Alicia Monson (born May 13, 1998) is an American

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 primarily competes in the

5000 meters 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 ...

and

10,000 meters 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 r ...

. She holds the North American record over the 5000 m, 10,000 m, and two mile distances, all set as part of the

On Athletics Club On Athletics Club (OAC) is a training group of professional Distance running, distance runners sponsored by On (company), On. The team is coached by Dathan Ritzenhein and was founded in August 2020 with eight original members. OAC trains primaril ...

under coach

Dathan Ritzenhein Dathan James Ritzenhein (born December 30, 1982) is a retired American long-distance runner, and current head coach of the On Athletics Club (OAC). He held the American record in the 5,000 metres (12:56.27) from 2009 to 2010, until it was broke ...

Early and personal life

Monson was born in

Amery, Wisconsin Amery ( ) is a city in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Apple River. It is a part of Wisconsin's 7th congressional district. The population was 2,962 at the 2020 census. The city was named in honor of William Amery, a carpenter ...

, to parents Beth Ann and Jay Monson. She has three siblings: Katrina, Cole, and Lydia. Competing for Amery High School under coaches Paul Enslin and Kelsey Faschingbauer, she was the Wisconsin state champion in cross country and the 3200 m her senior year, and was the state runner-up in the 1600 m her junior and senior years.

Collegiate career

After graduating from Amery High School in 2016, she enrolled at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

to compete for the Wisconsin Badgers under coach Jill Miller.

2016-17: Freshman

Monson made her Badgers cross country debut on September 23, 2016, placing fifth at the Badgers Classic. Later that season she would go on to place 30th at the Big 10 Cross Country Championships and finish 96th at the national meet in Terre Haute. Focusing on the 5000 m in her freshman track season, Monson ran a seasons best of 16:04.09 at the Stanford Invitational on March 31 and placed fourth at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships on May 17. She qualified for the West Preliminary Round in Austin, but was unable to advance to the NCAA Championships, placing 13th in her heat.

2017-18: Sophomore

In her sophomore cross country season, Monson placed an impressive 19th at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, but was unable to replicate that success during the championship season, placing 139th at the national meet in Louisville. Indoors, Monson qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships with a 15:47.23 5000 m personal best in Ames, Iowa. At the Big 10 Indoor Championships, she doubled in the 3000 m and 5000 m, placing third in the former and 7th in the latter. Contesting the 5000 m at the national meet, she placed 13th in a time of 16:19.45. During the outdoor season Monson claimed a silver medal at the Big 10 Championships over 5000 m and ran a 9-second 5000 m personal best at the West Prelims, qualifying her for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Competing at her first NCAA Championships outdoors, Alicia placed 18th over 5000 m in a time of 16:04.46.

2018-2019: Junior

Going into her junior cross country season, Monson had high hopes of winning a national title at national at home in Madison, Wisconsin. She took first place at the Nuttycombe Invitational on September 28, won the Big 10 Championships on October 28, and placed first at the Great Lakes Regional on November 9. At NCAAs on November 17, she placed fourth, 12 seconds behind first-place finisher

Dani Jones Danielle "Dani" Jones (born August 21, 1996) is an American middle-distance runner. She is a four-time NCAA Division I champion winning two gold medals at the 2017 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 3000-meters and Indo ...

. On January 25, Monson set a 5000 m personal best of 15:34.53 in Bloomington, Indiana. Two weeks later, she competed in the prestigious

Millrose Games The Millrose Games are an annual indoor athletics (track & field) meet held each February in New York City. Among the world's most prestigious indoor track meets, the games started taking place at the Armory in Washington Heights in 2012, after ...

, contesting the 3000 m and taking the win over a field of professionals, running a personal best of 8:45.97 in the process. Later that month, she attempted a 3000-5000 double at the Big 10 Indoor Championships, winning both in 9:14.52 and 16:18.63 respectively. She attempted the same double at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama on March 8 and 9. In the 5000 m she claimed her first NCAA title, winning in a personal best and meet record of 15:31.26. The next day, she contested the 3000 m where she finished 10th in 9:14.52. Outdoors, Monson competed in just 2 races due to a foot injury resulting from overexertion. She made her debut in the 10,000 m at the Stanford Invitational, running a time of 33:02.91 and finished 9th at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in the 5000 m.

2019-2020: Senior

Rebounding from her injury hampered 2019 outdoor season, Monson opened her 2019 cross country season with a second-place finish at the Joe Piane Invitational. She went undefeated her next three races, defending her titles at the Nuttycombe Invitational, Big 10 Championships and Great Lakes Regional. At the national meet, Monson finished runner-up, 10 seconds behind champion

Weini Kelati Weini Kelati Frezghi (ወይኒ ቀላቲ ፍረዝጊ) (born December 1, 1996) is an American middle and long distance runner. Born in Eritrea, she claimed asylum in the United States in July 2014 and subsequently achieved multiple victories in ...

. On February 29, Monson competed in what would be her last race as a Wisconsin Badgers, winning the Big 10 Indoor 5000 m title in 16:04.77, her fifth and final Big 10 individual title.

