Olympic Marathoner Bio: Kara Goucher

Kara Goucher

Women's Marathon - August 5

Men's Marathon - August 12

USA Championships

2008 Olympic Trials 5,000m champion  (15:01.02)

Three-time USA Outdoor 10,000m runner-up – 2007 (32:33.80); 2008 (31:37.72); 2011 (31:16.65)

2006 USA Outdoor 5,000m runner-up (15:14.13)

3rd at 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon (2:26:06)

 

International Championships

2007 World Outdoor 10,000m bronze medalist (32:02.05)

 

Collegiate Championships

2000 NCAA Outdoor 3,000m (9:02.15) and 5000m (15:54.30) champion

2000 NCAA Cross Country champion

 

About Kara

After taking time off in 2010 to give birth to her son, Goucher came back to form in 2011 in running a personal best time at the Boston Marathon. She also ran her second-fastest 10,000m time ever to qualify for the world team in 2011. For the first time in 24 years, Americans appeared on both podiums at the 2009 Boston Marathon as Kara Goucher was third in the women's race (2:32:25) and Ryan Hall third among the men. Goucher turned in a history-making American performance by finishing third in the 2008 NYC Marathon. Crossing the line in 2:25:53, it was the fastest marathon debut ever by an American woman, the fastest time ever by an American at the ING New York City Marathon and marked the first time in 14 years that an American woman placed in the top three in New York. 

Goucher made history at the 2007 IAAF World Outdoor Championships by winning the first American medal ever in the women's 10,000 meters. After years of injury and frustration, the Gouchers moved from Boulder to Portland, Oregon, in the fall of 2004, where both Kara and her husband, Adam, have flourished. Formerly Kara Grgas-Wheeler, she started running in the seventh grade because she wanted to win an award at her junior high school. To get the award, she needed academics, arts and athletics. She chose cross country because they didn’t make cuts. She was a psychology major at Colorado. In 2001, she married fellow Colorado alum, distance runner Adam Goucher. Gave birth to son Colt in September 2010. She will be on the 2012 Olympic team in the marathon with teammate Shalane Flanagan.