"While warming up with some local runners, I was listening to the usual pre-run banter," she said. "Because everyone was speaking French, I really had to concentrate on every word, and, suddenly, I realized that the conversations were exactly like those that American runners have. That made me think about how all the runners I knew — from all over the world — share some distinct personality traits."
Although Maggie's revelation came during Hamilton's Academic Year in France, it's no surprise that she was thinking hard about running. A national champion in the 5,000-meter run, Maggie is an All-American member of Hamilton's track and cross-country teams. She has even been featured in Sports Illustrated for her running achievements.
When she returned to Hamilton, Maggie designed a research project based on her observations in Paris. "I wanted to learn if runners with certain personality traits would react to their performance predictably," she said, "so I developed a series of surveys to assess personality type and measure how runners set goals and adjust them throughout the season."
At the suggestion of a faculty member, Maggie applied for (and won) a prestigious Senior Fellowship to study her topic for a full year. Now, she's compiling data from a "sample population" comprised of nearly 100 collegiate cross-country runners and will spend several months analyzing the results.
After graduation, Maggie intends to continue studying social and personality psychology at the graduate level and running competitively. "Running is a big part of my life, so focusing my research on distance runners allows me to combine two of my passions," she said. "Besides, now I know that research like this can help lots of runners all around the world."
