Deena Kastor
UNITED STATES
BIRTHDATE:
February 14, 1973
PERSONAL BEST:
2:19:36 (London, 2006)
WORLD MARATHON MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS:
16Apr07 Boston Marathon 5th 2:35:09
05Nov06 ING New York City Marathon 6th 2:27:54
23Apr06 Flora London Marathon 1st 2:19:36
09Oct05 The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon 1st 2:21:25
22Aug04 Olympic Marathon, Athens 3rd 2:27:20
13Apr03 Flora London Marathon 3rd 2:21:16
13Oct02 The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon 6th 2:26:53
04Nov01 New York City Marathon 7th 2:26:58
ADDITIONAL CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
03Apr04 U.S. Olympic Trials 2nd 2:29:38
CAREER NOTES:
As Deena Drossin she first attracted attention as a high school freshman when she finished 11th in the Footlocker National Cross-Country Championships. Her extensive performance portfolio includes a 1997 World University Games win in the 10,000m and U.S. titles in the same event in 2000-01, 2003-04. Additional U.S. titles include cross-country 1997, 1999-2003, and Half Marathon 2004.
She set a U.S. record for 10,000m in 30:50.32 in 2002 and has other track personal bests of 4:07.82 in the 1,500m, 8:42.59 in the 3,000m and 14:51.62 in the 5,000m (all set in 2000). Kastor was recognized as the recipient of the 2003 Jesse Owens Award as USA Track & Field’s most outstanding woman athlete.
Her first marathon in New York in 2001 was an American debut record and after another 2:26 in Chicago, made a major breakthrough with an American record 2:21:16 for third at London in 2003. Leading up to that race, she won her fourth consecutive U.S. 15K road race title in 47:15, bettering her own American record of 48:12 set at the 2002 Championships, and won the silver medal at the World Cross Country Championships for the second consecutive year.
Kastor ran an expertly judged race to earn a bronze medal in the Athens Olympic marathon in 2004, the first U.S. medal at the event since Joan Benoit’s inaugural win in 1984. She followed that up in 2005 with her first World Marathon Major win in Chicago.
In 2006 Kastor broke her own U.S. record with a 1:07:34 at the Berlin Half Marathon (with a 51:31 10-mile split) before winning her second consecutive World Marathon Major in London, setting a new U.S. marathon record (2:19:36).
After a sixth place ING New York City Marathon finish in November 2006, Kastor began her 2007 campaign in brilliant style, winning the U.S. Cross-Country championships by more than a minute. She then won her fifth US 15-K title in March with a time of 47:20, just five seconds off her own American record.
Kastor had a tough day at Boston 2007, suffering from abdominal cramps and she even had to stop at a portable toilet. Nonetheless she persevered to finish fifth and take the USA national title for the second time. She ended up being the fastest American woman for 2007, the record sixth consecutive year she was the USA Marathon leader.
PERSONAL NOTES:
Kastor was born in Waltham, Mass., grew up in Agoura Hills, Calif. and went to the University of Arkansas, where she received her degree in English/creative writing and journalism. She is coached by Terrence Mahon and married Andrew Kastor, who also is her physical therapist (and a 3:55 1,500m runner), in September 2003.
