Katie McGregor (born September 2, 1977) is an American runner who participates in track, cross country and 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 ...

High school

Born in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, McGregor attended Willoughby South High School in

Willoughby, Ohio Willoughby is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States, along the Chagrin River. The population was 23,959 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A suburb of Cleveland, it is part of the Greater Cleveland, Cleveland metropol ...

. She was the state champion of Ohio in the 3200-meter run with a time of 10:49.74 as a freshman (1992), and a state champion in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:56.32 as a senior (1995).

College

McGregor continued running as a student-athlete at 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 ...

in the fall of 1995, majoring in English and competing in both cross country and track.

Freshman year: 1995/1996

During her first season of cross country as a Wolverine, she was named

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

Freshman of the Year. She was the first freshman and first Wolverine to complete the course at the conference championship meet, helping her team to third-place finish behind the champion

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the College athletics in the United States, athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I ...

. In awful weather conditions at the NCAA District IV regional meet two weeks later, McGregor and her teammates were able to improve upon their performance at the Big Ten meet, with McGregor finishing in third-place and the Michigan team upsetting Wisconsin and winning the regional title outright. Their victory earned the team an automatic berth to the

NCAA Women's Cross Country Championship The NCAA Division I women's cross country championships are contested at an annual meet hosted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the individual and team national champions of women's collegiate cross country running amo ...

. McGregor was the third Wolverine finisher in the championship (placing 39th overall), helping her team run to a seventh-place finish at the final meet.

Sophomore year: 1996/1997

McGregor's sophomore cross country season was somewhat disappointing, as both she and all but one of her Wolverine teammates missed qualifying for the NCAA championship meet.

Junior year: 1997/1998

During her junior cross country season in the

fall Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemispher ...

of 1997, McGregor was named Big Ten Athlete of the Year after winning the individual title with a time of 17:14. She managed a second-place finish to teammate Elizabeth Kampfe in the NCAA District IV regional meet in mid-November, helping the Wolverines to clinch the runner-up spot and an automatic berth in the NCAA championship. A week later in the championship, McGregor earned All-America honors by running to a fourth-place finish in a time of 16:48. She was the first finisher for the Wolverines, leading the team to seventh-place in the meet overall. During the indoor track season the following winter (1998), she won the two

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. ...

titles, one individually in the 3000-meter run with a time of 9:24.68, and another running the 1600-meter anchor leg in the distance medley relay, clocking a 4:38 split. During the outdoor track season, McGregor helped the Wolverines win the Big Ten championship by earning 14 points at the conference meet through a third-place finish in the 1500-meter run and a runner-up finish to Angie Kujak of the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

in the 5000-meter run. At the outdoor NCAA outdoor track and field championships in June, McGregor managed a runner-up finish to Amy Skieresz of the

Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Divis ...

in the 5000-meter run.

Senior year: 1998/1999

McGregor's running success continued during her senior cross country season, when she won seven out of eight meets, including the Big Ten title in a time of 17:16, the Great Lakes Regional title in a time of 17:02.39, and the NCAA championship in a time of 16:47.21. For her efforts, McGregor was honored with the Honda Award, given to the nation's top female cross country runner. During the 1999 outdoor track season, she won her final collegiate championship, winning the Big Ten title in the 5000-meter run with a time of 16:32.83. She later bested this time at the NCAA meet, earning All-American honors by taking third place in the race with a time of 16:15.75. For her achievements during her senior year, McGregor was named University of Michigan Female Athlete of the Year. During her time competing for Michigan, she was a three-time NCAA champion, eight-time NCAA All-American, and three-time Big Ten Conference champion.

Post-collegiate/professional

Following college, McGregor remained in

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

and continued training and competing under sponsorship from

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

, transitioning from the shorter distance races to the 10000-meter run. In the spring of 2000, she achieved her first major post-collegiate victory, winning the 10000-meter run at the

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

Invitational, setting a meet record with a time of 32:33.62. She competed in the event at the Olympic trials later that summer, but did not qualify to represent the U.S. team in

Sydney, Australia Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 km (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean ...

. The following year, she moved to

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, and began training with Team Minnesota under sponsorship from

Reebok Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...

