Gitte Karlshøj

Gitte Karlshøj (born 14 May 1959 in Lyderslev, Stevns, Sjælland, Denmark is a Danish Track and Field athlete, specializing in long distance running. She ran the 3000 metres at the 1992 Summer Olympics, finishing in a non-qualifying 6th place in the qualifying round and the Marathon at the 1996 Summer Olympics, failing to finish.^[1] She also made the final at the 1992 IAAF World Championships.

Starting her career at a fairly late age (early twenties), she teamed up with runner Flemming Jensen as her first coach and trainer. This partnership brought her from being a recognised talent to a developed professional top athlete. At the later part of her career she took over responsibility of own coaching and used Flemming more as a mentor. This partnership however, faded out at the time of her late career continuation.

She studied in the United States running for Seattle Pacific University.^[2] She has continued running into the Masters athletics age groups. She is the current World Record holder in the W50 division at 1500 metres, 3000 metres, 5000 metres and 10000 metres. She also has a pending W50 world record for the mile.

Gitte Karlshøj starred as a personal trainer for DR2 runners who ran the New York Marathon in Tema Saturday in November 2006; She is a physiotherapist by Team Denmark in Aarhus and lecturer in business / sports clubs etc.

Achievements

Gitte Karlshøj has won 37 Danish championships at various distances. She has set 3 Danish records at 1000m, 1.500m and 2000 meters, and set the 2002 world record for Masters (W40) at the half marathon distance. Her personal record for the marathon is 2:31:31, just 1.53min from Dorthe Rasmussen's Danish record of 2:29:34. At almost 45 years of age, Gitte Karlshøj won the open division of the Hong Kong Marathon in 2004.^[3] She won the masters division of the Boston Marathon two years in a row.^[4] She won all distances from 800m to marathon at the European Veterans Championships in 2004, all within a week.^[5] She was the 2009 world champion at 5.000 mi class-W50. She won the Danish championship marathon in 2009, which was hosted by the Hans Christian Andersen Marathon in Odense and thus became the oldest Danish champion ever. Her finishing time was 2:51,30.

She is the only Dane to claim to be Danish champion at all distances from 800 meters to the marathon, including cross and road race (11 different distances). Gitte chosen for European Best Female Master of the Year 2009 that is the best female athlete over 35 years in Europe.

Personal Records

• 800 meters : 2.02.9 (1992)
• 1500 meters : 4.08.61 (1991) Danish record in 1991
• 3000 meters : 8:44:35 (1991)
• 5000 meters : 15.22.95 (1993)
• 10000 meters : 32.26.25 (1994)
• Half Marathon : 1:10:50 (1996)
• Marathon: 2:31:31 (1997)^[6]

Masters World Records

• Half-marathon: 1:11:09 (2002), W40 (since improved)
• 1.500m: 4:40:7 (2009), W50
• Mile: 5:00:59 (2010), W50
• 3.000m: 9:47:20 (2009), W50
• 5.000m: 16:51:17 (2009), W50
• 10,000: 35:41:8 (2009), W50

References