Janis Kristin Klecker (née Horns) (born July 18, 1960, in

Bloomington, Minnesota Bloomington is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. It is located on the north bank of the Minnesota River above its confluence with the Mississippi River, south of downtown Minneapolis and just south of the Interstate 494/Inter ...

) is a former American

long-distance Long distance or Long-distance may refer to: *Long-distance calling *Long-distance operator *Long-distance relationship * Long-distance train *Long-distance anchor pylon, see dead-end tower Footpaths *Long-distance trail *European long-dista ...

runner who is a two-time United States national champion in 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 ...

Biography

Klecker was in the

Alpha Phi Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity (, also known as APhi) is an international Fraternities and sororities in North America, sorority with 175 active chapters and over 270,000 initiated members. Founded at Syracuse University in Syracuse, ...

sorority at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. Her husband, Barney Klecker is a two-time champion of the City of Lakes/Twin Cities Marathon. Janis is the mother of six children, including Joe Klecker, who is a professional runner As of 2009, Klecker is a

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Racing career

Klecker won the 1992 US Olympic Trials marathon in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

and went on to compete in the

at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

in Barcelona, an event in which she placed 21st. Klecker has won the City of Lakes Marathon/Twin Cities Marathon three times (1980, 1991, 1992), the

San Francisco Marathon The San Francisco Marathon is an annual USATF-certified road running event held in San Francisco, California, that includes a full marathon, two half marathons, an ultramarathon, a 10k, and a 5K. With the exceptions of 1988, 1993, and 2020, th ...

twice (1983, 1990), and the

California International Marathon The California International Marathon (CIM) is an annual road marathon () held in Northern California since 1983. The net downhill course starts at Folsom Dam and ends at the State Capitol in Sacramento. The race is organized by the Sacramento ...

twice (1988, 1990). Janis Klecker is an American record holders in the 50 K in 1983. Klecker finished second to

Nancy Ditz Nancy Jane Ditz (born June 25, 1954, in San Jose, California) is a former American long-distance runner who is a United States national champion in the marathon. Ditz competed in the marathon at the 1988 Summer Olympics. In her debut marathon, Di ...

in the 1985

, but went on to win the event in 1988 and 1990. She set a course record at the 1990 CIM with a time of 2:30:42. On Sept. 22, 1991, in Syracuse, New York, Klecker became the woman's U.S. National Champion in the 5K. Klecker's PR in the marathon was 2:30:12 in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

on January 26, 1992.

Achievements

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Klecker, Janis 1960 births Living people American female long-distance runners American female marathon runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States 20th-century American sportswomen