Shannon Rowbury

Shannon Rowbury

Rowbury in 2008.
Personal information
Nationality American
Born 19 September 1984
San Francisco, California
Residence Portland, Oregon
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight 115 lb (52 kg)
Sport
Sport Track
Event(s) 800 meters, 1500 meters, mile, 5000 meters
College team Duke
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) 800 meters: 2:00.47[1]
1500 meters: 3:59.49[1]
Mile: 4:20.34[1]
3000 meters: 8:29.93[1]
5000 meters: 14:48.68[1]

Shannon Rowbury (born September 19, 1984) is an American middle-distance runner from San Francisco, California. Rowbury competed for the United States in the women's 1500 m at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China[2] and at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She won the bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in the 1500 m,[3] and also competed in the 1500 meters at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics.

Personal

Rowbury grew up in the Parkside section of the Sunset District neighborhood in San Francisco. In 2002, Rowbury graduated from Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School in San Francisco. Rowbury attended Duke University and studied English and Theater, and competed on the cross country and track and field teams for the school. In 2007, Rowbury graduated from Duke magna cum laude in English and Theater Studies with a certificate in Film/Video/Digital Studies.[4] She completed her master's degree at Duke in May 2008, with an emphasis on Film and Women's Studies.[5] In April 2007, Rowbury was diagnosed with a femoral neck stress fracture (hip joint), which abruptly put an end to her collegiate career at Duke University.[6] Pablo Solares was engaged to be married to Shannon Rowbury on September 27, 2013.

Running career

Collegiate

Rowbury set a school record for the mile in the indoor track season as a freshman at Duke. In her sophomore year she earned indoor All-American status, finishing in 8th place at the NCAA championships in the mile. In her junior year season she anchored Duke's first victorious distance medley relay team. As a senior she helped Duke place third at the NCAA cross country championships. She redshirted her indoor and outdoor seasons of her senior year, but set Duke school records in the 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and steeplechase.[7]

Post-collegiate

Rowbury signed with Nike in June 2007. Her first six months of training under John Cook involved rehabilitation from her stress fracture. In November 2007, Rowbury competed at the Seagate Elite 5K Road Race in San Jose, California to assess her current fitness level coming back from her injury. She managed a second place finish, with a time of 15:54.

2008

In January 2008, Rowbury enjoyed her first extended stint at altitude in central Mexico where she trained for six weeks with her coach and teammates. She returned to the United States in February to compete in the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, her first track race since her injury 11 months earlier. Rowbury went on to win the 3000 m in a personal best time of 8:55.19. In April 2008, Rowbury opened up her outdoor track campaign at the Duke Invitational, winning the 800 m by 12 seconds with a two-second personal best time of 2:02.76.

Her next race was in early May at the Payton Jordon Invitational at Stanford University where she hoped to achieve the Olympic A standard at 1500 m (4:07.00). Although Rowbury came up short of her goal while racing at Stanford, she did manage a five-second personal best at this distance with a time of 4:07.59.

Still seeking the Olympic A standard, Rowbury raced at the Adidas Track Classic in Carson, California on May 18, 2008. In the 1500 m, she won with a time of 4:01.61, improving another six seconds over her previous personal best. This performance placed Rowbury her 5th all-time at 1500 m for United States females. In addition, her effort would have placed her 9th in the world rankings based on the 2007 IAAF world performance list. This performance gave her the Olympic A standard that she needed heading into the USATF Olympic Trials.

On July 6, 2008 at the USATF Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, Rowbury placed first in the 1500 m final with a time of 4:05.48, followed by Erin Donohue and Christin Wurth-Thomas. The three qualified to compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympics based on their performance at the trials.[8]

Rowbury had the fourth-fastest time in the first-round heats of the women's 1500 m run in Beijing, qualifying for the finals.[9] She was the only American athlete to advance to the finals, where she placed seventh with a time of 4:03.58. Her seventh-place finish was (as of then) the best finish ever by an American woman in the 1500 meters at the modern Olympics.[10]

2009

Rowbury retained her 1500 m title at the 2009 US Championships, beating Christin Wurth-Thomas and qualifying for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.[11] At the 2009 World Championships, in Berlin, Rowbury captured the bronze medal in a time of 4:04.18.[12] A month later she won her first Fifth Avenue Mile, narrowly edging out Lisa Dobriskey, Sara Hall and Wurth-Thomas.[13]

2010

In 2010, Rowbury finished second in the 1500 meters at the US Indoor Championships, and third at the US Championships outdoors. On July 22, 2010, Rowbury improved her personal best in the 3000 m by 23 seconds with a time of 8:31.38, which was the third-best mark in U.S. history.[14][15]

Rowbury won the 2010 edition of the Fifth Avenue Mile on September 26, 2010.[16]

2011

In 2011, Rowbury finished third at the US Championships, qualifying her for the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. There, she qualified for the semifinals, but was eliminated from the competition in the semifinal race.

2012

Rowbury finished second at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in 2012, qualifying her for her second consecutive Olympics. Morgan Uceny, who finished first at the trials, and Jenny Simpson, who finished third, also competed with Rowbury at the London Olympics. Rowbury finished sixth in the 1500 meters race at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Her sixth-place finish is the best finish ever by an American woman in the 1500 meters at the modern Olympics.