Professional career

2020

In April 2020, after the University of Wisconsin's decision not to honor the additional season of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Monson decided to turn professional. In August, Monson joined the newly formed On Athletics Club, based in Boulder, and coached by 3-time US Olympian

. She made her pro debut on August 22, running a 15:14.71 5000 m personal best in Los Angeles. In December, she set a 10,000 m personal best of 31:10.84 in San Juan Capistrano.

2021

On June 26, 2021, at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

, she placed third in the

10,000 m 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 ...

in a time of 31:18.55 to claim a spot on the American team for the event at the delayed

2020 Tokyo Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

. Such was the effort, after the medal ceremony, she collapsed and started vomiting and had to go to the hospital as a precaution, according to her coach,

. She finished 13th at the Games in 31:21.36. Later that summer, she set a 3000 m personal best of 8:40.08 at the

Meeting de Paris Meeting de Paris (formerly known as the Meeting Areva and Meeting Gaz de France) is an annual track and field meeting at the Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris, France. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Di ...

and ran a personal best over 5000 m of 14:42.56 at the

Memorial Van Damme The Memorial Van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it now serves as a final event of the D ...

in Brussels.

2022

In January 2022, Monson won the USATF Cross Country Championships held in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. Later that month, Monson competed at the Millrose Games, winning the 3000 in a lifetime best of 8:31.62. After qualifying via a second-place finish at the US Indoor Championships, she next placed seventh over the

3000 m The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000 m shou ...

at the World Indoor Championships in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

in March. On May 27, she finished second to

Karissa Schweizer Karissa Schweizer ( ; born May 4, 1996) is an American middle- and long-distance runner, Olympian and World Record holder in the women's 4x1500 meters relay. She competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters events fi ...

at the USATF 10,000 m championships, running a personal best of 30:51.09 in the process. On June 16, Monson finished fifth at the Bislett Games 5000 m, running a lifetime best of 14:31.11, becoming the third fastest American of all time over the distance. In July, she placed 13th in the 10,000 m at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

held in

. On August 26, she finished second at the Athletissima Lausanne, running 8:26.81, good for a 5-second lifetime best. Monson capped off her season in December with a win at the Cross Champs in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, a gold meet on the World Cross Country Tour.

2023

On February 11, Monson set a new North American indoor record in the 3000 meters with a time of 8:25.05 at the

in New York, improving her lifetime best by more than six seconds. She broke by 0.65 s

's record set in 2020. On March 4, Monson smashed

Molly Huddle Molly Huddle (born August 31, 1984) is an American long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running events. She held the American record in the 5000 meters set in 2014 in Monaco (14:42.64), which has since been lowered by S ...

's North American 10,000 m record of 30:13.17 set in 2016 with a time of 30:03.82 at the Sound Running The TEN in

San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano (also known colloquially as San Juan or SJC) is a city in southern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 35,253 at the 2020 Census. Named for Saint John of Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano was founded ...

. On July 23, competing at the London Diamond League, Monson ran a new American record time for the 5000m, clocking 14:19.45 to break

Shelby Houlihan Shelby Houlihan (born February 8, 1993) is an American middle distance runner, Olympian and World Record holder in the 4x1500m relay. Houlihan competed in the 5000m final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, finishing 11th. She is a 12-time US Nati ...

's previous record time of 14:23.92. After second-place finishes in the 5000 m and 10,000 m at the US Championships, she was selected to contest both events at the

2023 World Athletics Championships The 2023 World Athletics Championships (), the nineteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships, were held from 19 to 27 August 2023 at the National Athletics Centre (Budapest), National Athletics Centre, in Budapest, Hungary. The tourna ...

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

in August. In Budapest, she finished fifth in the 10,000 m, the highest finish for an American since Emily Infeld's bronze in 2015. In the 5000 m, she qualified for the final where she placed 14th in a time of 15:04.08.

2024

On February 11, at the Millrose Games, she set a new US national record over two miles, running 9:09.70 to eclipse the previous best set by Elle Purrier St. Pierre. On March 16, Monson competed in the TEN in San Juan Capistrano, aiming to break her own American 10,000 m record set the previous year. She stayed with the pace for just the first few kilometers, before fading and eventually dropping out of the race, later citing stomach issues as her reason for doing so. In April 2024, she announced she had surgery on her knee meniscus and would miss the remainder of the season including the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Achievements

International Competitions

Personal bests

1500 meters The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilometers ...

– 4:07.09 (

Portland, OR Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

2021) ** 1500 meters indoor – 4:06.38 (

New York, NY New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

2023) *

3000 meters The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000 m shou ...

– 8:26.81 (

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

2022) ** 3000 meters indoor – 8:25.05 (

2023) North American record *

– 14:19.45 (

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

2023) North American record ** 5000 meters indoor – 15:31.26 (

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

2019) *

– 30:03.82 ( San Juan Capistrano, CA 2023) North American record * 5 km – 14:38 (

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

2022)

References

External links

* *
Wisconsin Badgers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monson, Alicia 1998 births Living people American female long-distance runners Track and field athletes from Wisconsin People from Amery, Wisconsin Wisconsin Badgers women's track and field athletes Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States 21st-century American sportswomen University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners