The screams as viewers cheered on their Olympic hopefuls could be heard in Paris from the millions of fans back home in Utah. With the news that the Winter Olympics will be coming back to Utah once again, Utah Farm & Fork caught up with Whittni Morgan, one of the several Utahns who participated in the most recent games, and her husband Mason to talk about growing up in rural Utah and the role food plays in Whittni’s training.


Can you tell us about where you’re from, your growing up, things you enjoyed doing, etc.?

Mason: I grew up on a dairy farm in Circleville, in Piute County, with four younger. When thinking of some of my earliest memories, I feel like I was around eight or nine when I started consistently going and working on our farm. Helping feed calves or something, and so ever since then, I always had a job at the farm.

Later, I went off to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Jamaica, and then went to college at Southern Utah University, and that’s when I started dating Whittni. Right now for work, I own a cabinet staining business and a moving company.

Whittni: I was born and raised in Panguitch, in Garfield County as the fifth of six kids. I went to Panguitch High School and did lots of sports in high school (Cross Country, Track & Field, Basketball, and Volleyball). Then decided to go run at BYU. I ran at BYU for 5.5 years, and then have gone on to run professionally for Adidas. I have just been enjoying the intensity and the crazy life of a professional athlete and just doing it with Mason.


Did you have favorite things to do as a child? Or things you hated doing?

Mason: We just had a ton of all sorts of animals growing up, like, goats, chickens, dogs, etc. At one point, I was wondering if my dad was trying to have a zoo because we had pigeons and chukars, and I was the one who had to feed and water all these things. I think we also had to gather about 60 plus eggs a day, and then go to wash them.

Morgan farm in Piute County

As I've gotten older, I've realized that while I thought it was annoying at the time that I had to go and work while my friends were out playing, I look back and realize how lucky I was that I did have a job all the time. I learned a lot through that. But I also played a lot of sports growing up and enjoyed dirt biking in the mountains and looking for wildlife.

Whittni: Since I wasn't a farm girl, we didn't have any of the farm chores to do, so I just had to do regular chores, like cleaning up the house, folding piles of laundry, etc. I don't know if I was great at doing the chores, but I had them. I enjoyed being in a small town and just hanging out with friends, riding in someone's side-by-side or 4-wheelers up in the mountains, having lots of bonfires, or just being creative.


Thinking about your high school days, did you envision that you'd be able to be a professional runner one day? We hear many kids say “one day, I'm going to play in the NBA" or something like that. Did you think of running?

Whittni: It's kind of crazy because I never dreamed of being a professional runner. I didn't really know that that was even a thing until I got to BYU, and my coach told me that I could run professionally if I wanted to when I was done at BYU. I didn’t even really know what that would look like. But once I figured out the world of running and what it meant, and that you chase an Olympic dream and all that, it did seem really exciting. The whole reason I decided to run in college was to see my potential. So, moving on to run professionally has been a continuation of that – discovering my potential.

Photo credit: Tyler Richardson/BYU Photo


Growing up in Panguitch, did you ever work on any farms or ranches?

Whittni: I did not personally, but I know my mom grew up in agriculture on a little farm, and my grandpa was big into gardening, but nothing like big-time farming. The first real look I had into the farm was when Mason and I started dating, and I was [amazed] at the whole situation they had. Lots of cows, lots and lots of hard work. I really respect that hard work and think it's amazing what farmers do.


To counter that, Mason, do you do any running?

Mason: I did a little bit of cross country, but I really shouldn't mention that, because I wasn't anything great. My main sports were basketball and baseball. 

So, you're not going to be challenging your wife to a race?

Mason: No. Not unless I'm on a bike. People always ask me if I go running with her, and it's almost hysterical to me. I tell people, ‘Do you realize that I don't run, really, and she literally runs for a living? You don't just go and keep up with somebody like that for six or eight miles.

Whittni Morgan (left) running in this year's Paris Olympics. Photo credit to USATF


Tell us a little bit more about nutrition, how much that plays a part in your life right now, and how you manage that.

Whittni: Yes, it's very, very important. I pay a lot of attention to it and sometimes feel like I’m a robot. I'm looking at my food not as a delicious [experience], but more like what does this do for my body? It doesn't really matter what it tastes like, it just matters what it's doing for my body. So, it's nice to be on break right now and not be looking at food like that and just enjoying it more. But definitely, when I'm in season, I think of the most beneficial thing I can put in my body to fuel my body and help me stay healthy, help me recover from the hard workouts, and just be fueled for big races. So yeah, food is very, very important.


What kinds of foods do you enjoy cooking and eating as a couple?

