AUBURN, Ala. – While her competitors trained, Joyce Kimeli grieved.
Traveling home to Kenya - 8,000 miles from Auburn - to be with her family after the death of her father, Kimeli did not run from Dec. 22, 2020, to Jan. 17, 2021.
When she returned for the spring semester, Kimeli quarantined for a week before gradually ramping up her running.
"My training days were very few," she said.
Despite the limited training time and the loss of her father, Kimeli excelled at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships Feb. 25-27 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, winning the 5,000 meters and 3,000 meters on consecutive days.
"I wasn't afraid of anybody. I'm always ready any time," she said. "I keep it in my mind knowing how tough I am, even if I think the race is painful, because crossing that line, I felt the race was painful, but because of the perseverance, the belief, the mindset that I have, I did what it took to be the champion."
"Joyce hit it out the park at SECs," said Auburn assistant coach David Barnett. "I think Joyce and I work really well together because I never put any more pressure on her than she puts on herself. She wants to be at her best all the time, so from a mental and physical standpoint, she's very unique."Double gold: Joyce Kimeli won the 5,000m and 3,000m at the 2021 SEC Indoor Championships Like Kimeli, Barnett also lost his father in the fall of 2020, to COVID-19. Their shared loss further bonded the coach and the athlete, now in their fourth year of working together.
"We're both people of faith," Barnett said. "That's where our strength comes from. We know we'll see our dads again."
"My coach always says, 'Joyce, you're tough,'" said Kimeli, noting how her father used to send a similar message. "Even if it's painful, I'm tough. The word tough means a lot to me because my late dad used to tell me, 'Joyce, are you not tough?'
"Even if it's the middle of the race, I remind myself of that word. I flash back to how much work my coach has been giving me. I don't want to take anything for granted but I always try my best to produce the best.
"I like the pain. I like to experience that pain during races because that's when you know the fruits of your success. Without pain, no gain. I need to be able to embrace the pain."
"We're both motivated to be at our best for Auburn and the team," Barnett said. "But we also want to do our best because we're representing our families."
"I'm still struggling honestly," Kimeli said. "When I feel that I'm struggling so hard, I try to be close to God. He is watching to see if I'm a complaining person or if I'm a persevering person."
Kimeli's perseverance is unquestioned.NCAA champion: Joyce Kimeli won the 5,000m at the NCAA Indoor ChampionshipsThe back-to-back SEC championships were a preview of coming attractions. Two weeks later, Kimeli returned to Fayetteville for the NCAA Indoor Championships, winning the gold medal in the 5,000 meters and the bronze in the 3,000 meters.
"Nothing is hard when you've done the work and when God is present," she said.
"After SECs, I knew she could do very well at nationals," Barnett said. "I knew Joyce had turned the corner at the perfect point.
"Mentally, she's always ready. I know that's where she's happiest, when she's in the race. When she's being pushed by other women, she knows she was born to do that."
Kimeli's record-setting season continues outdoors. In her 2021 outdoor debut, she set the Auburn record in the 1,500 meters in her first collegiate race at that distance.Joyce Kimeli broke her Auburn record while posting the No. 1 national time in the 3,000m steeplechase "I know my tank is not empty," said Kimeli, whose most recent triumph is posting the top national time this year in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, 9:37.97.
"She doesn't have any fear," Barnett said. "She's uniquely qualified for that from a physical and a mental standpoint."
Growing up in a running family, Kimeli played basketball, soccer and volleyball before focusing on running. She learned of Auburn through former track and field student-athlete Brenda Kigen, a fellow Kenyan.
"One school is enough," Kimeli told her parents. "I'm interested in Auburn. They meet the requirements that I want."
Four years later, Kimeli now owns five combined Auburn indoor and outdoor records, with more seemingly falling each time she takes her mark.
"Today, I'm going to produce the best out of me," she said. "I'm not looking at anybody but I'm doing my best."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
