Perseverance Sees Ania Kapustka Go from Multiple Injuries to Multiple Top 10 Marks in PSU Career

Distance runner Ania Kapustka was trying to decide what to do next after finishing secondary school in Krakow, Poland.

She knew she wanted someplace new and was looking for a coach in another city.  She was seriously considering the Netherlands.

“It seemed very complicated to not only get into a university and get academics and finances sorted out but also to find a coach that I trust not knowing much about the running culture in the Netherlands,” said the Portland State redshirt junior. “So, I was trying to sort it out, but the deadlines were coming up and I wasn’t sure where to start.”

Like many U.S. universities, the PSU coaching staff was casting a wide geographic net looking for talent and noticed a Polish runner who had placed third in the 600 meters at the Polish U18 Indoor Championships. Kapustka had also finished fifth in the 1500 meters in back-to-back years at the Polish U20 Indoor Championships (2020, 2021). They decided to contact Kapustka, who wasn’t actively looking at U.S. universities.

In February of 2021, she’d just competed at Polish U20 Indoor Championships and, before preparing for the outdoor season, was studying for her final exams when she saw an Instagram message.

“It was from (former PSU assistant coach) Josh Seitz, who claimed to be a PSU track and cross country coach. I was shocked. How did he find me? Is this even legit? I responded with a grain of salt,” Kapustka recalled.

Seitz answered by explaining there was another Polish national on the Viking squad at that time (Weronika Stanczak from Gostyn, Poland) and provided her contact information.

“Well, it did turn out to be real. I got really excited and dropped the idea of going to study in the Netherlands,” she said. PSU would make all the arrangements and, “I was getting a coach, community and resources.”  She didn’t pursue other U.S. opportunities...in fact, she said she didn’t know she could. “I didn’t even know what the NCAA was. I got an opportunity and took it, and it was a good decision. I met so many amazing people, made lifelong friendships. Portland started feeling like home.”

That doesn’t mean she wasn’t homesick.

“I am very homesick (especially her first year). I honestly didn’t expect it. Moving abroad had always been my dream and in high school, I was kind of fed up with my routine and really wanted to move and experience something new.”

Kapustka hit the ground running when she got here. “I came here with very high motivation to undergo a new kind of training and develop as a runner as much as I can.” She trained so hard that she suffered a series of stress injuries that impacted her emotionally and nearly ended her career.

The first was during her freshman year “when I put too much mileage on myself.” Disappointing, but not the end of the world, she thought, so she “hopped on a bike and got into the pool and gave it my all to stay in shape and come back better than before. I came back ready and hungry.”

Kapustka got her second stress fracture before even beginning cross country training this next fall. “I couldn’t believe that and thought it was so unfair, especially since there was no way I was making it to any outdoor race…I lost a whole year of running.”

She felt she was letting everyone down and started rehabbing again…this time with less enthusiasm. She flew home for the summer with a “boot” on. She wasn’t confident about matching her high school times when she returned the next fall…a period when she said she felt “lost as a runner”.

A new assistant staff arrived in the fall of 2022 and pushed her hard, (in a positive way) she said. She began to see her way forward…and then the injury bug hit for the third time.

“I only raced my first indoor race before I got a knee injury. That one broke me. I couldn’t go through that again. By that time, I hated cross-training. I didn’t want to get back on a bike.  I just thought all that was pointless and felt no matter how many times I came back strong, I would just keep getting injured.”

But, Kapustka was a competitor and decided to give it one more shot.

“She’s a testament to someone who has a high degree of perseverance, competitiveness and determination,” said PSU Head Track Coach Jonathan Marcus, who arrived in the fall of 2023.

Still, there’s a difference. Her injuries forced a new look at herself and her relationship to running.  

“I told myself I’d do it one more time. This time I want to keep it just fun.” She began to work out and run again but needed a total reset. “I wanted to forget about running competitively for a little bit…just enjoy everything in my life and wait for the urge to run again.” It came back while she was home in Krakow for the summer.

She went for a few runs when she returned in the fall of 2023, but coming back to racing was difficult. “I couldn’t escape from the thought that I was going to get injured again.” She said she was unhappy with her performance that year, was quitting mentally in races and that it was even getting hard physically…but, she made it through the year without an injury.

“I thought I’d never get back. But this year, something happened that I didn’t expect.  I found joy in pushing myself again. I wanted to see what I could do again and had the perfect environment to do it (Love my teammates),” she said.

And, that new attitude has shown results. Recently, she moved up from fourth to second all-time in the indoor 1,000 meters with her finish in 2:56.97 at the UW Preview on Jan. 17. She also set the No. 4 time in the cross country 4k at the Gator Cross Invitational in September.

Kapustka will graduate this spring with a 4.0 cumulative GPA in Applied Health and Fitness and would like a career in physical therapy. This year’s successes have her considering utilizing her last year of competitive eligibility.

She’s trying to choose between running for another year and pursuing a master’s degree of some sort at PSU or going to a physical therapy school and getting a head start on a physical therapy career.

“Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to use my year of eligibility while being in a PT school for time and financial reasons. If I chose to use my eligibility, I’d choose a different master’s degree first, but I don’t have much time after graduating because after an OPT year my visa would expire and I’d either need to enroll in school here, find work, or go back to Europe for my PT degree,” she said.

Whatever she decides, she’s found a second home in Portland even as differences stand out. Kapustka especially noted American food and car culture, although American TV shows had prepared her.

“The first thing that caught my eye was the number of highways here. That you can get any single place by car was kind of crazy to me. I love the walking culture of Europe. Coming here from a cooking household and culture in general, it was so weird to me how much people order out instead of cooking.  And, even if they cook, there’s so much processed cheap food in refrigerators.”

She also said it took her a while to realize that casual greeting like “how are you doing?” and “what’s up” were throwaway lines. “I’d answer, telling them about my day. I quickly learned that this is not a start of small talk but an interesting form of ‘hi’.” She also was surprised at the amount of on-line shopping and that people were impressed that she spoke two languages. Second languages are the norm in Europe, and she thought the same would be true here.

Kapustka loves the view of Mt. Hood and the hills surrounding Portland. “I love Forest Park, that it spreads for so many miles, is extremely accessible from downtown and has so many trails…and it stays green throughout the year. I love the waterfalls, ocean, rivers and all the hikes being so close by…(and) I really like the weather (this might be a hot take). It doesn’t get cold here and you can get a spring-like day in the middle of winter.”

She might consider staying in the U.S. but would look for a city with more of her idea of a European feel.

Whatever Kapustka decides, Marcus has been happy she ended up in the Viking program.

“She’s a gentle spirit and a communal spirit who has the ability to connect with her peers and teammates. She’s talented, driven and very caring of others…a special type of person, a role model.”