018 in Hamilton, Maia won a national U18 800m silver medal before the following year impressing in Christchurch by bagging 1500m U20 gold and U18 800m silver. In 2020 she further underlined her status as one of New Zealand’s premier middle-distance talents by securing the national U20 800m and 1500m double.  

“Nothing beats that feeling of crossing the line first,” she says of winning key age group races in New Zealand. “I had really struggled with race day nerves and the pressure of competing in big events, especially in Fiji because of the media coverage of the event. It was nice to come back to New Zealand, race and spend some time with my grandparents.”

Ivy League move

Later in 2020 she relocated again to move from Ethiopia to start life as a Literature and History student specialising in Pacific literature at the prestigious Harvard University in the US. Academically ambitious she nonetheless gave seriously consideration as to how her running would advance during her university days and she has been delighted with how her coach-athlete relationship has developed through Alex Gibby during her time in Massachusetts.

“I give coach Gibby a lot of credit,” says Maia. “He has his own approach and philosophy which works well for me. I carry out a lot of volume (between 90-110km a week) – with a lot of threshold and tempo runs. He is really invested in my long-term success. He made it clear from day one how he wants us to be running 50 years from now, which I really appreciate.”

All round progress

After a Covid impacted 2021, the 2022 campaign represented a truer gauge to Maia’s form and fitness and she was delighted to finish tenth in the 1500m final at the NCAA outdoor championships and 11th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma. She also managed to whittle down her 1500m PB within the course of the calendar year by more than 11 seconds to 4:12.46.

“The cross was the most fun. It was a little bittersweet because I was there without (a women’s team, so that was really hard initially, but the men’s team took me in. We gave each other haircuts, it is such an exciting, fun event. It was a definite highlight.”

Indoor glory

Maia Ramsden indicated more progress during an excellent indoor campaign earlier this year. At the NCAA Indoor Championships she placed fifth in the mile final and finished a highly creditable eighth in the 3000m. Meanwhile she also posted a mile PB of 4:30.19 in Boston – a time which elevated her to number two on the all-time New Zealand women’s mile lists behind New Zealand record-holder Kim Smith, who recorded 4:24.14 in 2008.

“It was a fun surprise to PB,” she says. “I just hope in the future I can find an extra 0.20 and sneak under the 4:30 barrier,” she says.

NCAA champion

Maia has gone from strength to strength during the outdoor campaign. She has set a slew of PB’s over a range of distances and nudged her lifetime best for the 1500m down to 4:11.73 in Winston Salem in April. Then at her primary target for the year in Austin, Texas everything ran like a dream at the NCAA Championships. She advanced from the semi-final courtesy of a PB of 4:09.81 before in the final executing a tactical masterclass in the final to run another PB of 4:08.60.

“I can’t believe it. We thought it would be quick and I spoke to my coach about what kind of 800m split I could handle but that becomes pointless in the race, so he said, ‘don’t worry about the splits, just run your own race, just be patient and maybe some girls will come back to you’. I’ve been working on staying really patient, staying smoother tucking in and just being ready, so I can get the most out of my kick. All of a sudden I was coming around the last bend, and it was like, wait a second, I have some legs left so let’s see what happens.”

International ambitions

Her victory in Austin coupled with her two PB marks have opened up a world of possibilities for Maia who will now take a look at potentially making the New Zealand team for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

“I am not counting anything out this (Northern Hemisphere) summer,” she says. “I’m still exploring what it takes to get to Budapest this year. But I’m definitely still focused on making a national team a key goal for next year at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow and the Paris Olympic Games. I know achieving the latter is a harder goal, but it is not outside the range of possibilities.”

Fun runner

A naturally lover of the fast track workouts, over time Maia has also learned to embrace the mileage – and for her a day would not be complete without a run.

“I’ve always loved the pause and break that running gives me from the rest of my life,” she adds. “Life at Harvard can be pretty intense, so it is nice to have that release and time to go for a run and chat to my team-mates.