Olympic ultra and trail runner and GU Energy Labs President Magdalena “Magda” Boulet spoke about her career in running to the M-A track team last Friday. Students gathered at the bleachers before track practice to hear about her journey from high school athlete to accomplished runner and successful businesswoman.
“I spent most of my childhood competing as a swimmer,” Boulet said. She switched to running after moving to the United States from Poland in high school.
“I came out for the cross country team in high school for social reasons,” Boulet said. “I quickly wanted to make friends, and swimming was a little bit more challenging because your head’s underwater, so you don’t get to talk to people. In running, you get to talk to people all the time.”
Since then, Boulet has competed in and won a variety of competitions, from two 100-mile endurance races to marathons. She placed second in the 2008 US Olympic trials but dropped out after injuring her knee 20 kilometers into her Olympic race.
While she was starting her running professionally, Boulet also developed a career at GU Energy. Boulet was hired there as a research assistant in 1999 while pursuing a master’s at Cal State Hayward and was promoted to president in 2021. She emphasized the importance of lifestyle in getting the best out of running.
“I remember my first evening race. I made the mistake of having vegetable soup. It sounded really healthy,” Boulet said. “But I felt cramps throughout the race and never was able to tap into what I was really prepared to do. It was a big awakening.”
GU Energy, which focuses on nutrition and hydration for athletes, addresses these concerns. “I wish that I knew that both the little things that you do before and after races make a huge difference. Running is just such a small part of having a great run,” Boulet said. In addition to sharing nutrition tips, Boulet also handed out GU products for the students to try.
Boulet shared that much of her inspiration comes from the other athletes.
“I get inspired every single day,” she said. “As President of GU, I have the privilege of working with kids who do sports with prosthetics. It’s life-changing. It’s really cool to meet such incredible athletes.”
“The unique people who are your competitors make you a better teammate and a better friend. That’s the gift of being part of the sport,” Boulet added.
“It was cool to hear from someone so accomplished,” junior Louisa Pflaum said. “Her 100-mile races were really impressive to hear about.”
“I don’t know if I’d be able to just go that far, but it’s cool to think about all the people who have helped her along the way,” Pflaum added.
