It's not every day that a chance encounter with a stranger on the side of the road leads to a career as an Olympian.
Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, a former cross country and track and field student-athlete at Harding, was born in the small village of Kapsabet in Kenya and dreamed of earning a college degree. However, as the oldest of eight children raised by a single mother, she figured being able to afford college was unlikely. She had nearly given up on her dream until she received a ride from a then stranger, Olympic track athlete and gold medalist Peter Rono. This changed her fate.
"He's the one who showed me that (I could) run and get a scholarship because I didn't know that. … I didn't have those resources," Cherobon-Bawcom said. "I'm always forever grateful for that opportunity."
With encouragement from Rono, Cherobon-Bawcom began running at age 19 in hopes of earning a scholarship to attend college in the United States. At that time, running did not represent a test of athletic ability or a desire for competition. Rather, the sport symbolized an avenue through which she could achieve her dream of getting an education and setting herself up for a successful future.
Eventually receiving scholarship offers to attend school and run in the United States, Cherobon-Bawcom was guided through the decision-making process by her mother and landed at Harding in 2000.
Cherobon-Bawcom became the first Harding alumni to qualify for the Olympics, placing 12th at the 2012 London Games in the 10,000-meter race. (Photo courtesy of Janet Cherobon-Bawcom)
"The fact that I actually earned a scholarship, that I would just run in circles and somebody paid for my school … it was just an amazing thing for me to even wrap my head around," she said. "I thought, 'It's going to take a miracle for me to go to college.' And just to have that opportunity is great."
Upon her arrival from Kenya, however, she found that the experience was not initially everything she hoped and thought it would be.
"The first couple of years, I struggled a lot," Cherobon-Bawcom said. "Socially, just coming from a different culture, trying to keep up with academics and trying to run. With all those changes, my running actually suffered, too."
Dealing with a few injuries early on in her college career only increased the challenge. During this time, Cherobon-Bawcom came to appreciate being within a smaller athletics department at a Division II school where she felt fully supported.
"I really needed that slow pace, and somebody to basically hold my hand," she said. "They say it takes a village to raise a kid. It really took a Harding village to actually get me to stand on my two feet. It was a great experience for sure."
This support eventually propelled Cherobon-Bawcom to three Division II national championships and eight All-America honors. Her standout career led to inductions into the NCAA Division II Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Harding Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.
"I actually didn't think that I was very competitive," she said of the beginning of her time at Harding. "I just wanted to get a degree out of it, and then my sophomore year, something clicked. The competitive part of me came out. That's actually when I started being serious and taking everything serious. Everything worked out pretty well thereafter."
Having achieved her dream of earning a college degree in health care management, Cherobon-Bawcom did not plan to pursue a professional running career after college graduation. Rather, she began running road races simply for the social aspect of it, looking to make friends and continue connecting with those who shared her love for the sport.
Cherobon-Bawcom had a standout career at Harding, earning three NCAA Division II national titles and eight All-America honors. (Photo courtesy of Janet Cherobon-Bawcom)
However, it didn't take long for her college success to carry over into this new phase of competition. Having married Jay Bawcom, whom she met while she was a college student, Cherobon-Bawcom became a U.S. citizen in 2010 and became eligible to represent Team USA in international competition in 2011. She was a three-time U.S. road champion that year, winning 20-kilometer, 10-mile and 10-kilometer races. At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in January, she placed fifth, nearly earning a roster spot on the Olympic team. Realizing her potential, she then turned her focus to the 10,000-meter race.
Returning to the track again that spring after seven years, Cherobon-Bawcom qualified for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in June and, eventually, the Olympic Games as a member of Team USA. By doing so, she became the first Harding alum to make it to the Olympics, and she placed 12th at the 2012 London Games.
"The Olympic experience has been nothing but amazing for me," she said. "When a lot of people have dreams, they dream of being an Olympian. For me, I never dreamt of that. I dreamt of having a degree. The goal for me was, if I can land a scholarship, my dream is to get a college degree. And I was living the dream already."
Nonetheless, Cherobon-Bawcom said that representing Team USA on the world's biggest stage was one of the best experiences of her life and one that opened doors previously unimaginable.
"To get there and just to be with the Olympians there, and just to think, 'Oh man, I am part of this group' was just amazing for me," she said.
After achieving more as an athlete than she ever thought possible, Cherobon-Bawcom retired from competitive running and began pursuing a new dream: becoming a registered nurse. She earned an associate's degree in registered nursing from Georgia Highlands in 2010 and a second bachelor's degree in registered nursing from Jacksonville State in 2015.
Now using the degrees that she merely dreamed of obtaining as a 19-year-old in Kenya, Cherobon-Bawcom believes that none of what she is doing now would be possible without her student-athlete experience. While serving as a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cherobon-Bawcom relied on the skills she developed during her college career to navigate some of the most challenging circumstances she had ever faced.
"What I learned in those five years really helps me a lot as a registered nurse now," she said. "There's a lot of teamwork that you have to work with. Especially during COVID, you really had to hold each other … emotionally, physically, everything. So the biggest thing I learned was time management, teamwork … all those traits you can take throughout your life."
Reflecting on her journey, she now hopes to serve as an inspiration to others and an example that hard work, determination and the support of others can lay the foundation for previously unimaginable success.
"I hope I have helped other people," Cherobon-Bawcom said of her journey. "That will always be my goal throughout my life."
And it all started with the belief of a stranger.
"Anything you put in your mind, it will take a lot of hard work, it will take a lot of discipline, it will take a lot of respect," she added. "Somebody will see you. So you keep working day in and day out. Your dreams, your goals … they will be achieved."
