Kate Grace (born October 24, 1988) is an American middle-distance runner. A multiple

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

runner for

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, she turned professional in 2011. Grace competed for the United States at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

, making it to the final of the

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of a ...

Prep

Grace was a multiple-league champion in high school for Marlborough School in Los Angeles. She won 2005, 2006 an
2007

CIF Southern Section The California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) is the governing body for high school athletics in most of Southern California and is the largest of the ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation (CI ...

Division IV

titles and placed 3rd at 800 meters in the CIF State Track and Field Championships in 2006. She set a high school personal best of 2:10.31 at

Cerritos College Cerritos College is a public community college in Norwalk, California. It offers degrees and certificates in 87 areas of study in nine divisions. History The college was founded in 1955. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a local r ...

in 2006. As a senior, Grace won the 2006

Division IV

Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

title, qualified to

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have s ...

State

Championships, Grace led Marlborough to a team CIF State

Championship title, won CIF state cross country division four championships title in 18:24.

College

Attending

, Grace broke four school records, won six Heps championships (one as a member of a relay team), and was a four-time

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

Track and Field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

and Cross country

. She graduated from Yale in 2011 with a degree in environmental studies, where she was a member of

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones (also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death) is an undergraduate senior Secret society#Colleges and universities, secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior-class ...

NCAA championships

Outdoor track and field

Indoor track and field

Professional

Grace joined the New Jersey-New York Track Club in 2011, training under legendary coach Frank "Gags" Gagliano. In 2012, Grace signed with Oiselle, a running apparel company based out of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. Grace was the first runner that Oiselle signed, preceding an eventual full roster of professional runners, including

Kara Goucher Kara Goucher (born Kara Grgas on July 9, 1978) is an American long-distance runner, author, television commentator, and podcaster. She was the 10,000 meters silver medalist at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and represented the USA at ...

and Lauren Fleshman. Grace competed in the 800 and 1,500 meters at the 2012 Olympic Trials, but placed 20th in the 1500 and did not qualify for the final. While working with Gagliano, Grace continued to improve her times on the track and won the 2013 USA road mile championship — her first national title. Grace won the 2013 USA 1 Mile Road Championship Grand Blue Mile. She placed 4th in the 800 meters at the

2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships was held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Organised by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place June 20–23 in conjunction with the USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Champion ...

. Grace placed 11th in the 1500 meters in the

2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships was held at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California. Organised by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place June 26–29 in conjunction with the USA Junior Combined Events Outdoor ...

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

. Grace was part of

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

setting an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

and

North American North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the sou ...

record at the

2014 IAAF World Relays – Women's 4 × 1500 metres relay The women's 4 × 1500 metres relay at the 2014 IAAF World Relays was held at the Thomas Robinson Stadium on 24 May. Records Prior to the competition, the records were as follows: Schedule Results Final References

{{DEFAULTSOR ...

in 16:55.33. In 2014, Grace left New Jersey and Gagliano for

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in central Oregon and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is located to the east of the Cascade Range, on the Deschutes River. The site became known by pioneers as a ford (cros ...

where she began to train with Lauren Fleshman. In 2015, Grace battled foot injuries that took her out of the racing season. She moved to

in July 2015 to join the NorCal Distance Project. Grace ran 4:06.75 in the 1500 meters at the 2016

New Balance Indoor Grand Prix The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, formerly known as the Boston Indoor Games, is an annual indoor track and field meet which is held in late January or early February at the Track at New Balance. Prior to 2023, it was hosted at the Reggie Lewis Tr ...

– a time qualifier for

Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics were held during the last 10 days of the games, from 12 to 21 August 2016, at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, Olympic Stadium. The sport of athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics was made into three d ...

. Grace was second in the New York Armory Women's Mile Elite –

New Balance New Balance Athletics, Inc. (NB), doing business as New Balance, is one of the world's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the multinational corporation was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Su ...

Games 2016 after leading teammate Kim Conley for 1500 meters. Grace placed 5th in 4:22.7 at the 2016

Fifth Avenue Mile The Fifth Avenue Mile is an annual road race on Fifth Avenue in New York City, United States. The race begins at 80th Street and heads twenty blocks south to 60th Street. First held on September 26, 1981, the race is currently organized by ...

. Grace improved her personal best to 1:58.28 at

Weltklasse Zürich Weltklasse Zürich () is an annual, invitation-only, world-class track and field meeting at the Letzigrund in Zürich, Switzerland, generally held at the end of August or beginning of September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it ...

