You might remember Ce'Aira Brown from this year's USATF Indoor Championships when the fearless, tattoo-plastered platinum blonde finished fourth in the 800m, her first-ever appearance in a USATF final and two spots outside qualifying to the world team. The 24-year-old, who trains with coach Frank Gagliano and the HOKA NJ*NY Track Club, has kept the momentum rolling this spring to a thus-far undefeated season, including a nearly 20-second 1500m PB of 4:09.44 at the Florida Relays.

We recently caught up with the fashion-forward Brown over the phone to learn more about the rapidly rising middle-distance runner.

FloTrack: How did you feel about getting fourth at USA Indoors?

Ce'Aira: I felt really great about it because I've never made it that far. I usually never make it out of the first round. To make the finals, I was really grateful regardless of what place I got. I was proud. I have no negatives towards what happened.

FloTrack: What are your goals for the year?

Ce'Aira: Just to run sub-two in the 800m and run faster than 4:09 in the 15.

"Dust settles ... I don't." Here's to 2018. ? HOKA Athlete Ce’Aira Brown pic.twitter.com/8Qdxcn5lYJ

— HOKA ONE ONE (@HOKAONEONE) January 1, 2018

FloTrack: How did you get your start in running?

Ce'Aira: When I was little, I used to race a lot of kids around the neighborhood and my brother's friends. I knew I wanted to run professionally. But I knew you have to run in high school first. [At Overbrook High School], I did the 400m, the 4x1, the 4x4. I was mainly a four runner in high school. I did a couple 800s; my fastest was 2:11. 

[Her fastest was 2:11.01, when she placed second at the Pennsylvania state meet.]

FloTrack: You spent a year at Langston University, an NAIA school in Oklahoma, where you only ran 2:19 in 800m, before transferring to Hampton—where you ran 2:03 in your first year. Can you give some insight into your college experience?

Ce'Aira: I went to Langston because, out of high school, I didn't really know what college I was going to and didn't have the times to go to big schools. It didn't really work out. The training was more speed-based; I was running 4x1s and doing block starts. They tried their best but I was the only 800m runner.

Hampton was the only other school that believed in me and wanted me, so I decided to go there. I also had a childhood friend who went there, Chidi Okezie [2012 world junior champion in the 4x400m relay]. I just went in there knowing I wanted to run. I didn't really know what event. But I started off with cross country and that was my first time realizing I could go longer—I never knew I could run six miles or seven miles. I didn't know I could go longer than 800m. I was stronger than I thought I could be.

When I got to Hampton, I was coached by coach Damion Drummond and he got me down to 2:03. 

FloTrack: Did it surprise you to run 2:03 after running 2:11 and 2:19 in previous years?

[The time] did surprise me because I never ran that before, but I was always told, "Once you get the training you need, you'll get faster."

It was a big, big breakthrough. It inspired me to keep going and get faster. When I ran that, I really believed more in myself and, you know, my dream was always to go pro.

FloTrack: But then you didn't PR again until senior year, when you ran 2:02 at Florida Relays.

Coach Drummond left after my sophomore year and it was kinda up and down from there. I didn't really have a coach after he left. Senior year, coach Pierce brought in coach Krystle Hemby. Training with her got me down to 2:02 senior year.

It was tough mentally, because I wasn't running how I wanted to. When you run that fast for the first time in your life, you just expect to keep going up from there. But with the support and coach P doing his best to find another coach to come in, I just stuck it through.

FloTrack: After running 2:02, you qualified to NCAAs and the U.S. Olympic Trials, where you placed seventh in your preliminary heat at both events. What were your feelings about those races?

Ce'Aira: It was good but the only thing that was kinda bad, that year—my senior year conference—I ran a lot of events prior to the Olympic Trials. I ran the 5K, 10K, all of that at conference and it kinda tired me out for the Olympic Trials so I didn't get a chance to do as well as I thought I could.

[Ce'Aira ran a total of six races at the MEAC Outdoor Championships: 2:07.8 for first in the 800m final, 2:10.45 for first in the 800m prelim, 4:32.08 in the 1500m final, 18:02.73 for fourth in the 5K, 37:14.19 for second in the 10K, plus a leg on Hampton's 3:43.65 runner-up 4x400m relay. Hampton took second in the women's team standings behind Florida A&M.]

FloTrack: What did you do after graduation and the Olympic Trials?

Ce'Aira: I signed with Chris Lane, the agent, at the Olympic Trials. He gave me a couple numbers to reach out to coaches. Coach Gags stood out to me more than anyone. 

I took a break, like two weeks off, then got back into running—short miles here and there, because between Hampton and before I joined HOKA, I didn't run more than like six miles.

I joined HOKA in October 2016.

FloTrack: What was different about Gags' program?

Ce'Aira: Coach Gags was more endurance-based, and Hampton was more speed. I would run like 53 on the relay. I run more miles now—between 50 to 65 miles per week. In college, like 15 or 20.

Last year was really, really tough. My first practice, I cried through it, but I adjusted to it because Gags is really motivating and he cares. He just kept me going and so did my teammates. They all cared.

I remember the first time I cried at practice and Ford Palmer came up to me and said, "You're gonna be OK, everyone who comes here isn't used to the program, you just have to keep going. Your body will adjust to it."

FloTrack: What's your favorite Gags saying?

Ce'Aira: "You got it, baby!" or "Put a smile on your face!" when everyone has that tired face on. "Let's go! You gotta get ready for rounds!"

FloTrack: What do you like to do outside of track practice?

Ce'Aira: I like to binge-watch Netflix. Right now, the team is watching "Orange is the New Black." On Hulu, I'm watching a show called "Blindside."

I'm into fashion, so I like shopping or just looking at different styles online. That's something when I'm finished running professionally, I want to get into fashion stuff and New York Fashion Week.

FloTrack: What part of the fashion industry interests you?

Ce'Aira: I like to do styling; I'm into individuality. I like people who don't like to dress like everyone else. You express yourself through your clothing. I never dressed like anyone else growing up. I used to do fashion shows at Hampton and people would come to me for advice about how to wear certain things.

FloTrack: What's your favorite outfit?

Ce'Aira: I'm into blazers. If you go in my closet, I have different colored blazers. A blazer, black jeans with a few cuts in it, some boots—platform boots. And probably a crop top.

FloTrack: How long have you rocked the blonde hair?

Ce'Aira: I was known for doing all types of colors. One time in high school, I dyed my hair blonde but had a black arrow on my head so everyone went to states with a black arrow on their head. In college, I dyed it all types of colors—you could name it, I probably had it. And now I've just been more subtle and keep it blonde.

FloTrack: What do you listen to before a race?

Ce'Aira: I listen to a motivational speaker, Eric Thomas, right before I race. I have his album on my phone; it's just him talking and motivating.