For the past three seasons Anna Timan has been one of the state’s rising track and field stars, winning a gold medal in the 300-meter hurdles this spring. Recently the rising senior discussed her illustrious career to this point; Part I of the two-part interview is transcribed below, lightly edited for clarity and length. Sports editor's note: the interview was conducted ahead of the recent Adidas Outdoor Nationals, at which Timan finished 20th in the Championship Division 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:05.26.
How long have you been running track now? How'd you get started?
Well, I originally started out doing cross [country] because my mom grew up doing track and field, and she got me into doing cross country. Sixth grade was my first year and I injured my ankle, and she was like, “OK, no more going on the trails – no more roots.” She was like, “You can do track,” and I was like, “But I like cross better.” That was back in the day; I don't like cross now. And so seventh grade year I started doing track, and the distance coach was like, “Come on, let’s do distance.” I was like, “I am not running long distances on very short tracks,” so that's why I started doing sprints.
I’ve never understood how y’all do cross.
Yeah, I have no clue. I don't have the endurance now to do it.
So tell me about your summer plans?
I’m doing MoveMore Elite [Panther track and field’s summer program put on by the Franklin gym], and I think that goes until [the winter indoor season], but I think I'm just going to do that until August. And then I'm training for [the Adidas Outdoor Nationals] right now, so I'm still doing workouts five times a week, and I think I'm just going to continue running throughout the summer.
And what events will you do at nationals?
Just the 400 hurdles.
How do those extra 100 meters change the race strategy?
To be honest, I have no clue; I've never run it. … It’s different because you start out on a curve instead of a straight, because you start at the beginning of the track. I honestly like starting on the curve better, because I just get more momentum leaning into the curve. So I wonder if that will make the race different.
And what division will you compete in?
I'm competing in the championship, because of my 300 hurdle conversion. [Despite never having run the 400, Timan’s 300-meter time was extrapolated out to the longer distance, placing her in the meet’s highest-level race.]
Will it be fun to race some of the other fastest girls from across the country?
Yeah, I'm really excited for the opportunity because it was kind of a last-minute decision to [attend nationals]. I didn't expect to do it this year and I honestly have no clue what to expect, so I’m excited to see what happens.
So what made you decide to go to nationals?
Just for the bigger spotlight, and to put myself out there for more colleges to notice. I want to see what I can do in the 400 hurdles because that's a new thing, and just to start a good senior year.
Have any college coaches reached out to you yet?
[Head coach Matt Harlfinger] has told me a few have been interested, but not a lot have reached out. They’ll come up and talk to me, but they haven't really reached out yet because I don't think they're allowed to.
Could you take me through a typical day of training during the summer?
Recently I've been waking up, usually really early, going to the track and doing my workout – on a good day. Then I'll come here [to MoveMore Fitness] and work out, stretch and everything after, and then I’ll usually go home and have some kind of protein, breakfast, whatever. Then I’ll go to work and then come home and do some recovery, like an ice bath or a hot shower or something.
So now that you're a state champion, will everyone be gunning for you?
I don't know. I'm kind of nervous for nationals because I think the girl that I raced [at the 5A state meet, Lexi Tripp of Croatan] is going to be there to, and she's already run the 400 hurdles.
I don't want to get beat by her; I want to beat her again.
Do you guys have a kind of rivalry going? Have you talked to her at all?
Yeah, but she’s a sweet girl – she’s locked in.
So now that you’re a state champion, do you have any goals for next year?
I want to break the 300 hurdle record, and then … you know what? Go big or go home – I want to get the 55 hurdle ring.
And remind me what place you got in the 55 at state?
Sixth, I think.
Were there a bunch of seniors that finished ahead of you?
I think returning, I'm fourth, so I have competition. But I feel like, because I have more hurdle experience and I'm not just on six weeks of training or whatever I had, I think I can do a lot better.
Would you say the 55 is harder than the 300?
I think they're different in their own way. I think the 55 is one where you just have to get out fast. They're taller hurdles and they're super-close together, so you just have to have really good foot speed and really good form and everything. I think with the 300 you can kind of have a little bit more freedom, just because you can mess up and kind of pick yourself back up. So I think one's more technique and one's more endurance, I guess.
Team-wise, you guys have been knocking on the door of winning state, finishing in the top five for a few years now. Are you guys more motivated now to win a state title as a team?
I think that would be super-cool. I think just getting first place would probably bring us together to bond over that as a team, and it’d be a good way to finish out my senior year.
July 23, 2026
