For most people, the thought of having to run sounds like a death sentence. But for Olivia Magagna, running is her life. In fact, she’s been running almost her entire life, starting at the age of 4. From then on, she was a standout athlete throughout high school and into college, where she recently represented the Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg Huskies at the NCAA Nationals in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Finishing 87th overall, the highest Husky finish since Kate Dodds took 42nd overall in 2015, Olivia Magagna has already begun to build an impressive legacy at CU Bloomsburg in her first season as a Husky. However, the path to excellence has proven to be an uphill battle.
Olivia Magagna shares much of her running journey on her TikTok account, @livbutrunning, where she has amassed nearly 150k followers. After creating her account, the follower count came quickly once her team and town got word of it. “I post anything running-related. I post updates, all my races, day-to-day things, routines, all that kind of stuff,” she says, “It’s been so cool to see people come up to me at meets or ask me for pictures. I’ve seen how many people I’ve impacted through my own journey with running. It inspires me by inspiring other people.”
When asked about whether or not she feels immense pressure to perform well from having a spotlight on her at school and online, Magagna had an insightful response about having so many eyes on her at all times. “I feel like someone would think I would feel the pressure of everyone because they’re all watching but I feel like even if I run poorly or I have a setback, a lot of people would be able to relate to that happening. If I get injured or don’t finish a race, there would be people who relate to that and find comfort in that and feel better about themselves. I feel that either way, if something bad happens or not, it’s still a good outcome.”
Her page is not only just for posting workouts, running jokes, and races. It’s also a place for her to be open with others about some of her biggest struggles with getting to where she is today. During her sophomore year of high school, Magagna struggled with anorexia nervosa which stemmed from severe anxiety and depression.
In a pinned video on her TikTok account, Magagna summarizes her experience with overcoming the disorder, even admitting that doctors were unsure if she would be able to run again. Despite the grim outlook on her future in running, Magagna still rose to her feet and began the journey back to the track. Today, she has made a full recovery and continues to prove her doctors wrong. “It was definitely hard to build that all back,” she says, “It took a lot, probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done because I was building back from zero.”
To Olivia Magagna, running is more than just one foot in front of the other. Her love for the sport has led her to competing at the national level and towards a brighter future. She attributes herself and her father, a former professional triathlete, as her biggest motivators for this sport. In terms of what’s next, Magagna only sees the opportunity to do better than she has in her first season. “There’s still room to grow,” she says.
“Running means a lot to me. The community and all the people in it. A lot of my life has come together through the running community… It brings a lot of people together. It’s really, really supportive and it gives me a purpose.”