Following stops in El Salvador, Germany and Saudi Arabia during her upbringing, Smith has thrived at Minnesota school rich in family history, producing top-five finishes at three consecutive Division 3 national meets entering NCAA Outdoor Championships at SPIRE Institute in Ohio

By Mary Albl of DyeStat

Robin Balder-Lanoue wants to see where the running path for Fiona Smith will take her next.

So far, Smith, who was born in Wisconsin, has a journey that includes stops in Berlin, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Fargo, N.D., El Salvador, and now a home in Central Minnesota at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, where she has developed into one of the top NCAA Division 3 distance runners in the country under the guidance of Balder-Lanoue.

“We are excited for every opportunity to get to race. I think the biggest goal is always to bring out your best self,” Balder-Lanoue said. “And it’s fun exploring what that is going to be next.”

Smith, a sophomore, is coming off an historic performance at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, winning the 10,000 (34:36.31) and 5,000 (17:13.45), and setting two facility records to help the Bennies to a runner-up team finish.

Smith, ranked No. 3 in Division 3 in both events, enters the NCAA Outdoor Championships on May 26-28 at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, with an opportunity to win her first national title.

“I think not having a typical high school experience, I didn’t know what to expect from myself,” Smith said. “So then coming in and getting faster every race, it’s been kind of unexpected but fun. It’s fun to see my times.”

Smith’s atypical journey to St. Benedict started in the Midwest.

At age 2, her family moved from Wisconsin to Berlin to accommodate a new job for her father, Mike Smith.

Following a short stay, they moved to Saudi Arabia as he took a job as the principal at the Saudi Aramco Expatriate Schools in Dhahran. After six years, the Smith family made the trek back to the United States, this time relocating to Fargo, N.D., as Mike became the superintendent of a group of Catholic schools. It was around that same time Smith started running.

“When seventh grade came around and it was time to choose what sport to do, and my parents are both runners, they really encouraged me to try cross country, so I gave it a try,” she said.

With a background in soccer, Smith took to the sport naturally. Attending Shanley High in Fargo, Smith ran for the country country team for two years, finishing 20th (15:33.8) at the Division A state meet as an eighth-grader.

During her one track season, she qualified for the state meet in the 1,600, 3,200 and 4x800 relay. She finished in 11th place in the 3,200, running 11:38.40.

Just as she was starting to make a name for herself in the Midwest, the Smith family was on the move again, with a quick stop in El Salvador for one year and then back to Saudi Arabia.

Without a traditional team system overseas, compared to the U.S., (think more club style) that meant exposure to new and different levels of experience and racing styles.

In El Salvador, running for the national team, her memories consist of participating in cross country meets running in the coffee plantations. In Saudi Arabia as a prep competitor at Dhahran High, she played basketball for four years earning MVP honors, and ran for 2012 Olympian Abdullah Al-Joud.

“So, my high school had kids from 50 different nationalities, it was really cool to have classmates from everywhere,” Smith said. “In terms of racing, it was more of a club team and with men and women of all ages from like 12-70, so a really big age of ranges and abilities. It was fun to have a team like that.”

Smith, who graduated in 2020, always knew she’d come back to the U.S. and attend St. Benedict. Both of her parents are alumni, and her older brother and sister went there as well. She also grew up going to the St. Benedict running camp where she first met Balder-Lanoue.

Smith left her mark internationally though, and in 2018, she took part in the very first public race that women could run in Saudi Arabia. For the race, her uniform was an Abaya, a long black dress.

With a delayed start to her collegiate career due to the pandemic, Smith’s progression has been a steady upward trajectory with progress each season.

In her first outdoor season, she finished fifth last year in the 5,000 (16:45.74) at nationals.

During the fall, she captured fifth place at the Division 3 Championships, running 20:58.4 on the 6-kilometer course at the E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky. Smith continued that momentum into the indoor season, where she took third in the 3,000 (9:45.72) and fourth in the 5,000 (16:48.65) to earn two more All-American accolades.

Balder-Lanoue said Smith’s global resume has made her a unique study.

“It’s like how much of it is just who she is, and how much of it is because of her experiences because the things that make her really special, there’s so many things, her open-mindedness, I think that probably came from the different cultures she’s experienced, but also I feel like that could be a trait she possesses too,” she said. “But she's very open-minded, always willing to listen and is not afraid to say what she thinks. She’s incredibly respectful, she’s incredibly driven, but most of all she just runs with joy. You can tell she loves running every day she comes to practice.”

Most recently for Smith, who said she loves having a team of all women around the same age who can push one another, she produced a huge personal best April 28 in the 5,000 at the 112th Drake Relays, where she ran 16:16.54, No. 6 in Division 3 outdoor history.

“Robin had mentioned to me earlier that week I was capable of 16:15 and I just looked at her and I was like, ‘What are you talking about? No way,’” Smith said.

But as Balder-Lanoue put it, Smith’s groundedness and control have led to new and exciting things.

“When she knows she’s been training for 16;15, she’s going to commit and go out and race at 16:15,” Balder-Lanoue said. “She’s living the training, she knows what she’s capable of doing.”

Smith said the ritual now for her parents to keep up with her racing is for them to stay up late and watch, and then FaceTime with them during her cooldown.

“Her parents, they were both crying, it was a pretty sweet moment,” Balder-Lanoue said of her race at Drake.

The next stop on Smith’s journey is challenging for a national title May 28 in a loaded 5,000 final at SPIRE Institute.

“There’s obviously  a lot of great competitors out here. We are excited to move up and see what we can do,” Balder-Lanoue said. “She’s at the point where she wants to break 16 in a 5K and I think she can do that. We’ve had a lot of good distance runners, a lot of talented distance runners, but I think at the level at which she listens to her body, takes care of herself, and makes sleep a priority and just takes care of everything on a high level, I think she’s unique in that way.”