Kara Goucher

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Medal record
Kara Goucher at the 2007 World Championships
Kara Goucher at the 2007 World Championships
Women's athletics
World Championships
Bronze 2007 Osaka 10000 m

Kara Goucher née Grgas, (born 9 July 1978 in Queens, NY) is an American middle and long-distance runner. Kara grew up in Minnesota and graduated from the University of Colorado in 2001. She later moved to Eugene, Oregon with her husband (fellow American runner Adam Goucher) and is coached by American running legend Alberto Salazar.

Contents

[edit] Collegiate Career

As a runner for the University of Colorado, Kara broke out in 2000 and became the NCAA Outdoor Champion in the 3000 m and 5000 m, the NCAA Cross Country Champion, and also a 5000 m Olympic Trials Finalist (8th).

[edit] Professional Career

After college Kara battled injuries for several years, but then came back strong in 2006. After finishing 2nd in the 5k at the USATF Outdoor Championships in 2006, she set PRs at all distances on the international circuit, running the World “A” Standard in the 1500 m, 5000 m, and 10000 m. She finished third in 3000 metres at the 2006 IAAF World Cup in a new personal best time of 8 minutes 41.42 seconds. Her 3k time led the nation and her 10k time ranks her as the 2nd fastest American woman of all-time. At the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan she won the bronze medal in the women's 10,000m event.

In September 2007, she won the Great North Run in 1:06:57, the fastest woman's half-marathon time of the year, setting a new American best time[1] at the distance and beating marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe, on the latter's comeback from pregnancy and injury.[2] The half-marathon was Goucher's first competitive race longer than 10k.

Kara kicked off 2008 with a win in the prestigious Millrose Games mile with a PR of 4:36:03.

[edit] Personal Records

distance performance location date
1500 m 4:05.14 Rieti 27 August 2006
One Mile 4:36.03 New York, NY 1 February 2008
3000 m 8:34.99 Rieti 9 September 2007
Two Miles 9:41.32 Carson, CA 20 May 2007
5000 m 14:55.02 Berlin 16 September 2007
10,000 m 31:17.13 Helsinki 26 July 2006
10 km 32:46 Boston, MA 9 October 2006
Half marathon
(downhill course)		 1:06:57 Newcastle 30 September 2007

[edit] References

  1. ^ Under IAAF rules the Great North Run is not eligible for record times, being more than 21m downhill from start to finish.
  2. ^ Radcliffe beaten in comeback race. BBC (September 30, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-08.

[edit] Audio Interview

[edit] Video/Pictures

[edit] External links