Kate Tenforde

Kate Tenforde

File:Mile 3, leading ladies.jpg Kate O'Neill (left) in the 2008 Chicago Marathon
Personal information
Birth name	Kate O'Neill
Born	(1980-07-29) July 29, 1980 Milton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Residence	Palo Alto, California
Height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight	108 lb (49 kg)
Spouse(s)	Adam Tenforde (m. 2010)
Sport
Country	USA
College team	Yale Bulldogs
Turned pro	2003
Coached by	Mark Young
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	2004, 10,000 m, 21st
Personal best(s)	3000 m: 9:07:74 5000 m: 15.21.66 10,000 m: 31:34.37 Half Marathon: 1:11:47  Marathon: 2:34:04

Kate Tenforde (née O'Neill) (born July 29, 1980) is an American long-distance runner from Milton, Massachusetts. She represented the United States in the 2004 Summer Olympics, competing in the 10,000 metres.

Amateur career

Tenforde ran cross country and track and field at Yale University, where she was a three-time NCAA runner-up in Cross Country, 5000 m (indoor), and 10,000 m (outdoor). O'Neill earned All-American honors in both Cross Country and Outdoor track. Her twin sister, Laura, was also an All-American at Yale.

Professional career

In 2004, after setting personal records in the 10,000 m and 5000 m, Tenforde finished third in the Olympic 10,000 m trials with a time of 32:07.25. This qualified her for the 2004 Summer Olympics. In Athens, she finished 21st with a time of 32:24.04.

Marathon

Tenforde later turned her focus to longer distance events, with an emphasis on the marathon. She was coached by Terrence Mahon, who coaches notable American marathoners Deena Kastor, Ryan Hall, and Jen Rhines. She had a strong marathon debut at the Chicago Marathon, finishing third with a time of 2:36:15. In January 2008, she won the 2008 USA half-marathon championship (1:11:57) at the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon. Tenforde was a favorite at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, but a knee injury forced her to drop out at mile 21.

In 2009 Tenforde trained in Palo Alto, California, and was the first American finisher at the 2009 London Marathon, with a time of 2:34:48.

In September 2014, Tenforde won the annual San Francisco J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge 5k.

Personal

Tenforde married former Stanford Cardinal runner Adam Tenforde on November 20, 2010.

Professional

In April 2010 Tenforde began a part-time position with runcoach to share her running expertise with recreational runners across the country. She moved on to an expanded role in Fall of 2010 and now manages the customer experience for the organization.