2013

Rowbury began her season at the Drake Relays, finishing fourth in the 1500m with a time of 4:09.05.[17] After finishing fourth in the 1500 meters at the USATF Championships in June 2013 in a slow, tactical final, Rowbury was left off the world championships team in the 1500 metres, her main event. She later finished third in the 5000 meters at the USATF Championships, qualifying her for her third consecutive World Championship team. Because Treniere Moser, who was on the world championships team for the 1500 meters, pulled out of the 1500 meters at the Moscow world championships due to a hamstring injury, Rowbury could have run the 1500 meters at the world championships, but was forced to run the 5000 meters due to a technicality.[18] Rowbury finished 7th in the 5000 meters in Moscow at the 2013 IAAF World Championship, just behind her compatriot Molly Huddle. After the 2013 season, Rowbury's coach, John Cook, retired, and she switched coaches to Alberto Salazar, becoming a member of the Nike Oregon Project.[19]

2014

Rowbury began her season at the University of Washington Indoor Preview, finishing fourth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:07.72 on January 18, 2014.[20] She was the runner-up in the 3000 meters in 9:25.49 at 2014 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships on 22 February 2014.[21]

On June 27, 2014, Rowbury finished second in the 5,000 meters US outdoor title in Sacramento, California with a time of 15:01.71, being passed by Molly Huddle in the final meters, who won in 15:01.56.[22]

After many years of trying Shannon broke the four minute barrier for the first time in the 1500m at the prestigious Paris Diamond League meeting on July the 5th. She recorded a time of 3:59.49 seconds. Just two weeks later at the Monaco Diamond League meeting she recorded a new lifetime best in the 5000m finishing behind American Record holder Molly Huddle in the race. Her time of 14:48.68[23] saw her go under the 15 minute barrier for the first time and slice 12 seconds off her previous personal best, the time also ranks her as the fourth best American ever to run the distance.

2015

Shannon, still training under Alberto Salazar, will race in 5 indoor races with her capstone performance at USA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

UW Indoor Preview, Seattle, WA
DateDistancePlaceTime
1/17/2015 Mile 1st 4:27.86
1/17/2015 1000m 1st 2:40.25

Shannon Rowbury won the Millrose Games women's mile in 4:24.32.[24][25]

Personal Bests

Event Time Venue Date
Outdoor
800 m 2:00.47 Eugene July 3, 2010
1500 m 3:59:49 Paris July 5, 2014[26]
Mile run 4:20.34 Rieti September 7, 2008
3000 m 8:29.93 Brussels September 5, 2014[27]
5000 m 14:48.68 Fontvieille July 18, 2014
Indoor
1500 m 4:07.66 New York, NY February 11, 2012
Mile run 4:22.66 Winston-Salem, NC January 31, 2015
3000 m 8:47.18 Boston February 6, 2010

Last updated January 31, 2015.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 All-Athletics. "Profile of Shannon Rowbury".
  2. ↑ "Athletics at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games: Women's 1,500 metres Final". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  3. ↑ "2009 World Championships in Athletics - 1500 Metres - W". IAAF. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  4. ↑ Rowbury, Shannon. "Resume". Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  5. ↑ "Shannon Rowbury teleconference excerpts". USATF. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  6. ↑ Kevin Beck (June 2008). "Southern Cooking: Coach John Cook directs 'the little things' for three rising stars". Running Times Magazine. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  7. ↑ <http://www.2008.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=1151/bio/index.htm>
  8. ↑ "Stuczynski breaks AR; hurdlers impress as Olympic Trials conclude". USATF. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  9. ↑ "Athletics at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games: Women's 1,500 metres Round One". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  10. ↑ Crumpacker, John (August 24, 2008). "No medal, but best U.S. 1,500 finish". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  11. ↑ Morse, Parker (2009-06-28). World season leads for Demus and Merritt as team takes shape in Eugene - USA Champs, Day 3. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-06-30.
  12. ↑ Lucas, Ryan (August 23, 2009). "Rodriguez disqualified, Jamal wins women's 1,500". The Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
  13. ↑ New York Road Runners (2009-09-27). Rowbury and Baddeley reign over Fifth Avenue. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-27.
  14. ↑ "Gay wins Monaco 200m". Athletics Weekly . Retrieved 2010-07-25.
  15. ↑ "Samsung Diamond League - 3000m Women". Omega Timing. Retrieved 2010-07-25.
  16. ↑ http://www.letsrun.com/2010/fifth-0926-recap.php
  17. ↑ "Wow: Jenny Simpson Impresses With Drake Relays Record and World Lead in 1,500". LetsRun.com. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  18. ↑ "Shannon Rowbury Has Some Strong Words for USATF For Being Left Off 1500m Team for Worlds". LetsRun. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  19. ↑ "Shannon Rowbury to be coached by Alberto Salazar". Flotrack. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  20. ↑ http://www.tfrrs.org/results/31327_f.html#1996702
  21. ↑ http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2014/USA-Indoor-Track---Field-Championships/Results.aspx
  22. ↑ Women's 5000m - USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships 2014
  23. ↑ http://www.diamondleague-monaco.com/en/Program/Overview/5000m-Women1/
  24. ↑ http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ahoure-wins-millrose-richards-struggles-025333932--spt.html
  25. ↑ Video
  26. ↑ http://www.diamondleague-paris.com/en/Live-StartlistsResults/Overview/1500m-Women/
  27. ↑ http://www.diamondleague-brussels.com/en/Live-StartlistsResults/Overview/3000m-Women/

External links