Achievement Snapshot

Kate O’Neill, 27, Team Running USA athlete

Residence: Mammoth Lakes, CA
High School: Milton High School (Milton, MA) ‘99
College: Yale ‘03, history
Coach: Terrence Mahon
Sponsor: Nike

HGT: 5’4”
WGT: 115lbs
Birthdate: 07/29/80

PRs:
5000m - 15:21.66 (2004)
10,000m – 31:34.37 (2004)
Half-Marathon – 1:11:47 (2007)
Marathon – 2:36:15 (2007)

High School PR:
Mile – 4:57.39 (1999)

ACCOMPLISHMENTS-PR'S:

In January 2008, Kate won her first USA title as a professional runner with a victory at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in 1 hour, 11 seconds, 57 seconds. In April 2008 at the Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston, the 2004 Olympian was a contender until a knee injury forced her to drop out just past 20 miles. Her Team Running USA teammate Deena Kastor used a late race charge surge to win the Trials and a ticket to the Beijing Olympic Games. Also, in 2008, Kate was inducted into the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association's Hall of Fame.

In 2007, O’Neill was the national runner-up at the USA Half-Marathon Championship in Houston with a personal record of 1:11:47. The Yale grad also had three top third place performances: Falmouth Road Race (36:52), USA 20K Championships (1:08:04) and in her marathon debut on a hot day, LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon (2:36:15). Also, in the fall of 2007, Kate and her twin sister Laura were inducted in the Milton High School inaugural Hall of Fame class.

At the 2004 U.S. Olympic Track Trials, O’Neill finished third in the 10,000 meters to qualify for her first Olympic team. She was the first Yale graduate to compete in an Olympic Games distance event since Frank Shorter’s silver medal performance at the 1976 Olympic Marathon.

COLLEGE
At Yale, the 10-time Ivy League champion and seven-time All-American was the 2003 NCAA 10,000m runner-up. O’Neill, also an Academic All-American, was awarded the Nellie P. Eliott Award, given to a senior woman whose academic and athletic excellence best reflects the ideals of sportsmanship at Yale.

HIGH SCHOOL
A standout at Milton High School, as a senior, she won the Massachusetts division II state cross country title and finished runner-up in the mile at the Massachusetts All-State meet, and as a sophomore and senior, she and her twin Laura led Milton High to state cross country team titles.

PERSONAL
Kate enjoys reading history books, writing and listening to podcasts. Twin sister Laura also was an All-American at Yale and finished 7th in the 10,000m (33:04.23) at the 2004 Olympic Trials.

1 National Title
road
half-marathon - 2008

Source: Running USA – www.RunningUSA.org