Deena Kastor - Career Highlights

Career Highlights

In high school, Kastor won three California state cross country titles and two CIF California State Meet titles at 3200 meters 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:

• Women's marathon (set when winning the 2006 Flora London Marathon with a time of 2:19:36)
• Women's half marathon (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 Carlsbad 5000 with a time of 14:54)

Kastor formerly held the following record:

• Women's 10,000 metres (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, 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 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-kilometer (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.