Deena Kastor
Encyclopedia
Deena Michelle Kastor is an American long-distance runner. She holds American records in the marathon
, half-marathon, and numerous road distances. She won the bronze medal
in the women's marathon at the 2004 Olympics
in Athens, Greece. She is also an eight-time national champion in cross country
.
state cross country
titles and two CIF California State Meet
titles at 3200 metres while running for Agoura High School
in Agoura Hills, California
. She also competed in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships
all four years of her prep career. At the University of Arkansas
she was a four-time SEC champion and an eight-time All-American. Post-collegiately, Kastor ran under coaches Joe Vigil and Terrence Mahon (currently head of the Mammoth Lakes, California
training group).
Kastor has twice been runner up in the World Cross Country Championships.
She holds U.S. records in the following events:
Kastor formerly held the following record:
In recent years, Kastor has shifted her focus toward the marathon distance. After winning the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Marathon
, she won the 2005 Chicago Marathon
. In 2006, she won the London Marathon
, setting an American record. She placed sixth at the 2006 New York City Marathon
and fifth at the 2007 Boston Marathon
.
In April 2008, Kastor won the U.S. women's Olympic marathon trials in Boston, Massachusetts. She finished with an unofficial time of 2:29:35, after overtaking competitor Magdalena Lewy Boulet in mile 23. Kastor ran most of the race from behind, while Lewy Boulet built a commanding lead very early on, running alone for most of the marathon. With some 10 miles (16.1 km) to go, Kastor made a move to catch up to Lewy Boulet, stringing out the field. Lewy Boulet took second place in 2:30:19.
In August 2008, Kastor pulled out of the women's marathon at the Beijing Olympics with a foot injury. At about the 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) mark, she dropped to one knee, holding her right foot. She attempted to rise, but dropped back down again and was forced to withdraw from the race.
Kastor is a featured subject in the 2007 marathon documentary Spirit of the Marathon
, which follows her victory at the 2005 Chicago Marathon
.
On March 21, 2010, Kastor competed in the first spring running of the NYC Half-Marathon. After running the majority of the race in first, on her way to breaking the course record, she dropped to second place to finish behind Great Britain's Mara Yamauchi
.
It was announced in August 2010 that Kastor and her husband were expecting their first child, Piper Bloom, in March 2011. It was also announced that Deena will be making her return to racing at the New York Mini 10K.
Among honors Kastor has received from the USATF are:
located in Agoura Hills
, California
. She ran collegiately for the University of Arkansas
.
She is married to Andrew Kastor. In August 2010, they announced that she was three months pregnant with their first child. As a result, she announced she would not be competing in the upcoming New York City Marathon.
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
, half-marathon, and numerous road distances. She won the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the women's marathon at the 2004 Olympics
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in Athens, Greece. She is also an eight-time national champion in cross country
USA Cross Country Championships
The USA Cross Country Championships is the annual national championships for cross country running in the United States. The championships is generally held in mid-February and it serves as a way of designating the country's national champion, as well as acting as the selection race for the IAAF...
.
Career highlights
In high school, Kastor won three CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
state cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
titles and two CIF California State Meet
CIF California State Meet
The CIF California State Meet is the annual championship track and field meet for the California Interscholastic Federation. The meet was started in 1915 for boys and 1974 for girls. Every athlete in every high school in California has a direct qualification path that can reach the state meet...
titles at 3200 metres while running for Agoura High School
Agoura High School
Agoura High School is a public high school in Agoura Hills, California, United States. It is the largest high school in the Las Virgenes Unified School District...
in Agoura Hills, California
Agoura Hills, California
Agoura Hills is a city in Los Angeles County, California, and has the ZIP code 91301. The population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, down from 20,537 at the 2000 census. It is located in the eastern Conejo Valley between the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. This city on the Ventura...
. She also competed in the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships
Foot Locker Cross Country Championships
The Foot Locker Cross Country Championships are a series of annual cross country running races held in various regions of the United States to determine the premier cross country runner in various age groups, but mainly serves to find the best prep cross country athlete in the country...
all four years of her prep career. At the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
she was a four-time SEC champion and an eight-time All-American. Post-collegiately, Kastor ran under coaches Joe Vigil and Terrence Mahon (currently head of the Mammoth Lakes, California
Mammoth Lakes, California
-History:The European history of Mammoth Lakes started in 1877, when four prospectors staked a claim on Mineral Hill, south of the current town, along Old Mammoth Road. In 1878, the Mammoth Mining Company was organized to mine Mineral Hill, which caused a gold rush. By the end of 1878, 1500 people...
training group).
Kastor has twice been runner up in the World Cross Country Championships.
