Alumni Q&A: Spears Business graduate Johnson eyes Olympics after setting mile record

Alumni Q&A: Spears Business graduate Johnson eyes Olympics after setting mile record

Monday, November 10, 2025

Media Contact: Hallie Hart | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-1050 | [email protected]

A Spears School of Business alumna holds the American women's record for running the fastest mile.

Sinclaire Johnson earned her bachelor's degree in economics in spring 2020 from Oklahoma State University, where she punctuated her college track career with a 2019 NCAA title in the 1,500 meters.

The 27-year-old runner from Longwood, Florida, continues to soar as a professional.

In July, she made history with her mile time of 4 minutes, 16.32 seconds, at the London Diamond League meet, eclipsing Nikki Hiltz's American record by three-hundredths of a second. Johnson placed fourth overall in the international race and recorded the 14th-best women's mile time in the world.

Now, Johnson has her sights set on the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympic Games. While living and training in Portland, Oregon - only a few miles from Nike's World Headquarters - she keeps her OSU connections close. Johnson met her fiancé, Craig Nowak, when they both ran for OSU head coach Dave Smith in Stillwater.

Sinclaire Johnson (in front) advanced to the 1500-meter finals in September at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. (Provided by Sinclaire Johnson / courtesy of USATF)

Q: What does your day-to-day schedule look like now?

Johnson: It's honestly pretty similar as it's always been since I started doing this, but some days are a lot more hectic than others. Some days, I'm working out from 9-12 in the morning and then again from 4-6 in the afternoon. But, there are down days, my easier days where I have one run in the morning that takes about an hour and maybe massage in the afternoon. It's more down time than you would think just because we can't run all day. In between, I'm really trying to make sure I'm focusing on recovery and nutrition and all those types of things, and trying to stay off my feet, especially when I'm in heavy training.

What team are currently you part of?

I was on a team for the first five years of my professional career, but now I am totally on my own. My fiancé coaches me. I just wanted to have a program that was written around me and have training that was definitely geared toward myself. I've dealt with a lot of injuries in the past on teams where you have to fit into what everybody else is doing. I made that switch last year, and I would say that it definitely paid off this year and hopefully for years to come.

When you think about your time at OSU, is there a certain lesson that has stuck with you and guided you today?

A lot, honestly. I also dealt with a couple injuries when I was in college early on, and I thought, at the time, it was like the world was ending and I would never be able to run again -very irrational thoughts, but it taught me a lot about how to work through adversity and how to bounce back from tough times. Those types of things would make me come back even stronger. I would learn a little bit more about myself and learn about what my line is and not to go over that line in training. Having a lot of ups and downs in college has really prepared me for the professional world because it has even more ups and downs, and I can handle those a lot better now just because I know it comes with the sport and I know the world's not ending. Whatever season I'm in, whether it's going well or not, I try to never get too high or too low.

What led you to major in economics?

I took a class in probably my senior year of high school, and I just loved it. I've loved math since I was really, really young. It was a good merging of math and real-life scenarios and being able to create models to predict what's going to happen in the future. I really enjoyed it.

As a professional athlete, you have to be an entrepreneur. How do you navigate the business side of sports?

It's a highly individualized sport. When I'm on the track, I'm there by myself. Of course, I have people behind me who help me get there, but when I'm actually competing, it's just me. I definitely have learned how to be my biggest advocate. We're like walking advertisements for the companies that sponsor us, whether it's what we wear on the track, wear for streetwear, or wear on our watch or sunglasses. There are definitely ways in which you can maximize the amount of money you make and maximize how you present yourself out in the world, too. It's a fun, weird thing.

What are some of your brand sponsorships?

My big one is Nike. That's been my partner for a long time. I've worked with a couple of nutrition supplement companies, Xendurance and Garden of Life. I haven't really tried to go out and get more just yet. Obviously, this year was a big year for me, but I'm waiting for those big moments. Companies like to say, "We have an American record-holder," or, "We have an Olympic champion." Those are still a work in progress.

You said companies like to work with a record-holder. Now, you are a record-holder. What did it mean to you to set the record this summer in the mile?

Sometimes, they change events last minute, so I didn't know it was going to be a true mile until maybe two weeks before the actual race. We don't get to run the mile very often. We run the 1,500-meter most times -that's what we contest at the World Championships, Olympic Games, at almost every single meet. Being able to run a mile is cool, and it's one of those things the average American knows. When I'm telling someone I'm a runner, they ask, "Oh, what's your mile time?" So, to be able to run a mile was really fun, and then obviously getting the record just added a cherry on top. For it to all come together was really special.

How would you describe the actual race?

There were two different groups that split up really quickly because there was one woman who was running super, super fast. I had to make a quick decision of, do I go with the front group and run probably a little bit out of my wheelhouse, or do I hang back and try and close really hard? I ended up going out with the front group and definitely bit off a little bit more than I can chew, but I was able to hang tough. When there were a couple girls who caught up to me with about 800 meters to go, I regrouped and was able to stay with them and finish hard.

What are your next goals?

Every year, there is usually a World Championship or Summer Olympic Games. This next year, there's actually neither. It's technically an off year for us, but there are still little things along the way. I would love to get the U.S. 1,500 record. And, just continuously improving on my times and setting myself up for 2027 and then 2028 when the Olympics are hosted in L.A. because I really want to medal there. Track, in general, is a lot of building consistency, and over time, things will start to click.