Vermont Dairy Farmer Trains for Olympics

Photos (left to right): Running photo by Cortney White, Elle with her younger brother Ryland at Sunset Hill Farm in Montgomery, VT, Running photo by Aisha McAdams.

Elle Purrier St. Pierre holds the American women’s indoor mile record (4:16.85, set February 8, 2020 at the Millrose Games) and the American indoor two-mile record (9:10.28, set February 13, 2021 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix). Now, she is training hard for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Team Trials, scheduled for June 2021.

Elle grew up on Sunset Hill Farm in Montgomery, VT and now lives on Pleasant Valley Farms in Richford, VT with her husband Jamie. Due to the pandemic, Elle has completed much of her training at home this year, which has allowed her to spend time on both Sunset Hill and Pleasant Valley dairy farms. Although training is her priority right now, Elle says she helps on both farms whenever she can, which is just about every day.

“It’s been really nice. I’ve been able to spend so much time on the farm compared to other years,” said Elle. “When I’m away, I miss home and the cows and working on the farm with my dad and my husband. It’s been a huge silver lining in the pandemic.”

Elle says that her background in dairy farming has provided her with many life lessons that have shaped her as an athlete. “Growing up on a farm, I have a better understanding of hard work and what it takes to set goals and accomplish them. You can only control so much, and there are so many factors going into how you can perform. You just try your best, wake up every day, and work hard.”

Elle said that in both dairy farming and running, most of the time hard work pays off but sometimes it doesn’t. She has learned to press on towards her goals regardless of challenges, and says that she’s a “much stronger athlete from being so active on the farm as a kid.”

“Running and farming are related in ways you wouldn’t expect as well,” said Elle. “Cows are like athletes in the sense that making milk is their sport. From growing up on a farm I learned how to care for cows so that they would perform their best (make a lot of milk) and now a large part of my job is taking care of myself—sleep, nutrition, having good health—so that I can perform better.”

Combined with her degree in nutrition from the University of New Hampshire, Elle uses her running career as a platform for promoting the dairy industry, especially through social media. She aims to help close the growing gap between producers and consumers.

“It’s a huge opportunity to let the people who follow me know the basics of what happens on the farm. Dairy can get a bad rap and it’s fun for me to share my experiences to show that side of it,” said Elle. “Also, dairy products are extremely useful for my training. People can use these products to help their performance just like I do.”

Elle said that it is not rare to find her fueling up with a chocolate or strawberry milk whether she’s at home or away training in Arizona.

Currently, Elle said that she is working on some base training and will begin to do more specific training in April and May as the Olympic Trials approach. She is not sure which at this point, but will train for either the 1500-meter or 5K Olympic Trials race.

Elle has several connections to the Premier cooperative, as her sister Jinny (Purrier) Rainville formerly served as a Reproductive Services Specialist. Premier ASM Bill Gaston helps Sunset Hill Farm and Pleasant Valley Farms with their genetic and reproductive needs.

Please join us in cheering for Elle! We wish her all the best as she pursues her goals and represents our industry!