‘225’: Lolo Jones is up and running

Lolo Jones says that each morning in her hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, as that bright bulb rose over the Mississippi River, she felt a little kick in her consciousness that said, “Stretch. Run. Leap, 1-2-3. Leap, 1-2-3.” Over and over again. Four hours a day, six days a week, at the LSU track and in the weight room, that’s also how it went. Though she traveled far and wide to meet sponsors and compete in critical meets, she would always come back here to Baton Rouge for family and friends, for comfort and recovery. Even after what was called “the disaster” in Beijing. Jones, by far the favorite for a 2008 Olympic gold medal in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, surged into the lead. And then, just like that, fate shifted like a tectonic plate. Jones’ toe caught the edge of the ninth hurdle (of 10). Dawn Harper, one of Jones’ teammates, took the gold, and Jones came in seventh. Find out how this local athlete and Olympian made a comeback—and started an incredible foundation—in the cover story of this month’s issue of 225 magazine here.