Ava Earl Crushes Mile Record

Nails Second Fastest Time for Alaska Woman Runner

By Harper Landry

TNews Reporter

Local Girdwoodian Ava Earl just ran the second fastest mile time in Alaska's women's history. 

Ava is a local musician and athlete who went to Girdwood K-8 School and currently runs Division 1 at Northwestern University.

Being a student athlete is hard especially at such a prestigious school and it hasn’t always been easy, says Ava. She said she's learned how important it is to be resilient and to not give up when things get hard. 

Ava says she has also learned better time management skills, how to use your resources, and how to ask for help.

Ava is very honored to be among some of her idols like (Soldotna runner and NCAA champion runner) Allie Ostrander, who she has looked up to since middle school when she started getting serious with running. Ava is proud of all the hard work she has put in to follow in Ostrander's footsteps and she hopes to someday be competitive at Allie’s level.

Multi-talented Ava Earl performs as a singer and songwriter with several studio albums. (Photo courtesy of Ava Earl)

Ava’s outdoor track season is starting and she is hoping to get her 5k time into the low 15:20s which will help her in cross country next year.

Ava’s advice for younger runners is to make sure you are healthy and eating enough. 

 “You can’t run on broken legs or an empty stomach, and your coach shouldn't want you to,” she says.

When it comes to choosing a college to run at, she shared that it is important to look for coaches and teams that prioritize your physical and mental health.

 “Let your love for the sport guide you, and know the difference between working hard and overworking,” Ava says.

 Ava also recommends to start running at a low mileage. She ran at a low mileage until college and it worked out really well for her in the long-term.

 As for her other role as a professional musician, Ava doesn't have a plan for her next album but she is always working on new music. She is hoping to put out new music within the next two years. But before then she is planning to do lots of performing.

Girdwood is super proud of Ava and we can’t wait to see what comes next!