Struggle to run a mile? Don't worry, so does Olympic medal-winning sprinter Gabby Thomas.
Total vindication for those of us who hated running the mile in gym class.

Gabby Thomas won three gold medals in track at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Running a mile has long been viewed as a barometer of fitness, particularly in American schools. For decades, students had to a run the mile as part of the annual Presidential Physical Fitness Test, and some schools still incorporate how long it takes a student to run a mile into their P.E. grade.
For kids who are natural runners or who play sports that involve a lot of running, jogging a mile isn't that difficult. For those who aren't and don't, it can feel like torture. Struggling to run a mile, especially when it's being used as a measure of your fitness, can make you feel like like an out-of-shape failure.
That is, until you find out that the obviously in-shape Olympic track star Gabby Thomas also struggles to run a full mile.
In an interview talking about her training, Thomas explained that she only runs a mile once a year and it's tough for her.
"The furthest I will run is one mile," Thomas shared in an interview on the TODAY Show. "We do a mile in the fall. It's a gut check. So we do it to tap into your mental side—can you finish a mile? And I know it's funny because for you guys, you're like, 'Oh, a mile.' No, it's really difficult for us."
@todayshow Gabby Thomas may be one of the fastest women in the world, but she doesn't run more than a mile! The 3x Olympic gold medalist shared why training is different for sprinters. 🥇 #TODAYShow
@todayshow Gabby Thomas may be one of the fastest women in the world, but she doesn't run more than a mile! The 3x Olympic gold medalist shared why training is different for sprinters. 🥇 #TODAYShow
Let's let that sink in. This woman is a professional runner. She ran her way to three gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Not only does Gabby Thomas only run a full mile once a year, but it's literally a physical and mental test for her to do it.
She's also not alone. Usain Bolt's agent shared that the famous Jamaican who has held the "fastest man alive" title for 15 years has never run a mile all at once. Arguably the most famous track star of a generation, and he's never run a mile? Incredible.
Does this put a whole new spin on the middle school shame some of us felt at not being able to run the whole mile, or what? Like maybe running a mile is not a great way to evaluate fitness for everyone? Maybe it's possible to be in peak physical condition and still struggle to run a mile?
Not that most of us are in Gabby Thomas's shape either, of course, but the point stands that there are many different ways to be fit. Sprinting is basically HIIT (high-intensity interval training) exercise—exerting fully for short bursts rather than keeping your exertion at a moderate level for a longer period of time—which has become all the rage in the fitness world. The idea that someone should be able to run steadily for any specific distance in a certain amount of time is an awfully narrow box to put people into.
In fact, I'd argue that running a mile is as arbitrary as expecting someone to be able to bend over and put your hands flat on the ground or be able to dunk a basketball or other feats that some people can naturally do easily while others can't. Yes, most people can train to run a mile, but why do that if it's not something you actually want to do and when there are so many other ways to be fit? Our bodies are not the same, the ways we use our bodies are not the same, and using any specific ability to evaluate of physically healthy someone is will always miss the mark for many.
Imagine how many kids who had a hard time running the mile in school told themselves they just weren't runners or weren't athletic? How many internalized the message that their bodies weren't capable when they might have been quick sprinters or agile tennis players or powerful shot putters or good dancers? The point of physical fitness is to move your body, and there are so many ways to do that that don't involve running a mile or more.
If even Olympic medalist runners struggle to run a mile, it can't be that important. Take that, middle school gym class.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.