Whittni: I really love vegetables, and I'm helping Mason learn to love vegetables as well! We have a lot of focus on good lean protein sources. Lots of chicken, turkey, and beef every now and then. And I really enjoy baking. I try to make healthier treats and stuff.

Mason: Whittni is a good cook all around, honestly. She's also really good at making good treats that don't sit as heavy as others. I love beef, but Whittni just has to be very particular with what she eats. But we’ve got a little Traeger and we'll use it for burgers, etc.

Mason & Whittni together at the Paris Olympics.


Could you share your memories of food and what your families made that stood out to you growing up?

Whittni: If we were going to treat ourselves, we'd go to Cafe Adobe in Hatch. It was really good. They had good Mexican food and good burgers and stuff like that. So, it was that or C-Stop Pizza in Panguitch.

Mason: I will say that going to Ebenezer’s Barn & Grill at Ruby's is fantastic. We went there a couple of times. 


What is something that your families made growing up that were your favorites?

Whittni: My mom cooks delicious comfort food. If you want comfort food that's just gonna sit heavy, but it's going to make you so happy – come to my mom's house, because she'll just make you happy. I remember her cooking up some really delicious creamy chicken with bacon and rice. I don’t even know what you'd call it, but it was just saucy and delicious. That's what comes to my mind. That or no-bake cookies.

Mason: We ate a lot of beef. Whether my family got it from other sources or they butchered one of their own cows at the end of each year. There was always beef. Also, I don't know what everybody calls it, but we call it cowboy delight. It's literally just hamburger and some noodles, and my mom just sweetens it up with some sort of magic, with some brown sugar or something, and it's so good. That was one of my favorites.


Is there a place where you live now that you like? Either in Springville or Utah Valley?

Mason: I wish they would bring back the Trolley in Springville. That was our favorite restaurant.

Whittni: I really like Ginger’s Garden Café. It's just lots of fresh vegetables, and they have really good sauces. I also like Seven Brothers, if we’re talking about burgers.

Whitti (center) running in Paris. Photo credit: Tyler Richardson/BYU Photo


If you are cooking, and don’t want to cook anything fancy or elaborate, what is the basic comfort food you like to eat (no shame!)?

Whittni: I feel like I'm more like a comfort dessert type of woman. I want some cookies, like chocolate chip cookies or snickerdoodles, or really yummy brownies. Something like that. It is kind of funny. I feel like we feed ourselves more functionally, but then whenever we visit family, that's when comfort food comes into the picture.

Mason: We are just at this phase of our life with Whittni’s running where we just can't have comfort food as often. It just doesn't fuel her body the same. But we do love it. 


Some people will connect food to a place they visited or it becomes a memory that may be even better than the food itself. Has that happened to you?

Whittni: When we were just in Paris, Mason and I went to an Italian place and shared this pasta. It had fresh, homemade noodles, and then this sauce that was insane. I don't even know what it was, but it was creamy and delicious. It was comfort food, for sure. It had mushrooms and good vegetables cooked into it. Then we had this yummy salad and bread with it, and the ambiance was so good too. This was after my races, and so we were enjoying the food and hanging out together in Paris.


Can you tell us about the Olympic Opening Ceremonies?

Whittni: I actually didn't do the opening ceremony because my race was so close to the beginning, and it's kind of hard on the body because you're standing for eight hours in the heat. It just wasn't ideal for running a 5K, so I didn't go to the opening, but I did get to the closing ceremonies, which was really, really fun.

The whole Olympic experience was just insane. You’re in the Olympic Village with the best athletes in the whole world, and you're looking around and thinking about how these are the fittest people I've ever seen in my life, and I'm here with them. It was really cool to just be in that environment and be around that high level of athletes, and be a part of Team USA. They treat you really well at Team USA.

It was really special to have so much family there. Mason came with his whole family, and then my mom and three of my siblings and their spouses, and one of my uncles... and the chocolate muffins were incredible. Honestly, they were even better than you can imagine. I would go to the village and bring Mason some in a bag.

Mason: They're so good. They were really, really good.


People talk about the ability that food has to connect people together. Have you seen that in your lives, the two of you? If so, why do you think it does?

Mason: I feel like we definitely have seen how food connects people. Honestly, I don't know if it's just becoming an adult or something, but one of our favorite things to do with friends is go get really good food or make good food together. It's one of those things that is so simple, but very fulfilling. 

Image courtesy of Utah Governor's Office

Whittni: I definitely think food connects people. I'm such a foodie. When I cook or I make something for someone, it means a lot to me when people like the food. We can talk and bond over it. I like to connect with people over different kinds of food and learn new ways to cook different types of food. We tried a few places in Paris that were different from what we're used to. It was fun to explore new cultures and foods.