At this point, sophomore runner Sophie Farley ’28 is setting a record for setting records.
Just two years into what is already an illustrious athletic career, Longwood’s cross country and track ace owns more school records than any runner in program history. That includes multiple records of her own that she has broken and re-broken, as well as new standards for the university’s newly added track and field program that debuted in 2024.
But for all the miles Farley has logged on her way to rewriting the record books, and for all the competitors her unyielding pace has left in her wake, there’s another driver behind her dominance. Because no matter how challenging the course she’s racing, she has navigated an even tougher road since before she could even walk.
Born with a brain condition known as polymicrogyria (PMG), Farley came into the world running uphill. Caused by abnormal brain development before birth, PMG can affect part or the entirety of a person’s brain and impact everything from swallowing and vision to coordination and mobility.
When I was younger, even my doctor said I might not even be able to talk, but here I am running and giving an interview.
Sophie Farley ’28
“You can lose your speech, or it can make you unable to walk,” Farley said. “When I was younger, even my doctor said I might not even be able to talk, but here I am running and giving an interview.”
That said, Farley’s road to success was not what runners would classify as an “easy run.” As a child, she was a late walker and a late talker. She underwent intense speech therapy and was physically unable to take part in many of the “ball sports” and activities of her peers. An accident she suffered during equine therapy presented another series of challenges, but she persevered. Over time her speech improved, and one day an impromptu challenge during a middle school recess opened an entirely new world to her.
“When I was in sixth grade, we were out on a track and this kid wanted to race somebody,” she recalled. “Everyone just thought he was going to beat everybody, but I said, ‘You know what? I’ll give it a shot.’ My PE teacher timed us separately in the [400-meter race], and I beat him. He said, ‘Sophie, you’re fast. You should run track.’ I didn’t even know running track was a thing.”
By seventh grade, Farley was a full-fledged track star, and she’s been running ever since. At Fluvanna High School in her hometown of Palmyra, Virginia, she became an All-American in the 800-meter and helped her 4x800-meter relay team win a state title. She was an all-state selection in six different events ranging from the 800 to the 3,200, which drew the attention of Longwood director of cross country and track and field Brooke Craig.
Craig recalls being impressed by Farley’s high-school times, though she notes that Farley’s performance was still comparable to other athletes she was recruiting. What stood out, though, was an intangible that had permeated nearly every moment of Farley’s life to that point and has become a hallmark of her racing style: grit.
If you’re going to beat Sophie, she’s going to make you. And she’s going to make you work very, very hard to do that. She’s not afraid to push herself and put herself in it.
Brooke Craig, director of cross country and track and field
“If you’re going to beat Sophie, she’s going to make you,” Craig said. “And she’s going to make you work very, very hard to do that. She’s not afraid to push herself and put herself in it.”
Amplified by growing up with four brothers—all of whom played hockey—Farley’s grit has taken her and the Lancers far, and quickly. In her first collegiate race as a freshman in 2024, she broke Longwood’s 19-year-old 4K cross country record. By her fifth race, she broke Longwood’s 5K record and then, two weeks later at the Big South Championship, broke it again on the way to an eye-opening fifth-place finish. But she was only getting started.
Now a sophomore, Farley holds all three of Longwood’s major cross country records—6K, 5K and 4K—and multiple track records. This past fall, she became the first Lancer to medal at the Big South Cross Country Championship, placing third in the 76-runner field while breaking her own 5K record yet again.
And according to Craig, Farley still has room to grow. She has added weightlifting to her training regimen and is working to gradually increase her weekly running volume, which already exceeds 50 miles. And as she keeps knocking down her running goals at a record pace, she has her sights set on an even bigger one in the future: competing in the 2028 Summer Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
With my disability, it’s been one of my goals to compete in the Olympics or Paralympics. It’s a way to show people with a disability that they can do great things.
Sophie Farley ’28
“With my disability, it’s been one of my goals to compete in the Olympics or Paralympics,” said Farley, who is also working toward a career as a middle- or high-school physical education teacher. “It’s a way to show people with a disability that they can do great things.”
Getting there is not just a pipe dream, either.
Qualified for the Paralympic Games due to her PMG disability, Farley is already running at a medal pace. She’s aiming to compete in the 1,500- or 5,000-meter track events, and her top times—also school records—would already have earned her a silver-medal finish in the most recent 5,000-meter at the World Para Championships.
“From the first time I sent her a training plan, it was clear that Sophie cares about this and sets big goals,” Craig said. “She’s already achieved almost every one of those she set. We’re still trying to figure out her ceiling.”
At this rate, Farley may not find that ceiling any time soon. But she will certainly find plenty more records to chase along the way.