a day ago
Black belt to black singlet for Kiwi flyer
In her wildest dreams, Kimberley May could never have imagined where life would take her as a collegiate track athlete.
Growing up in a well-known karate family in west Auckland, May has her black belt in the martial art. But a primary school cross country star, she was always drawn to running.
Now after four years on a college scholarship in the United States, May is one of the fastest-ever Kiwi middle-distance runners – and she's about to wear the black singlet for the first time, at this week's World University Games.
The Avondale College student left home in 2021, at the tender age of 18, to take up an athletics scholarship at Providence College in Rhode Island. It's a school famous for developing Kiwi athletes like multiple New Zealand record holder Kim Smith, men's 5000m champion Julian Oakley and reigning 1500m titleholder Laura Nagel.
May headed offshore with a personal best time over 1500m of 4m 29s.
Kimberley May celebrates her stellar run in Italy. Photo: Internazionale Sport Solidarietà
Now, having just graduated, the 22-year-old has slashed that time to 4m 04.40s – run at the Internazionale Sport Solidarietà meeting in Italy —making her the second-fastest Kiwi woman of all time over the 1500m distance, close behind her friend and Paris Olympian Maia Ramsden (who's best time is 4m 02.20s).
'It's actually crazy when I think about the time,' May says, speaking the day after her breakthrough race. 'I was never the best at home, or even before I went to the States. It just shows what you can do.'
As May rose through the US college system, so too did her ambition.
As a freshman, she looked up to teammates who qualified for the NCAA finals. By her sophomore year, she'd made the finals herself. Then, in her junior year, she finished second – behind none other than Ramsden, running for Harvard University.
'It was pretty special for two Kiwis to be one-two in the NCAA. Maia has set the standard—she's been a great influence on me and my running,' says May.
In her final year at Providence, May faced a stacked 1500m field and finished sixth in a highly tactical NCAA final. She's philosophical about the result.
'You never know what's going to happen in a tactical race. But these have been the best four years of my life at Providence,' she says. 'I've learnt so much about how to race all these different kinds of races.'
Kimberley May (far right) leads the field in this year's NCAA 1500m semifinal in Eugene, Oregon.
A key figure in May's development has been long-time Providence coach and Irishman Ray Treacy. He also guided Kiwi Olympian Smith and Nagel, who ran at her first world indoor champs earlier this year.
'Ray has been amazing. He's taught me how to believe in myself – to believe I can run these times,' May says.
She also credits her former coach Graeme Holden back home at Auckland City Athletics for building her up slowly and setting her on the right path.
'He got me to Providence and set me up to run well through college. My parents and I often say how grateful we are for that,' says May.
Athletics wasn't always her plan. May grew up in Titirangi in a karate family—her dad, Dennis May, is a 9th Dan black belt and former national coach. Her mum, Trish, and brother, Dylan, also trained in the dojo and hold black belts. But Kimberley knew early on it wasn't for her.
'I did well in the school cross-country, and we had to play a sport at school – so I chose running,' she says.
Karate, however, taught her discipline, and she remembers as a kid seeing just how hard her dad worked at his craft. It rubbed off on her.
'I train very hard. I've been training like a college athlete, not a professional. So I know I've still got room to move,' May says.
Kimberley May running in the Penn Relays for the Providence Friars in her senior year. Photo: Joe Hale.
She is also the second-fastest Kiwi woman over the mile, running 4m 27.85s at the John Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston in January 2024 – overtaking Ramsden on the list, and tucked in just behind Smith, who holds the fastest time of 4m 24.14s, set back in 2008.
Now a sociology graduate, May is transitioning to the professional ranks, having signed with New Balance. She'll keep living in the US, and will soon join a new training group to prepare for the next stage of her career. She's planning to return home to her family for Christmas.
But first, she'll wear the black singlet and represent New Zealand at the FISU World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany – part of an 84-strong Kiwi team competing at the world's second-largest multi-sport event after the Olympics. Her first race is this Friday.
Over the weekend, she won the 1500m in the KBC Night of Athletics in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, running 4m 08.34s; a strong final hit-out in her preparation for this week's major meet.
After years of racing for her college, May says she's excited to team up with fellow Kiwi student-athletes – and she's not holding back: 'I go into every race wanting to win.'
