Cause for Celebration: Olivia Kraus
Photo Credit: Eastern Illinois University Athletics
Greater Peoria is proud of our incredibly rich history of talented female runners. This year’s Cause for Celebration Presented by PNC is honored to pay tribute to many of these women, and Eureka runner Olivia Klaus is truly a standout.
Olivia rose from a humble beginning and demonstrated tremendous improvement through her high school career; her senior year brought multiple state titles home to Eureka thanks to her excellence in running. She won the 1A cross country state title with a time of 17:27, and in the spring put the team on her back when she helped win the 4x800, silvered in the 2 mile just 30 minutes later, and won the mile in 5:07.
Olivia later shared one memory that motivated and inspired her as a runner: watching the boys cross country team. “They ran because they loved it and they loved running with each other, not just because it was another sport. They ran as a family and I enjoyed watching them run. I learned a lot from them."
After her triumphs in Eureka, Klaus went on to excel at Miami of Ohio and Eastern Illinois University…inspiring countless others to follow in her footsteps (no matter how far behind).
