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BIOGRAPHY |
Steady development over a decade of training under Adam Didyk has seen Adelaide’s Caitlin Adams develop into one of Australia’s leading distance runners. She has now qualified for the last two Australian teams for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships. After placing second at the 2019 WXC trials, Caitlin proved it was no fluke when last month she placed an outstanding third in the senior women’s 10km at the Australian team trial for the 2023 World Cross Country. The World Cross Country in Bathurst will be her fourth Australian team.
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Growing up in the South Australian coastal town of Wallaroo, Caitlin tried many sports including netball, tennis and basketball, however, athletics was the sport that came most naturally to her.
“I discovered it at my primary school sports day trials (about 11-years-old). I put my hand up to run the 800m trial and came first, beating a lot of students in older years.”
After more success in athletics and cross country Caitlin some realised that distance running was where her sporting passions and interests lie.
“I really loved the challenge of endurance running and loved pushing myself as a kid. I made my first state athletics team in year 8 (14-years-old) for the 1500m and 3000m events at the Australian All Schools and made my first state cross country team the following year (Adelaide XC nationals 2012).
In her early teens she joined Adam Didyk’s squad, training remotely in Wallaroo. Progress and training was steady under coach Didyk while she was at high school.
“Adam has been integral in my development as an athlete. I was not a standout athlete as a junior. I moved to Adelaide in 2016 to pursue university and fully commit to running with Team Tempo. Prior to this I was training solo via correspondence. I had a breakout season as a senior athlete (20-years-old) during the 2017/18 season and have continued to progress since. I put this down to years of consistent training and Adam’s ability to formulate long term plans, as well as understanding the strengths and weaknesses of his athletes and pushing us to target big goals.”
Her great season led to selection in her Australian team debut at the World University Cross Country Championships in March 2018.
A year later Caitlin was running times to put her on more national teams, selected for the 2019 World University Games and World Cross Country Championships. At the 2019 WXC trials she placed second in the trial behind Melissa Duncan.
Pre-pandemic in early 2020, she set some impressive track PBs for 1500m (4:15), 3000m (8:58) and 5000m (15:32). She continued that form in 2021, with a highlight being a win at the Burnie 10 in October, clocking a notable 10km road PB of 32:31.
In 2022 she started to make more of an impact over 10,000m. She placed fourth and seventh in the two Zatopek 10s in January and December that year. She was second in the National 12km Road Championship and third in the National cross country.
Caitlin capped off a brilliant 12 months when in January 2023 at Stromlo in Canberra, she successfully qualify for her second Australian World Cross Country team, with a brilliant third place in the senior women’s 10km event.
“In the last six months I have experienced the most success (performances) of my career. I feel as though I’ve managed to take a step up to the next level and start to feel confident and strong enough to challenge for race wins and podium finishes in quality fields. In part I believe that is because I have simply been enjoying training so much and have been noticing a big difference in the quality of sessions that I have been able to do and how consistent I have been in sessions throughout the better half of last year. This has given me a lot of confidence going into races.”
Progress in Australia women’s distance running has also encouraged Caitlin.
“Additionally the depth in women’s distance running in Australia has increased so naturally that inspires the rest of us to lift and have the courage to keep up. This has largely been due to achieving a nice running/work/life balance for the first time (as I finished my university study in 2021) which has meant that I’ve been able to focus a lot of my energy on running and recovery.”
Hero: I’m inspired by a host of current Aussie females. Jess Stenson has been a role model to me since I was young and it’s so great to be able to call her a close friend now. We have lived together in the past so I know first hand how dedicated she is as an athlete and how she goes about her running career. I’m lucky to get to learn from her and train with her now. On the international scene, I’m pretty inspired by the likes of Emily Sisson, Dom Scott, Karoline Grovdal…Most influential person in your career: My coach Adam Didyk who has been coaching me for 12 years now…Advice to your young self: Don’t get too caught up in race results and competition as a junior athlete - just have fun. I put a lot of pressure on myself and got myself really worked up before races at a young age. As a teenager, some competitions can feel like the biggest moments of your life when in reality they don’t really mean too much. My time as a junior athlete contributed to my love of the sport but the overall results do not contribute to or predict your future success as a senior athlete…Hobbies: time with friends, reading, playing board games and music…Occupation: Secondary Teacher (Health & PE, Maths)…Biggest challenge you've faced: Fortunately, I haven’t had any major injuries during my career. However, for me the biggest challenge has been navigating my first year of working professionally as a teacher with my training and running commitments. I learnt a lot about myself during this time and what is most important to me. I have had to make sacrifices financially and professionally to be able to fully commit to athletics and all that comes with performing at a high level. Also years where it doesn’t click and you don’t improve.
@ 20 Jan 2023 David.Tarbotton@athletics.org.au