Graham Blanks is opening as a professional athlete for New Steadiness on the 2025 New Steadiness Indoor Grand Prix on February 2, 2025. This story is written by our senior author, Deji Ogeyingbo.
Graham Blanks: Harvard’s Distance Star Takes on the Professional Circuit
Graham Blanks has taken an unconventional however extremely profitable path at Harvard. For a couple of years, he flew beneath the radar. Nonetheless, he completed his faculty profession with back-to-back NCAA Cross Nation Championship wins, set a then-collegiate file within the 5,000m, and represented the US on the Paris Olympics, the place he positioned ninth within the 5,000m.
In December 2024, Blanks introduced he would forgo the remainder of his collegiate eligibility and signal knowledgeable contract with New Steadiness. His skilled debut will probably be on the New Steadiness Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on February 2, 2025, the place he’ll compete within the 1,500m. He plans to run the three,000m on the U.S. Indoor Championships three weeks later. His main focus, nonetheless, is The Ten, an outside observe meet in March the place elite U.S. runners chase the world commonplace of 27:00 within the 10,000m. Blanks hasn’t raced the ten,000m since 2023, however his dominant cross-country performances point out he is able to meet the problem.
Blanks’ transition to skilled operating comes with challenges. Considered one of his greatest struggles has been staying wholesome in January. Annually at Harvard, accidents interrupted his winter coaching. He handled Achilles points as a freshman, an adductor downside the next yr, and a stress response in his femur final yr. His left leg is barely longer than his proper, which can contribute to his accidents, particularly when operating on tight indoor tracks. His coach, Alex Gibby, believes these turns put an excessive amount of pressure on his inside leg. Final yr, Blanks missed many of the indoor season earlier than returning within the spring. He completed fifth within the NCAA 5,000m, however his efficiency on the U.S. Olympic Trials was the turning level. Putting fourth within the 5,000m, he was initially the Olympic alternate. Nonetheless, third-place finisher Parker Wolfe didn’t meet the Olympic commonplace, and Blanks’ December file secured him a spot in Paris.
Fairly than turning skilled instantly after the Olympics, Blanks returned to Harvard for one final season of cross-country. It wasn’t nearly competing however ending what he began along with his teammates. “Coming again for cross was by no means a query,” he stated. “I wished to be a part of this group.” Blanks dominated the season, successful his second straight NCAA title within the 10,000m. His decisive transfer within the remaining mile sealed the victory, making him the thirteenth runner in NCAA historical past to win back-to-back titles. Two weeks later, he ran a private better of 12:59.89 within the indoor 5,000m, securing the qualifying commonplace for the 2025 World Championships.
The World Championships will happen in Tokyo this yr, and Blanks has his eyes on making the U.S. group in both the 5,000 or 10,000m—or each. His subsequent massive check will probably be at The Ten on March 29, the place he hopes to hit the world commonplace within the 10,000m. After graduating with levels in economics and philosophy in Might, he’ll seemingly head to Europe for outside races earlier than becoming a member of an altitude coaching camp in Park Metropolis, Utah. Gibby, who has educated Blanks since 2019, will proceed teaching him via this subsequent section.
Blanks has made historical past at Harvard. He turned the primary Ivy League athlete to win the NCAA Cross Nation title and was named the USTFCCCA Northeast Area Males’s Cross Nation Athlete of the Yr 4 instances—the primary runner to attain that. He thrived on strength-based operating, preferring to interrupt away late in races fairly than counting on a remaining dash. He even studied topographic maps earlier than races to find out the place to maneuver.
Blanks’ mental curiosity extends past operating. He loves studying philosophy, analyzing pedestrian infrastructure, and watching urbanism movies. Simply hours earlier than his remaining collegiate race, he submitted a tough draft of his economics thesis on pedestrian infrastructure.
As he enters skilled operating, Blanks will face new pressures. There will probably be fewer races, longer coaching cycles, and extra time between competitions. He has all the time thrived on structured routines, and adjusting to the skilled schedule may very well be difficult. Nonetheless, he’s decided to impression the U.S. distance-running scene.
Blanks has already confirmed himself in opposition to high collegiate competitors. Now, the subsequent step is establishing himself on the worldwide stage. Along with his dedication, intelligence, and skill to peak on the proper time, he has the potential to turn into one in all America’s high distance runners. The journey forward is unsure, however one factor is evident: Graham Blanks is simply getting began.
