For Audrey MacLean, running is more than just a sport; it’s a form of escape and a way to clear her mind. It gives her a sense of relief, beyond competition.
“You can go out for a run and just forget about any stress that is holding you back,” Audrey MacLean said. “It’s almost like a symbol of freedom for me.”
Whether Audrey MacLean is racing along college trails or winding through Marin’s hillsides, running has become her meditation.
Elizabeth MacLean, mother of Audrey MacLean, recalls how it all began.
“Audrey probably started running with us when she was seven or eight, just for little fun runs,” Elizabeth MacLean said. “Then, she got way too fast for us and before we knew it, she was off running her own races.”
Those early runs built more than endurance: they taught Audrey MacLean joy. The joy that pushed her to win the historic Dipsea race on Mount Tamalpais this year, 2025, becoming the first woman under 33 to take the title in over a decade.
“The Dipsea has always been my favorite race,” Audrey MacLean said. “It’s where I first fell in love with trail running.”
It was also one of the reasons she decided to join the cross country team her freshman year; her first experience training and racing consistently.
“Being part of the cross country team showed me how powerful it feels to run for something bigger than yourself,” Audrey MacLean said. “There was always the spirit of teamwork and support.”
She credits the environment for helping her develop both discipline and joy in competition.
Now at Middlebury College, Audrey MacLean continues to channel that same energy into competition. Audrey MacLean earned multiple All-American honors and was even named to the New England Small College Athletic Conference. Runner of the Week this fall after leading her team to an Invitational title. But for Audrey MacLean, it’s less about trophies and more about connection.
“We aren’t just defined by running, we’re defined by how we treat each other,” Audrey MacLean said.
That belief was shaped during high school, where she learned from mentors and friends that running is as much about connection as it is competition.
“At Redwood, my teammates became my closest friends,” Audrey MacLean said. “That sense of support carried with me to college.”
Lulu Baker, who ran alongside Audrey MacLean for nearly eight years, describes her as both humble and passionate.
“[Audrey’s] love for running has only grown,” Baker said. “Every time we get to do a trail run together, it feels like our happy place.”
For Audrey MacLean, running represents balance: the push and the peace, the exhaustion and the lightness. It’s what keeps her steady through school, friendships and life’s chaos.
“You have to keep your love for the sport alive,” Audrey MacLean said. “That’s the key to staying motivated and to running for the long haul.”
