David Roche (born June 22, 1988) is an

ultramarathoner An ultramarathon is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon distance of . The sport of running ultramarathons is called ultra running or ultra distance running. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the s ...

and running coach. He currently holds the record for the

Leadville Trail 100 The Leadville Trail 100 Run (aka The Race Across The Sky or the LT100) is an ultramarathon held annually on rugged trails and dirt roads near Leadville, Colorado, through the heart of the Rocky Mountains. First run in 1983, the race course climbs ...

Athletic career

Roche began his college athletics career as a football player at Columbia University. He took up endurance running while in graduate school at Duke University. He won the 2012

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is a United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running, and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and 1 ...

10k Trail Championship and received the 2014 USATF Trail Runner of the Year sub-ultra award. Roche won the Quad

Dipsea Race The Dipsea Race is a trail running event in California, United States. It is the oldest cross-country trail running event and one of the oldest Running, foot races of any kind in the United States. The 7.5 mile (12 km) long Dipsea Race ha ...

twice, in 2016 and 2019, and the Way Too Cool 50k in 2016. He has also competed in the duathlon, placing ninth in the 2009

World Triathlon Duathlon Championships The World Triathlon Duathlon Championships is a duathlon championship competition organised by World Triathlon. The race has been held annually since 1990. The championships involve a continuous run-cycle-run, with the format since 1994 being a fir ...

. In 2024, Roche won the Leadville Trail 100 in 15:26:34 in his first 100-mile race. He broke the previous 19-year-old record held by Matt Carpenter.

Coaching career

Roche currently coaches, alongside his wife, elite runners including Grayson Murphy,

Clare Gallagher Clare Gallagher (born 1991 or 1992) is an American ultrarunner and environmental advocate. She is a past winner of both the Leadville 100 and Western State 100 races. Early life Gallagher grew up in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, where ...

, Amelia Boone,

Allie Ostrander Allison "Allie" Ostrander (born December 24, 1996) is an American long-distance runner. She was the NCAA Division I steeplechase champion in 2017, 2018 and 2019, competing for the Boise State University Broncos. In July 2019, Ostrander announ ...

Stephanie Garcia Stephanie Garcia (born May 3, 1988) is an American runner competing primarily in the 3000 metres steeplechase. She represented her country at the 2011 and 2015 World Championships reaching the final on the second occasion. Competition record ...

Erin Clark Erin Clark (born 6 September 1997) is a New Zealand international and Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL). Clark previously played for the Gold Coas ...

, and John Kelly. He often works with athletes with a history of disordered eating. Under his coaching, his athletes have achieved top finishes at the

World Mountain Running Championships The World Mountain Running Championships (''World Mountain Running Trophy'' until 2008), is an international mountain running competition contested by athletes of the members of WMRA, World Mountain Running Association, the sport's global governi ...

, and

Barkley Marathons The Barkley Marathons is an ultramarathon Trail racing, trail race held each year in Frozen Head State Park in Morgan County, Tennessee, United States. Described as "The Race That Eats Its Young", it is known for its extreme difficulty, purposefu ...

and competed in the 2024 US Olympic Trials. Roche and his wife published a book, ''The Happy Runner: Love the Process, Get Faster, Run Longer'', in 2019.

Personal life

Roche previously worked as an attorney for the

Environmental Law Institute The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., that seeks to "make law work for people, places, and the planet" through its work as an environmental law educator, convener, pub ...

and a contributor to

Outside Outside or Outsides may refer to: * Wilderness Books and magazines * ''Outside'', a book by Marguerite Duras * ''Outside'' (magazine), an outdoors magazine Film, theatre and TV * Outside TV (formerly RSN Television), a television network * '' ...

. He is married to Megan (Deakins) Roche and has a son.

References

{{reflist Living people 1988 births Columbia University alumni American male ultramarathon runners