We got a treat from former Peoria Richwoods HS great Brenna Detra. Detra competed in the mixed mile race as part of her training for the upcoming season at Twilight Indoor- Chicago. Her coach basically wanted to go and get some work in and what she accomplished was pretty amazing. She ran a personal best 4:41.01 while doing it among a ton of traffic courtesy of high school boys.
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Detra's journey as a professional may be a bit different than most. But like a lot of talented athletes, she was excellent in many sports as a youth. However, it was track and field that open the doors for ultimate success for Detra. She posted some excellent marks as a prep (300H- 42.76, 200- 24.62, 400-56.74, 100H- 14.50). Working primarily as a sprinter, Detra earned all-state honors in three events during her senior year, culminating in a state title in the 300H.
The next journey was at the University of Wisconsin which was literally met with joy and pain. Working primarily as a 400H specialist, Detra was progressing well until suffering an ACL injury at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Despite the tragic injury, she was able to fully recover and make it back to the big stage in 2018 and drop a lifetime best of 57.42 along the way.
Now, another transformation has taken place for Detra. She moved up to the 800m after graduating from college and the results have been fruitful. She has broken the benchmark 2:00 with a slick 1:59.94 at a meet in New York last May.
The ceiling continues to be high with the world championship qualifying window in the forefront. It is a crowded field but Detra is ready to push her way to the top of the row. She offered positive vibes to the young ladies out there. "If you can do anything you want if you set my mind to it."