Adriana Nelson, née Pirtea (born January 31, 1980) is a

Romanian American Romanian Americans () are Americans who have Romanian ancestry. According to the 2023 American Community Survey, 425,738 Americans indicated Romanian as their first or second ancestry, however other sources provide higher estimates, which a ...

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

who competes in distances up to the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

. She competed at the

2005 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 14th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships were held in Edmonton, Canada on 1 October 2005. The competition was replaced by the World Road Running Championships in 2006 and 2007, but revived as IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2008. ...

and

2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships The 1st IAAF World Road Running Championships were held in Debrecen, Hungary on 8 October 2006, the women's race starting at 11:00 and the men's race at 13:00. This was the first time the title of World Road Running Champion had been competed fo ...

for Romania, then at the

2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held in Kavarna, Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Dan ...

for the United States. At national level, she won six long-distance track titles at the Romanian Athletics Championships and was the 2013 winner at the USA Half Marathon Championships. In the marathon she was runner-up at the 2007 Chicago Marathon, pipped after celebrating too early.

Career

She made her

debut in the 2007 Chicago Marathon held on October 7, 2007, with a second-place finish. She led by a few dozen meters in the final 300 meter stretch run down Columbus Drive on a day of record-setting temperatures, but she was caught just before the tape by the defending Chicago Marathon women's champion,

Berhane Adere Berhane Adere Debala ( Ge'ez: ብርሀኔ አደሬ born 21 July 1973) is a retired Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialised in the 10,000 metres and half marathon. She won the gold medal in the 10,000 m at the 2003 World Champions ...

. Pirtea had held a 30-second lead with 600 meters remaining but never looked back as Adere slipped down the right side of the final straightaway under the shield of male runners. Adere was so far to the right that as she crossed the finish line she did not take the tape which was being held at the left side of the finish line. The 2007 Chicago Marathon was the slowest women's Chicago finish since 1992 due to the heat. Pirtea had been a

pacemaker A pacemaker, also known as an artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more of the chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to co ...

at the January 28, 2007, running of the

Osaka Ladies Marathon The is an annual marathon road race for women over the classic distance of 42.195 kilometres which is held on the 4th or 5th Sunday of January in the city of Osaka, Japan, and hosted by Japan Association of Athletics Federations, Kansai Tel ...

, and an injury prevented her from making her marathon debut at the

London Marathon The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in London, England. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to Oct ...

on April 22, 2007. She became the Romanian national champion in both the 5K (2006 & 2007) and 10K (2007). She graduated from the

University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public university, public research university in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1913 as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, it is the third oldest academic component of the Univers ...

in 2005. Pirtea has run the

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

in 1:09:57 and placed 10th at the World Half Marathon Championships held on October 1, 2005, in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. This tenth-place finish contributed to the Romanian team gold medal at the World Half Marathon Championships in which 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon Women's Champion

Constantina Tomescu-Diță Flavia Valeria Constantina (also sometimes called ''Constantia'' and ''Constantiana''; ; b. after 307/before 317 – d. 354), later known as Saint Constance, was the eldest daughter of Roman emperor Constantine the Great and his second wife Fausta ...

placed first for the Romanians,

Mihaela Botezan Mihaela Maria Botezan (born 21 November 1976 in Ocna Mureş) is a Romanian long-distance runner who specializes mainly in the 10000 metres and the half marathon. She represented Romania at the 2004 Summer Olympics, the 2002 European Athletics Cham ...

placed 5th and

Nuța Olaru Nuța Olaru (born August 28, 1970 in Orodel, Dolj) is a female long-distance runner originally from Romania, who became a naturalized United States citizen in November 2012. She specializes in the marathon race. She set her personal best (2:24:33 ...

placed 8th. Pirtea had been the silver medalist in the 3,000-meter run at the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Championships. At the NCAA Championships, she had been the #2 seed, but was run down in the final lap by #4 seed Renee Metivier. Like the 2007 Chicago Marathon, the 2005 NCAA 3000 was run at a relatively slow pace. Pirtea had finished 16th in the event as a junior in 2004. On September 29, 2009, Adriana and her husband, Jeremy Nelson, finished second and first, respectively, in the 13.1 Mini-Marathon in

Calumet City, Illinois Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History Calumet City (commonly referred to locally as "Cal City") was founded in 1893 ...