She holds U.S. records in the following events:
- Women's marathonMarathonThe marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
(set when winning the 2006 Flora London MarathonLondon MarathonThe London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
with a time of 2:19:36) - Women's half marathonHalf marathonA half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
(set at the 2006 Berlin Half Marathon with a time of 1:07:34) - Women's road 15K (set at the 2003 Gate River Run in Jacksonville with a time of 47:15)
- Women's road 8K (set at the 2005 The LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago with a time of 24:36)
- Women's road 5K (set at the 2002 CarlsbadCarlsbad, California-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...
5000 with a time of 14:54)
Kastor formerly held the following record:
- Women's 10K (set at Stanford in 2002 with a time of 30:50.32)
In recent years, Kastor has shifted her focus toward the marathon distance. After winning the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Marathon
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's Marathon
The Women's Marathon event at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place on August 22, 2004 in the streets of Athens, Greece. World record holder Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain started as favourite for the race, and led from the start. However, she was overtaken by Mizuki Noguchi, from Japan and...
, she won the 2005 Chicago Marathon
Chicago Marathon
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...
. In 2006, she won the London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
, setting an American record. She placed sixth at the 2006 New York City Marathon
New York City Marathon
The New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...
and fifth at the 2007 Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
.
In April 2008, Kastor won the U.S. women's Olympic marathon trials in Boston, Massachusetts. She finished with an unofficial time of 2:29:35, after overtaking competitor Magdalena Lewy Boulet in mile 23. Kastor ran most of the race from behind, while Lewy Boulet built a commanding lead very early on, running alone for most of the marathon. With some 10 miles (16.1 km) to go, Kastor made a move to catch up to Lewy Boulet, stringing out the field. Lewy Boulet took second place in 2:30:19.
In August 2008, Kastor pulled out of the women's marathon at the Beijing Olympics with a foot injury. At about the 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) mark, she dropped to one knee, holding her right foot. She attempted to rise, but dropped back down again and was forced to withdraw from the race.
Kastor is a featured subject in the 2007 marathon documentary Spirit of the Marathon
Spirit of the Marathon
Spirit of the Marathon is a 2007 documentary film directed by Jon Dunham. The film chronicles the journey six marathon runners experience while training and competing in the 2005 Chicago Marathon...
, which follows her victory at the 2005 Chicago Marathon
Chicago Marathon
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...
.
On March 21, 2010, Kastor competed in the first spring running of the NYC Half-Marathon. After running the majority of the race in first, on her way to breaking the course record, she dropped to second place to finish behind Great Britain's Mara Yamauchi
Mara Yamauchi
Mara Rosalind Yamauchi is a British long distance track, and road running athlete. She currently holds the second fastest time by a British woman over the marathon, behind the world-record holder, Paula Radcliffe....
.
It was announced in August 2010 that Kastor and her husband were expecting their first child, Piper Bloom, in March 2011. It was also announced that Deena will be making her return to racing at the New York Mini 10K.
Awards and rankings
Kastor was selected as the top women's marathoner in the world in 2006 by Track and Field News magazine.Among honors Kastor has received from the USATF are:
- 2003 Jesse Owens AwardJesse Owens AwardThe Jesse Owens Award is an annual track and field award that is the highest accolade given out by USA Track and Field . As the country's highest award for the sport, it bears Jesse Owens' name in recognition of his significant career, which included four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games...
as the top female track and field athlete in the US - USATF Runner of the Year in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2008
- C.C. Jackson Award in 2002, 2003 and 2004
- USATF Female Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 2001 and 2003, and as a team member in 2002 when the US team finished second at the World Cross Country Championships 8 kilometer run
Personal life
Kastor is an alumna of Agoura High SchoolAgoura High School
Agoura High School is a public high school in Agoura Hills, California, United States. It is the largest high school in the Las Virgenes Unified School District...
located in Agoura Hills
Agoura Hills, California
Agoura Hills is a city in Los Angeles County, California, and has the ZIP code 91301. The population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, down from 20,537 at the 2000 census. It is located in the eastern Conejo Valley between the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. This city on the Ventura...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. She ran collegiately for the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
.
She is married to Andrew Kastor. In August 2010, they announced that she was three months pregnant with their first child. As a result, she announced she would not be competing in the upcoming New York City Marathon.
| Year | Event | World rank | US rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 5000 m | – | 9th |
| 1997 | 10,000 m | – | 4th |
| 1998 | 5000 m | – | 7th |
| 1999 | 5000 m | – | 2nd |
| 10,000 m | – | 1st | |
| 2000 | 5000 m | – | 4th |
| 3000 m | – | 4th | |
| 10,000 m | – | 1st | |
| 2001 | 5000 m | – | 4th |
| 3000 m | – | 3rd | |
| Marathon | – | 1st | |
| 10,000 m | – | 1st | |
| 2002 | Marathon | – | 1st |
| 5000 m | – | 4th | |
| 10,000 m | – | 1st | |
| 3,000 m | – | 7th | |
| 2006 | Marathon | 1st | 1st |
Quotes
See also
- List of select Jewish track and field athletes
External links
- DeenaKastor.com – Official website