Maria Michta-Coffey

Dream Believe BECOME!
Nesconset, NY Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Farmingville, NY

Little girls who dare to dream learn they can grow up to be anything! Follow along in my journey around the world as I walk the blurred lines of being an unpaid-professional race walker and my post Ph.D. life as an adjunct professor. Dream. Believe. BECOME!

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Christie and Michta-Coffey win big at USATF 3000m Race Walk Championships

Racing Pregnant and Qualifying for Millrose

The Birds Delivered at USA Track Nationals

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On the Path to Recovery

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Thank You President Obama

Maria Michta-Coffey

"When there's a will, there's a way." That is Maria Michta-Coffey's story. Her passion to reach the Olympics formed while watching the Atlanta Games in 1996. Once a soccer player, her focus went toward the race walk while at Sachem High School in Lake Ronkonkoma, NY. She continued to train for her dream while earning a degree in Biology, minoring in Chemistry at Long Island University. Finally, in 2012, Maria achieved her goal by earning the Olympic Standard and a ticket to London. On the…

About Maria

Coach: Tim Seaman
Training group: Walk USA
Special skills: science communication, science research
Favorite foods: Froyo (guilty pleasure!)
Favorite TV show: The Blacklist
Favorite movie: Love and Basketball
Favorite holiday: Thanksgiving
Highschool PR: 6:39.99 (1500m RW) 14:17 (3,000m RW)
Training partner: High School Coach Pete McNeil, Sachem East Girls Varsity Track athletes, my husband, whoever I can get!
Spouse: Joe Coffey

Fun Facts:

My birthday is the anniversary of Title IX and is also officially recognized as “Olympic Day”
I have never attended my own graduation (missed high school graduation for Junior Nationals in 2004, missed college graduation for World Cup in 2008, missed Graduate School Graduation Ceremony for Pan Am Cup in 2015)
I have raced on 4 continents and in 14 countries:
- North America-USA, Canada, Mexico, El Salvador, Dominican Republic
- South America- Peru, Brazil, Chile
- Europe-Germany, Italy, England, Russia
- Asia-South Korea, China
My favorite color is bright blue