, with times of 1:12.28 and 1:12.29. Adriana Pirtea won a

Suzuki Splash The Suzuki Splash is a city car that was introduced to the market in 2008. It was jointly developed by Suzuki Motor Corporation and Opel GmbH, which marketed their version under the name of Agila. Its debut as a concept car took place at the ...

car at the XIVth edition of the Romanian Lottery Cross. The competition took place in Bucharest on October 3, 2011. On June 22, 2013, Adriana Nelson won the USA Half Marathon Championships hosted by the

Grandma's Marathon Grandma's Marathon (sport), Marathon (Grandma's) is an annual Road running, road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the city of Two Harbors, Minnesota, Two Harbor ...

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

, in 1:11:19. She reverted her internationally eligibility back to her native Romania in 2020, have previously represented the United States at the

Personal life

Adriana Nelson resides in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

. She was married on November 1, 2008, to Jeremy Nelson.

Personal bests

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a sta ...

– 15:36.01 (2005) *

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship-level events. The ...

– 32:38.95 (2012) *

5K run The 5K run is a long-distance road running competition over a distance of . Also referred to as the 5K road race, 5 km, or simply 5K, it is the shortest of the most common road running distances. It is usually distinguished from the 5000 me ...

– 16:21 (2010) *

10K run The 10K run is a long-distance road running competition over a distance of . Also referred to as the 10K road race, 10 km, or simply 10K, it is one of the most common types of road running event, alongside the shorter 5K and longer half ...

– 33:21 (2007) *

15K run The 15K run (15 kilometers, or approximately 9.32 miles) is a long-distance foot race. It is a rarely held race that is not recognized as an Olympic Games, Olympic event. The overall world best time for men was set by Jacob Kiplimo in 2025, en ro ...

– 51:37 (2012) *

20K run The 20K run (20 kilometres, or approximately 12.4 miles) is a long-distance running, long distance foot race. It is a rarely held race that is not recognized as an Olympic Games, Olympic event. The event held IAAF world championship status in 20 ...

– 1:09:06 (2012) *

Half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

– 1:09:59 (2005) *

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

– 2:28:52 (2008)

International competitions

National titles

* Romanian Athletics Championships **5000 metres: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 **10,000 metres: 2007, 2008 * USA Half Marathon Championships: 2013

Marathons

* 2007 Osaka Women's Marathon: * 2007 Chicago Marathon: 2nd (2:33:52) * 2008 London Marathon: 10th (2:28:52) * 2008 Chicago Marathon: 12th (2:35:39) * 2009 Chicago Marathon: 8th (2:34:07) * 2009 Rotterdam Marathon: 3rd (2:36:36) *

2010 Berlin Marathon The 37th Berlin Marathon took place on Sunday 26 September 2010 on the streets of Berlin, Germany. The competition was sponsored by German retailer ''real,-'' and it was the third World Marathon Major of the year, as well as being an IAAF Gold Labe ...

: 6th (2:30:15) * 2011 Yokohama Women's Marathon: * 2011 Osaka Women's Marathon: 7th (2:32:44) * 2012 United States Olympic Trials: * 2012 Yokohama Women's Marathon: * 2013 New York City Marathon: 13th (2:35:05) * 2014 Frankfurt Marathon: 9th (2:33:54) *

2014 Boston Marathon The 2014 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts, on Monday, April 21. It was the 118th official running of the Boston Marathon, traditionally held on Patriots' Day. The race is organized by the Boston Athletic Association, and has be ...

: 13th (2:31:15) *

2015 Boston Marathon The 2015 Boston Marathon was the 119th running of the Boston Athletic Association's mass-participation marathon. It took place on Monday, April 20 (Patriots' Day in Massachusetts). The men's race was won by Lelisa Desisa from Ethiopia in a time o ...

: 15th (2:38:47) * 2016 United States Olympic Trials: 12th (2:38:56)

Notes

References

*
marathoninfo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Adriana 1980 births Living people Athletes from Bucharest Romanian female long-distance runners Romanian female marathon runners American female long-distance runners American female marathon runners UTEP Miners women's track and field athletes 21st-century American women 21st-century Romanian sportswomen