Courtney Babcock-Key (born June 30, 1972) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

coach and competitor in the sport of

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walkin ...

. Babcock holds the Canadian Women's 5000m(14:54.96) and formerly held the 10,000m records both set during the 2003 season. She broke the Canadian 5000m record in the final of the 2003 World Track and Field IAAF Championships in Paris, where she finished in eighth place, securing her a spot for the

2004 Olympic Games The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

. Her 1500m time of 4:01.99 was also a top time in the World that year. She is a five-time national champion. Two times in each the 5000m and 10,000m and once in Cross Country. Born and raised in Chatham, Ontario Babcock trained in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Her father was Larry Babcock a hockey player who was drafted by the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

. Larry died in 2007. In high school, she was more interested in swimming and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, but moved to running in her final year while attending the Bishop Strachan School in Toronto. A full-time athlete for 13 years, she attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

where she competed successfully in 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. ...

. She was an NCAA Champion in the Distance Medley Relay anchoring the team to its first win in 1994 and an 8x All American. At school she studied communication and broadcasting and hopes to move into that field upon retirement from running. Today Babcock lives and trains in

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot and Blackfoot rivers in western Montana and at the convergence of five ...

. A middle-distance runner, she competed for Canada for almost 10 years. 2004 was a more difficult year due to injury problems and a bout of

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

. At the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

she failed to pass the qualifying round in the 5,000 meter race with a time well off her personal best. In the 1500 meter she also failed to advance finishing 26th; only the top twenty-four moved on. She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004. She coached at the Division 1 level for five years with the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...

. In that time, Montana won its first Women's Cross Country Big Sky Championship title in 24 years. She led two athletes to the top 10 in the NCAA in the 1500m and the 3k steeplechase.

Personal life

She currently owns her own run coaching business, Key Running, named after her husband Miles Key. They have two sons.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Babcock, Courtney 1972 births Living people Canadian female long-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Michigan Wolverines women's track and field athletes Olympic track and field athletes for Canada Sportspeople from Chatham-Kent Sportspeople from Missoula, Montana Track and field athletes from Ontario Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games athletes for Canada World Athletics Championships athletes for Canada Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz cross country coaches Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz track and field coaches Canadian Track and Field Championships winners NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners 21st-century Canadian sportswomen