Katie McGregor

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Katie McGregor
Personal information
Born (1977-09-02) September 2, 1977 (age 46)
10,000 m,
Cross country
College teamMichigan Wolverines
ClubTeam Running USA Minnesota
Coached byDennis Barker
Achievements and titles
World finals2007 10000 m, 13th
2005 10000 m, 14th
Personal best(s)1500 m: 4:14.1

3000 m: 8:59.64
5000 m: 15:22.60
10000 m: 31:21.20
Half Marathon: 1:11:45

Marathon: 2:31:01

Katie McGregor (born September 2, 1977) is an American runner who participates in track, cross country and the marathon.

High school

Born in

Willoughby South High School in Willoughby, Ohio
. She was the state champion of Ohio in the 3200-meter run with a time of 10:49.74 as a freshman (1992), and a state champion in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:56.32 as a senior (1995).

College

McGregor continued running as a student-athlete at the University of Michigan in the fall of 1995, majoring in English and competing in both cross country and track.

Freshman year: 1995/1996

During her first season of cross country as a Wolverine, she was named

NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship.[2] McGregor was the third Wolverine finisher in the championship (placing 39th overall), helping her team run to a seventh-place finish at the final meet.[3]

Sophomore year: 1996/1997

McGregor's sophomore cross country season was somewhat disappointing, as both she and all but one of her Wolverine teammates missed qualifying for the NCAA championship meet.[4]

Junior year: 1997/1998

During her junior cross country season in the fall of 1997, McGregor was named Big Ten Athlete of the Year after winning the individual title with a time of 17:14.[5] She managed a second-place finish to teammate Elizabeth Kampfe in the NCAA District IV regional meet in mid-November, helping the Wolverines to clinch the runner-up spot and an automatic berth in the NCAA championship.[6] A week later in the championship, McGregor earned All-America honors by running to a fourth-place finish in a time of 16:48. She was the first finisher for the Wolverines, leading the team to seventh-place in the meet overall.[7]

During the indoor track season the following winter (1998), she won the two NCAA titles, one individually in the 3000-meter run with a time of 9:24.68, and another running the 1600-meter anchor leg in the distance medley relay, clocking a 4:38 split.[8] During the outdoor track season, McGregor helped the Wolverines win the Big Ten championship by earning 14 points at the conference meet through a third-place finish in the 1500-meter run and a runner-up finish to Angie Kujak of the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 5000-meter run.[9] At the outdoor NCAA outdoor track and field championships in June, McGregor managed a runner-up finish to Amy Skieresz of the Arizona Wildcats in the 5000-meter run.[10]

Senior year: 1998/1999

McGregor’s running success continued during her senior cross country season, when she won seven out of eight meets, including the Big Ten title in a time of 17:16,[11] the Great Lakes Regional title in a time of 17:02.39,[12] and the NCAA championship in a time of 16:47.21.[13][14] For her efforts, McGregor was honored with the Honda Award, given to the nation’s top female cross country runner.[15][16][17] During the 1999 outdoor track season, she won her final collegiate championship, winning the Big Ten title in the 5000-meter run with a time of 16:32.83.[18] She later bested this time at the NCAA meet, earning All-American honors by taking third place in the race with a time of 16:15.75.[19] For her achievements during her senior year, McGregor was named University of Michigan Female Athlete of the Year. During her time competing for Michigan, she was a three-time NCAA champion, eight-time NCAA All-American, and three-time Big Ten Conference champion.[20][21]

Post-collegiate/professional

Following college, McGregor remained in

Sydney, Australia. The following year, she moved to Minneapolis, and began training with Team Minnesota under sponsorship from Reebok
.

Over the next few years, McGregor competed in variety of distance races, performing well, and continuing to improve upon her personal best times in several running events. Highlights during 2004 included a second-place finish at the U.S. Cross Country Championships (8000-meter distance),[22] as well as personal bests in both the 5000-meter and 10000-meter runs prior to the Olympic Trials. At the Olympic Trials, she narrowly missed qualifying for the games in Athens, taking fourth place in the 10000-meter run. Despite finishing fourth, McGregor would have earned a spot on the Olympic team if she met the "A" standard of 31:45, but she finished with a time of 32:33.87. In regards to her performance she commented that "I was really angry, because I failed myself."[23]

2005 saw her personal best times in all races continue to improve, culminating in a come-from-behind victory in the 10000-meter run at the U.S. Outdoor Championships in May.

Helsinki, Finland in August 2005, taking fourteenth place overall as the top U.S. finisher, with a personal best time of 31:21.20.[25]

Longer distance races

In the autumn of 2006, McGregor began exploring longer distance races, competing in the New York City Marathon and achieving a ninth-place finish with a time of 2:32:36 in her debut at this distance.[26]

In the spring of 2007, McGregor won the

Udine, Italy. She set a personal best in this competition, taking twenty-seventh place in the half marathon with a time of 1:12:01.[28]

Success continued for McGregor in early 2008, with a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Cross Country Championships in

IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh in late March. At the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, McGregor again narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympics in the 10000-meter run. She competed well, but her time of 32:29.82 only earned her another fourth-place finish in the event at the Trials.[31][32] Unlike the 2004 trials, this time McGregor had already met the "A" standard. Amy Yoder Begley
made a furious charge at the end of the race, which met the standard and therefore qualified her for the team over McGregor. In response to this disappointing outcome, McGregor said:

I felt like I failed myself in 2004. But this time I did what I needed to do, and Amy ran well. I tried to put a happy face on it. You don't want to be Debbie Downer and feel sorry for yourself. It's not like I'm the only person to finish fourth.[23]

McGregor won USA 25 km Championships in May 2010 and then the USA 10-Mile Championships hosted at the Twin Cities Marathon in September, marking her sixth victory of the competition.[33][34]

Personal

McGregor resides in suburban Minneapolis and ran for Team USA Minnesota until 2012.[35] She enjoys reading literature by authors such as Sylvia Plath and Cormac McCarthy. McGregor is also a big fan of Frank Sinatra.[23]

Achievements

  • 2009 USATF 10 km Third
  • 2007 USATF 25 km Champion
  • 2006 USATF 10 km Champion
  • 2005 USATF 10 km Champion
  • 2005 USATF Outdoor Champion (10000-meter run)
  • 2003–2008 U.S. World Cross Country team (8 km)
  • 1999 Honda Sports Award for cross country[36]
  • 1999 Big Ten Conference Outdoor Track & Field Champion (5000-meter run)
  • 1998 NCAA Cross Country Champion
  • 1998 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Champion (3000-meter run, Distance Medley Relay)
  • 1998 Big Ten Conference Cross Country Champion
  • 1997 Big Ten Conference Cross Country Champion

References

  1. Michigan Daily. Archived from the original
    on October 22, 2004. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
  2. on October 21, 2004. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
  3. on October 22, 2004. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
  4. on October 15, 2004. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
  5. on November 30, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  6. on August 25, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  7. on August 25, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  8. on July 4, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  9. on October 15, 2004. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  10. on September 6, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  11. on August 21, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  12. on January 19, 2005. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  13. on August 24, 2007. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  14. New York Times
    . Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  15. . Honda.com. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
  16. NCAA. January 4, 1999. Retrieved September 7, 2008. [dead link
    ]
  17. ^ "Katie McGregor (2014) - University of Michigan Hall of Honor". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  18. NCAA. Archived from the original
    on January 30, 2005. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  19. on May 3, 2005. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  20. ^ "National Champions Selected U-M Athletes of the Year". MGoBlue.com (University of Michigan Athletic Website). June 10, 1999. Retrieved September 7, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  21. Michigan Daily. Archived from the original
    on July 13, 2006. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  22. ^ Nick Karas (2004). "Gruber wins first title at USA Cross Country Championships". USATF. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
  23. ^ a b c Cyphers, Luke (August 12, 2008). "BEIJING 2008: THIS CLOSE". ESPN The Magazine. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
  24. ^ Jill Geer (2005). "USATF - News: Johnson wins sizzling men's hurdles; Clay, Broe set records". USATF. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
  25. ^ Tom Surber (2005). "USATF - News: Nelson wins gold medal at World Outdoor Championships". USATF. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
  26. ^ New York Road Runners (2006). "The ING New York City Marathon: Katie McGregor's Story". ING NYC Marathon Website. Retrieved November 3, 2007. [dead link]
  27. ^ Jim Estes (2007). "USATF - News: Sell, McGregor win USA 25 km titles". USATF. Retrieved November 3, 2007.
  28. ^ "IAAF Athletics - Official Results - Half Marathon Women". IAAF. 2007. Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved December 31, 2007.
  29. ^ "USATF News - Flanagan, Ritzenhein dominate at USA Cross Country Championships". USATF. 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  30. ^ "Katie McGregor 4th @ 08 XC | 2008 USA XC Championships on Flotrack". Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  31. ^ Bachman, Rachel (June 28, 2008). "Fourth is the last place to finish". The Oregonian. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
  32. USATF. Archived from the original
    on October 29, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
  33. USATF
    (May 8, 2010). Retrieved on January 27, 2011.
  34. ^ Youngblood, Kent (October 4, 2010). Local runners take home 10-mile championships. Star Tribune. Retrieved on October 4, 2010.
  35. ^ http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2013/06/15/sports/nh7100539.txt?viewmode=fullstory [dead link]
  36. ^ "Cross Country". CWSA. Retrieved March 29, 2020.

External links