Meet Marybeth Price, Marketing Manager, Rekortan
The former track pro talks resilience, realizing her dreams and what she has taken from the track into her role at Rekortan
Georgia born and Colorado raised, Marybeth Price had an adventurous childhood that led to the soccer field and then the track where it was quickly recognized that she had a natural talent. A brilliant sprint career followed during which she broke the 11 second mark for the 100m and became the 3rd fastest women in the world over 60m. She now brings that passion, experience and knowledge of the sport to the other side of the track. For International Women’s Day 2025, we caught up with Rekortan’s track star turned marketing manager.
Tell us about your childhood...
I was born in Georgia but moved to Parker, Colorado at about three months old and it has been home ever since. I’m the youngest of three girls and we had an outdoorsy childhood; we were out in all seasons playing sports and activities non-stop. Sport and family have always been the corner pieces of my life.
When did you first realize you had a talent for track?
Other people recognized it really early on but for me the penny dropped in high school. I was actually a competitive soccer player initially and my coach clocked my speed over the pitch and suggested I take it to the track. He put a little relay team together with three of my soccer teammates and the experiment worked. My dad entered me into the 100m at the same meet and I ended up beating the fastest girl in the State at the time.
This led to me being scouted by renowned US track coach Tony Wells and that was the real start of my track career.
When you stepped onto the track for the first time, was it love at first sight?
My first time running track gave me this feeling I had never experienced before. It was different to the team sports I was used to. It’s all on you. When you’re on that start line it’s just you and the track and it was an adrenaline rush like no other. I fell in love with it straight away.
“When you’re on that start line it’s just you and the track and it was an adrenaline rush like no other.”
What was your high school track experience like?
I did my freshman year in Chaparral, Parker, Colorado but realized that the track program at Valor Christian High School in Highland’s Ranch offered the level of track program that would propel me to where I wanted to be for my college career. So I made the switch and it was the best decision I ever made. I had an amazing high school season and finished my senior year as the number one in the nation for the 60m and 100m, and number two in the 200m. This helped me to secure a place at the University of Oregon with its world-famous track program.
How did your college track career at Oregon unfold?
I ran Division One at Oregon but it wasn’t a fairytale. I kept getting stress fractures and was advised by the doctor to medically retire which was a crushing blow at a point where I felt like I was just getting started. The next two and half years were the biggest challenge I have faced in my running career as I was relegated to the sidelines.
How did you find your way back to the track?
Sitting out of track for such a big chunk of time at a formative stage in my career gave me a lot of time to think and to appreciate what I was missing. I came to the conclusion that my work here wasn’t done and that I needed to figure out a different route. I got a second medical opinion, I was able to fight my way back to fitness and I went on to finish my college track career in 2018 at Colorado State University. After a rusty first season back, I was firing again by my final year. It was a breakthrough year. I finished top in the NCAA and I signed professionally in 2019.
What are your professional career highlights?
That’s a tough question so I’m going to give you three.
Making the Olympic trials within a week of my husband, who was a professional decathlete, is up there. It was the first year post COVID and hitting that Olympic Standard and going to the trials together to try to make the US team for Tokyo was a massive highlight. The whole process is so intense. Reaching the standard is hard enough and then you have to go through the rounds and they only select two of you for each distance. It was an incredible experience individually, but to do it alongside him was extra special.
My bronze medal in the 2022 Indoor World Championships for team USA was a dream come true. That final was the fastest women’s, 60 meter final in history, and so to walk away with a medal was such a major achievement.
Then in 2023 I broke 11 seconds for the 100m. That was a milestone I’d dreamed about achieving since college. It meant I was ranked within the top 10 in the world in the World Athletics rankings.
How important is the athlete-coach relationship?
It is fundamental. A coach can make or break your career. The training environment you’re in every day is so critical to your mindset and physical condition and they control this. I was very lucky to work with incredible coaches like Brian Kula from Valor and Charles Dugue, my club coach from the age of ten who I returned to in my second year as a pro. We had a very successful career together.
“Then in 2023 I broke 11 seconds for the 100m. That was a milestone I’d dreamed about achieving since college. It meant I was ranked within the top 10 in the world in the World Athletics rankings.”
You mentioned mindset. What have you taken from the track into other areas of your life?
I am a goal orientated person on and off the track. The track taught me that routine, persistence, showing up day after day and keeping your eye on the end game brings success whether your goal is a track medal or a campaign award.
It also taught me to never give up. There were a lot of naysayers throughout my career and you have to learn to block them out. My time away from the track, not knowing if I would make it back, ultimately taught me a resilience and level of self-belief that got me to where I am today. It also brought back a love and passion for the sport that I don’t think I would have had without the injury.
What brought you to the other side of the track with Rekortan?
By my last professional season I had achieved so many of my goals and I had reached a point where I felt fulfilled and ready to figure out who I was beyond the track.
I graduated with BA in Communications with a minor in media studies and marketing so I knew that was the direction I wanted to go. When the marketing role came up with Rekortan it was an amazing fit.
What does your role involve?
As the marketing manager for Rekortan I am responsible for building our brand and credibility within the sport. I look after our partnerships and use my knowledge and connections within track to help develop our brand alongside the sport.
How would you describe your first few months on the brand?
It has been an amazing crossover because I am still involved with the sport I love, working for a brand that genuinely cares about making it better – from a performance, environmental and safety point of view. Being able to make a positive difference to track and field from another angle was a huge draw for me. I also get to work with a great team of people who are connected and supportive.
What’s next for track and field?
The future of track is very bright. We’ve seen real momentum in the last couple of years with greater media coverage including the first track documentary, Sprint, dropping on Netflix. Innovations like Michael Johnson’s, Grand Slam Track initiative, will be huge. It’s a unique concept that will drive excitement and new audiences to the sport. The growth of track and field is on an upward trajectory and I think we’re entering a breakthrough moment which I am excited to be a part of.