. Over the next few years, McGregor competed in variety of distance races, performing well, and continuing to improve upon her personal best times in several running events. Highlights during 2004 included a second-place finish at the U.S. Cross Country Championships (8000-meter distance), as well as personal bests in both the 5000-meter and 10000-meter runs prior to the Olympic Trials. At the Olympic Trials, she narrowly missed qualifying for the games in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, taking fourth place in the 10000-meter run. Despite finishing fourth, McGregor would have earned a spot on the Olympic team if she met the "A" standard of 31:45, but she finished with a time of 32:33.87. In regards to her performance she commented that "I was really angry, because I failed myself." 2005 saw her personal best times in all races continue to improve, culminating in a come-from-behind victory in the 10000-meter run at the U.S. Outdoor Championships in May. She competed in the event for the U.S. team at the

IAAF World Championships in Athletics The World Athletics Championships, known as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics until 2019, are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics, formerly International Association of Athletics Federations. Alongside Olympic ...

Helsinki, Finland Helsinki () is the capital and most populous city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipality, with million in the capital region and ...

in August 2005, taking fourteenth place overall as the top U.S. finisher, with a personal best time of 31:21.20.

Longer distance races

In the autumn of 2006, McGregor began exploring longer distance races, competing in the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon, currently branded as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 fini ...

and achieving a ninth-place finish with a time of 2:32:36 in her debut at this distance. In the spring of 2007, McGregor won the

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 ...

25 km championship, completing the

River Bank Run The Amway River Bank Run is an annual road running race hosted by Amway in U.S. city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in the month of May. The 25K run was created and first held in 1978 by Old Kent Bank as the Old Kent River Bank Run and continued under ...

in a time of 1:25:53 nearly three minutes ahead of the rest of the field. As part of the U.S. team in the summer of 2007, McGregor once again competed in the 10000-meter run at the IAAF Championships in

Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a populatio ...

, finishing in thirteenth place overall as the third U.S. finisher. During the autumn, she was named to the U.S. team running in the IAAF World Road Running Championships in

Udine, Italy Udine ( ; ; ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Carnic Alps. It is the capital of the Regional decentralization entity of Udine. As of 20 ...

. She set a personal best in this competition, taking twenty-seventh place in the half marathon with a time of 1:12:01. Success continued for McGregor in early 2008, with a fourth-place finish at the U.S. Cross Country Championships in

San Diego 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 ...

. This marked her sixth consecutive year as a member of the national cross country team, with whom she will compete at the

IAAF World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the In ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

in late March. At the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, McGregor again narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympics in the 10000-meter run. She competed well, but her time of 32:29.82 only earned her another fourth-place finish in the event at the Trials. Unlike the 2004 trials, this time McGregor had already met the "A" standard.

Amy Yoder Begley Amy Yoder Begley (née Yoder; born January 11, 1978) is an American running coach and former middle and long-distance runner. Yoder Begley was a national champion at three different distances (3k indoor, 10k road, 15k road) and competed in the ...

made a furious charge at the end of the race, which met the standard and therefore qualified her for the team over McGregor. In response to this disappointing outcome, McGregor said:

I felt like I failed myself in 2004. But this time I did what I needed to do, and Amy ran well. I tried to put a happy face on it. You don't want to be Debbie Downer and feel sorry for yourself. It's not like I'm the only person to finish fourth.

McGregor won USA 25 km Championships in May 2010 and then the USA 10-Mile Championships hosted at the

Twin Cities Marathon The Twin Cities Marathon is a marathon in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area which normally takes place the first weekend in October. The race is often called "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America" due to a course that winds through down ...

in September, marking her sixth victory of the competition.

Personal

McGregor resides in suburban

and ran for Team USA Minnesota until 2012. She enjoys reading

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

by authors such as

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet and author. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for '' The Colossus and Other Poems'' (1960), '' Ariel'' (1965), a ...

and

Cormac McCarthy Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr.; July 20, 1933 – June 13, 2023) was an American author who wrote twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories, spanning the Western, post-apocalyptic, and Southern Got ...

. McGregor is also a big fan of

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

Achievements

*2009 USATF 10 km Third *2007 USATF 25 km Champion *2006 USATF 10 km Champion *2005 USATF 10 km Champion *2005 USATF Outdoor Champion (10000-meter run) *2003–2008 U.S. World Cross Country team (8 km) *1999

Honda Sports Award The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Sports Award are automatically in t ...

for cross country *1999 Big Ten Conference Outdoor Track & Field Champion (5000-meter run) *1998 NCAA Cross Country Champion *1998 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Champion (3000-meter run, Distance Medley Relay) *1998 Big Ten Conference Cross Country Champion *1997 Big Ten Conference Cross Country Champion

References

External links

*
Katie McGregor's Journal (NYRR)Global Athletics Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGregor, Katie 1977 births Living people Track and field athletes from Cleveland American female long-distance runners American female marathon runners Michigan Wolverines women's track and field athletes Michigan Wolverines women's cross country runners University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners