Tera Moody at the 2009 U.S. Cross Country Championships |
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 December 1980 |
| Residence | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Height | 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Event(s) | Marathon |
| College/university team | Colorado Buffaloes |
| Club | Marathon Performance |
| Coached by | Brad Hudson |
| Achievements and titles | |
| World finals | 2009, Marathon, 28th |
| Personal best(s) | Marathon: 2:30:53 |
Tera Moody (born December 18, 1980) is an American athlete, who competes in the marathon and other long distance running events. Moody represented the United States at the 2009 World Championships in the marathon.
In high school, Moody was a two-time Illinois champion in the mile for St. Charles East High School, near Chicago.[1] She went on to compete for the Colorado Buffaloes in both Cross Country and Track. She won the Big 12 title in the 10,000 meters as a freshman and ran on Colorado's NCAA champion cross-country team as a sophomore in 2000.[2]
After graduating from Colorado, Moody took a break from training seriously and became a personal trainer and real estate agent. She participated in the 2005 Chicago Marathon with a goal to break three hours. After finishing in 2:50:04, she again ran the marathon in 2006, improving by four minutes. In 2007, she qualified the U.S. Olympic Marathon trials by finishing in 2:46:40.[2]
Moody's breakthrough came at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon trials in Boston, where despite being seeded 152nd, she finished fifth with a time of 2:33:54. This was a twelve minute improvement of her personal best.[3] Moody was one second behind fourth-place finisher Zoila Gomez.[2][4]
In 2009, Moody participated in a variety of races, finishing fourth at the 25 km U.S. championships in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She also finished second at Chicago's Shamrock Shuffle, seventeenth at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, and fourteenth at the Boulder Boulder.[5][6][7]
At the 2009 World Championships in the marathon, Moody was a part of the United States marathon team. She finished 28th in a time of 2:36:39, and was the third American. Moody also ran the 2009 Chicago Marathon, which she finished with a then personal best of 2:32:59, for 9th place.[8]
Moody has had insomnia since sixth grade. In 2005 she was diagnosed with sleep apnea, and has tried many different treatments, including visiting the Mayo Clinic, sleeping pills, a mouth guard, and a device to regulate her breathing. She now takes melatonin, a natural supplement. Despite running more than a hundred miles a week, she still rarely sleeps more than a couple hours a night.[4][9][10]
Throughout her career, Moody has also dealt with depression, anemia, asthma, and anorexia nervosa. In her first semester of college, she dropped from 128 to 96 pounds.[1][2][11]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing the United States | ||||
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 28th | Marathon |