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Whether you lace up to clear your head, challenge your body, or simply get moving, one thing is true: Running is more than just exercise. No matter your pace,
it’s a mental escape that can bring clarity to your mind, connection to your body, and the strength to break through barriers you might not have known were there.
This universal experience is what drives track-and-field Olympians Tara Davis-Woodhall and Colleen Quigley to continue pushing the boundaries of mental
and physical strength. Beyond the competitions they blaze through and the medals they win, they use their platforms to shine a light on mental well-being in
sports—encouraging runners all over the world to find power in both their strides their stories.
Their advocacy mirrors Maybelline’s Brave Together initiative, a global program that offers free resources and mental-health support for people experiencing anxiety and depression. Together, Davis-Woodhall, Quigley, and Brave Together are proving that running is more than a race—it's a path toward healing, connection, and empowerment. And with all these elements pushing you forward, you can truly run the world.
Tara Davis-Woodhall
When Tara Davis-Woodhall was just four years old, her father started a track-and-field program in her hometown of Frisco, Texas. She’d play in the sand of the long-jump pit while her older siblings raced by, unknowingly planting the seeds that led her to win gold for Team USA years later.
Davis-Woodhall’s rise in track and field was meteoric: She broke a national long-jump record in high school before competing at both the collegiate and professional levels. But despite her success, she found herself consumed by the pressure to always look ahead rather than remain in the present. “It’s a mental pull,” she says. “If you’re doing really well in training, but the training doesn’t reflect your competition, it’s very dragging.”
Tara Davis-Woodhall
Leaping Over Barriers, On and Off the Track
She remembers the people in her life struggling to understand how someone so accomplished could feel so overwhelmed. “It was draining to hear people say, ‘Well you should be happy, don't be sad,’” she says.
Ultimately, it was Davis-Woodhall’s strong support system (yes, like the hug-gone-viral she shared with her husband, Paralympian
Hunter Woodhall, after winning gold in Paris this summer) and access to mental-health resources that helped her stay grounded. These days, she continues to advocate for mental wellness—through her platform, her own self-care practices, and initiatives like Maybelline’s Brave Together—focusing equally on her mental resilience and her physical strength.
Mental health is everything. It’s the key, the foundation for your life. It plays the most important role in sports. You have to be one with yourself to do this.
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For Davis-Woodhall, confidence is as much about mindset as it is about how she presents herself—both on and off the track. Whether she’s carving out five minutes or an hour for her get-ready routine, a few simple products help her find her inner beauty. “I always put on moisturizer, mascara, and a lip,” she says. This self-care practice empowers her and reminds her that caring for both her mind and body help her perform at her best.
Look Good, Feel Good
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Maybelline’s Brave Together initiative is a global program focused on breaking the stigma around anxiety and depression, providing resources for mental-health support, and offering accessible solutions for those in need. Through partnerships with mental-health experts, Brave Together offers free access to resources, education, and a supportive community.
As athletes, the pressure to perform can often take a toll on your mindset. By addressing mental wellness in the world of sports, Brave Together aims to create a culture where seeking help is as important as physical training—and support can carry you every step (or mile) of the way.
You Don’t Have to Run Alone
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Quigley takes a simple approach to beauty. “I love a clean and fresh face with big lashes, a strong brow, and a subtle lip,” she says. This minimalistic routine is even part of her race-day preparation, because she’s found that the connection between self-care and mental wellness is key to how she performs as an athlete. Says Quigley, “I know I feel more confident on the track when I look my best.”
There is a tricky balance between working hard and pushing yourself to be your best, and giving yourself a break and offering yourself the grace to rest when needed.
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For middle-distance runner Colleen Quigley, running has always been about community. Although she grew up in a family of runners, it wasn’t until she joined her high school’s cross-country team that she truly found her stride and fell in love. “It may seem like an individual sport, but for me, it’s all about connecting with other people through running,” she says.
The toughest mental challenges for Quigley have come during times of injury, like when she was sidelined by a stress fracture in her hip. “It can feel so lonely and so isolating to be dealing with injury, adding a mental challenge to the physical one,” she says. She had to learn to strike a balance between pushing herself and listening to her body when something was wrong.
Quigley found solace by connecting with other professional athletes who understood the emotional toll of experiencing pain, taking a break, and recovering. Having a support system who validated her experience made all the difference, and that sense of community is at the heart of Maybelline’s Brave Together mission. “Any time we are struggling, it is so helpful to know we are not the only one feeling that way,” she says—and she believes that’s the key to moving forward, no matter your personal pace.
Colleen Quigley
From Racing to Mental-Health Real Talk
Colleen Quigley
Beauty Meets Performance
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