2016 IAAF Diamond League The 2016 IAAF Diamond League was the seventh season of the annual series of outdoor track and field meetings, organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The 2016 series saw three changes to the format. One of the ...

in a fifth-place finish. Grace placed first in the

800 m The 800 metres, or 800 meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event sin ...

at the 2016 United States Olympic Track and Field Trials, making her first Olympic team. She competed for the US in Rio, where she set a personal best of 1:58.79 in the semifinal. Grace ultimately placed eighth in the 800 metres final. In January 2017, Grace moved to

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

as a sponsored athlete. She wore the Nike kit for the first time in competition during the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

Invitational. Grace ran a personal best 4:22.93 mile on February 11, 2017, at the

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 ...

. Grace placed second in 1000 meters in 2:36.97 at 2017 Indoor muller

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

at Birmingham behind

Laura Muir Laura Muir (; born 9 May 1993) is a Scottish Middle-distance running, middle- and Long-distance running, long-distance runner. She is the Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics, 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medallist in the 1500 metres, having prev ...

. Grace won the 800 meters in 2:01.25 at the 2017 Portland Twilight. Grace placed third in 1500 meters in 4:16.62 at 2017

Drake Relays The Drake Relays is an outdoor track and field event held in Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa, in Drake Stadium (Drake University), Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University. Billed as ''America's Athletic Classic'', it is regarded as one ...

behind

Jennifer Simpson Jennifer Simpson (married and maiden names, née Barringer; born August 23, 1986) is a retired American Middle-distance running, middle- and Long-distance running, long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 1500 metres, 1500 meters at t ...

and

Brenda Martinez Brenda Martinez (born September 8, 1987) is an American middle-distance runner and Olympian. Born in Upland, California, she won a silver medal in the 800 meters at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow and finished first in the ...

. Grace placed 7th in the 1500 meters in 4:03.59 in Eugene at 2017

Prefontaine Classic The Prefontaine Classic is a track and field meet held at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Organized by the Oregon Track Club, it was previously one of the IAAF Grand Prix events, and ...

on May 27. Grace placed second in a time of 4:06.95 in the 1500 meters final at

2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2017 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships were held at Hornet Stadium (Sacramento), Hornet Stadium on the campus of California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, California, Sacramento, California. Organized by USA Track & Field ...

. Grace placed 23rd in the 1500 semifinal in a time of 4:16.70 of the 2017 World Championships. In September 2017, Grace joined Coach

Jerry Schumacher Jerry Schumacher (born August 6, 1970) is an American coach for track and field and cross country. Since 2022, he has been the head coach of the University of Oregon's track and field and cross country programs. He has also served as the head ...

and the Bowerman Track Club. In February 2018, Grace placed second behind teammate Colleen Quigley in the

Wanamaker Mile The Wanamaker Mile is a prestigious indoor mile race for elite middle distance runners held annually at the Millrose Games in New York City. Alongside Oslo's Dream Mile and Eugene's Bowerman Mile, the Wanamaker Mile is among the world's premi ...

. In August 2018, Grace set a championship record in winning the

2018 NACAC Championships The 2018 North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships was a regional track and field competition held at Varsity Stadium in Toronto, Canada, from August 10–12, 2018. It was the third edition of a senior track and field championsh ...

1500 m in 4:06.23 at the

Varsity Stadium Varsity Stadium is an outdoor collegiate stadium located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the "Varsity Centre & Arena", a sports complex at the University of Toronto's St. George Campus. Athletic events have been hosted on the site ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. In July 2019, Grace won The Match Europe v USA 1500 m in 4:02.49. Grace scored nine points to help

win in

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

at Dinamo National Olympic Stadium. In early 2021, Grace announced her departure from Bowerman Track Club on Instagram and soon after joined Team Boss, coached by Joe Bosshard. Grace competed at the 2021 US Olympic Trials, but did not qualify for the

2020 Summer 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 ...

in Tokyo. However, she won the 800m Wanda Diamond League in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

, won the Millicent Fawcett Mile in

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

, ran three personal bests over the course of the summer in the

, got second place in the Wanda Diamond League Final, and finished the year in third place in the World Athletics rankings for the event in her most successful season to date. After a nearly a three year hiatus from competition due to

long COVID Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...

and pregnancy, Grace returned to racing in 2024. She placed 8th in the final of the 800m at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Personal life

Grace is the daughter of fitness instructor and entrepreneur Kathy Smith. Grace and her husband have one son, River, born in March 2023.

Competition record

USA National Championships

Road

Track and Field

Personal bests

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grace, Kate Living people 1988 births American female middle-distance runners Track and field athletes from Los Angeles Yale Bulldogs women's track and field athletes Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes for the United States USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners 21st-century American sportswomen Diamond League winners