It was in April of 2019 when professional track runner Alexis Love decided to retire. Her desire to call it a career was nothing short of divine.
“I had a dream and I literally heard the Lord whisper to me in a dream “stop running,” and I woke up.” Love said. “At this point … I got my USA jersey, I’m running on the relay teams, we’re having track practices with actual Team USA coaches.”
Although she had competed in track her whole life, she was at peace with her decision. A few weeks later, she received a phone call from the athletic director of her alma mater Murray State. He announced to her that she was to be inducted into the school Hall of Fame.
“Getting that call, it almost solidified everything,” Love said. “It’s almost like the Lord was speaking to me, saying “you’ve done enough.””
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Along with a ceremony, the inductees had their names announced during a football and basketball game. She was the youngest member of her Hall of Fame class.
“We got to walk out on the court while they actually played a song titled “Hall of Fame” by the band Script,” Love said. “It was just like is this really happening? Is this a dream?”
In 2012, Love became the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Track and Field Athlete of the Year and the Athlete of the OVC Championship. She competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Trials. Throughout her successful pro career, Love was self-funded; she did not have any sponsors.
Since her retirement, Love has become a mother; she also published a book called “I am a BABY.” The book is meant to persuade women not to question or second guess their ability of being a mother.
“It was easy to write the book because I thought about the mothers,” Love said. “I feel like if you find just moments throughout the day that you’re like “I’m doing a good job, my child is taken care of, my child his healthy,” then you can appreciate being a mother.”
Since Love does daily affirmations, she also put affirmations in the back of the book; she noted how “I am a BABY” is a book for both mothers and babies.
Being a pro athlete helped prepare her for having a child, according to Love.
“You have to be disciplined and I knew that I would need to have that with my son,” Love said. “We’re taught in track and field to just get it done. No matter how hard you feel, push through.”
Love has also created the Raising the B.A.R. Academy to help youth persevere through the obstacles they face. It is a 10-week program that touches on several topics, including peer pressure, bullying, and body shaming. Love is also offering a $500 scholarship for incoming college freshmen.
“With children in this generation, you have to be relatable and I realized that,” she said. “If I can reach them, who knows their success in the future? There’s no limits and that’s my goal, to impact millions.”
