Shannon Rowbury

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Shannon Rowbury is an elite middle distance runner under contract with Nike currently residing in San Francisco, California. Shannon is currently contending for a position on the U.S. Olympic Team at 1500 meters for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Her many accomplishments in athletics include:

Two time California State high school champion (800 meters & 1600 meters)
National high school champion (800 meters)
Multiple Atlantic Coast Conference collegiate Champion (1500 meters to Cross Country)
Six time NCAA All-American (1500 meters to Cross Country)
Two time NCAA Runner up (mile and 3000 meters)
NCAA National Champion (mile)
NACAC International Champion (1500m meters)
USATF Indoor National Champion (3000 meters)

In April of 2007, shortly after winning her first title in the mile run at the NCAA Indoor National Championships, Shannon was diagnosed with a Femoral Neck Stress Fracture (Hip Joint) which abruptly put an end to her collegiate career at Duke University. Although this injury was a major blow to Shannon's running career, it forced her to evaluate not only her biomechanics and physical strengths and weaknesses, but it also challenged her emotional strength and passion for her sport.

Shannon's injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it led her to her current coach, John Cook, and training partners, Erin Donohue and Shalane Flanagan. During Shannon's rehabilitation, she dedicated herself to Coach Cook's thorough and comprehensive training program which improved her strength and flexibility while maintaining her aerobic fitness through various methods of non weight and low weight bearing exercises. In June of 2007, just 6 weeks after her diagnosis, Shannon was able to resume running on the Alter-G Treadmill, an anti-gravity device that enabled her to reduce her effective body weight while running, thus reducing her risk of injury and expanding her ability to train and condition in her sport. By early August of 2007, Shannon was running at her full body weight and beginning in earnest to build her aerobic base in preparation for the upcoming Olympic year. Shannon credits Coach Cook for her transformation from being "just a runner" to becoming a "true athlete".

1 Childhood
2 High School (Prep) Career
3 College Career
4 Professional Career
5 Current Personal Bests
6 Olympic Quest
7 A Brief Description of the 1500 Meter Run
8 References
9 Newspaper Articles

[edit] Childhood

Shannon Grew up in the Parkside/Sunset District of San Francisco and attended Saint Stephen's School[1] from Kindergarten through Eighth grade.

At almost five years of age and during her first weeks of Kindergarten, Shannon, running through the schoolyard, tripped over a basketball kicked into her path by another child, causing a spiral fracture in her Tibia. After the removal of her cast Shannon's Grandmother (Nonie) enrolled her in an Irish Dance Class as a means of rehabilitation. Shannon continued with Irish Dance through her sophomore year of High School and competed quite successfully at local, regional, national and world competitions.

Along with Irish Dancing Shannon played soccer from the fourth through eighth grades. She rotated positions but preferred to play Midfielder where she could play offense as well as defense as needed. This position allowed her to utilize a large portion of the field while building her stamina with successive 50 to 100 meter sprints as she worked the ball up and down the field.

[edit] High School (Prep) Career

In 2002, Shannon graduated second in her class from Sacred_Heart_Cathedral_Preparatory High School in San Francisco. Among her athletic achievements in High School were multiple league and section championships in events ranging from the 4x400 to cross country. Shannon's coach, Andy Chan, was instrumental in developing Shannon into the athlete that she has become. Based on Shannon's obvious talent over a tremendous range, Andy knew that Shannon could have a future in running and he made sure to think of her long term development. He was conservative with her training, taught her the value of balance and recovery and, above all, made sure running was fun. All of this instilled in Shannon a healthy and positive outlook towards her sport.

High School Personal Bests:

400: 57.1 (relay split)
800: 2:08.52
1600: 4:51.0
3000: 9:38.41

Cross Country

(5k): 17:52

[edit] College Career

In 2006, Shannon graduated from Duke University in North Carolina Magna Cum Laude (see Latin Honors ) in English and Theater Studies with a Film / Video / Digital Studies certificate. She completed her Masters Degree in May of 2008, also at Duke University, with a Film Studies and Women Studies emphasis. Like Shannon's high school coach, her college coach at Duke, Kevin Jermyn, continued to patiently develop her strength and endurance while emphasizing the importance of enjoying the journey and the team environment along the way. Under coach Jermyn's tutelage, the Duke women's cross country team went from obscurity to a second place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

College Personal Bests:

800: 2:04.96
1500: 4:12.31
Mile: 4:34.94
3000: 9:02.73
5000: 15:38.42

Cross Country

(6k): 19:55.2

[edit] Professional Career

Shannon signed with Nike, Inc. in June of 2007, and joined "Team Cook" at that time. As mentioned above, her first six months training under Coach Cook, involved rehabilitation from her stress fracture. In November of 2007, Shannon competed at the Seagate Elite 5K Road Race in San Jose, California to assess her current fitness level coming back from her injury. She managed an impressive 2nd place finish, with a time of 15:54, missing first place by 1 second.

In January of 2008, Shannon enjoyed her first stint at altitude in Central Mexico where she endured 6 weeks of extensive training with her coach and teammates. She returned to the United States in February to compete in the USATF Indoor National Championships, her first track race since her injury 11 months earlier. Shannon went on to win the 3000 meter race in a personal best time of 8:55.19, beating a national class field in dominant fashion. After this effort, Shannon returned to altitude to finish up her training.

In April of 2008, Shannon opened up her outdoor track campaign at the Duke Invitational, winning the 800 meter race by 12 seconds with a 2 second personaly best time of 2:02.76. Her next race was in early May at the Payton Jordon Invitational at Stanford University where she hoped to achieve the Olympic A standard at 1500 meters (4:07.00). Although Shannon came up short of her goal while racing at Stanford, she did manage a 5 second personal best at this distance with another dominant win in a time of 4:07.59.

Still seeking the Olympic A Standard, Shannon raced at the Adidas Classic in Carson, California on May 18, 2008. At this event, she turned in a stunning performance at 1500 meters, again winning in dominant fashion in a time of 4:01.61 (another 6 second personal best effort). This performance catapulted Shannon onto the international scene as it placed her 5th All-Time at 1500 meters for United States females. In addition, her effort would have placed her 9th in the World Rankings based on the 2007 IAAF world performance list. Most importantly, this performance not only gave Shannon tremendous confidence in her training and fitness, it also gave her the Olympic A Standard that she needed heading into the USATF Olympic Trials.

Shannon has now established herself as one of the top contenders for a berth on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team in the 1500m run. To make the team, Shannon needs to place in the top 3 in her event at the Olympic Trials which will be held in Eugene, Oregon in late June and early July of 2008.

Professional Accomplishments - 2008 (Undefeated as of 5/25/08)

800m Duke Invitational Champion - 2:02.76
1500m Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational Champion - 4:07.59
1500m Adidas Track Classic Champion - 4:01.61
3000m USATF Indoor National Champion - 8:55.19

[edit] Current Personal Bests

800 meter outdoor: 2:02.76
1500 meter outdoor: 4:01.61
3000 meter indoor: 8:55.19
5000 meter outdoor: 15:38.42

[edit] Olympic Quest

[edit] A Brief Description of the 1500 Meter Run

The 1500 meter race requires athletes to run 3-3/4 times around a standard 400 meter track. Fifteen hundred meters (or 1.5 kilometers) converts to 4921.5 feet or 0.9321 miles and is the closest event to one mile normally run at outdoor track competitions at or above the collegiate level in the United States and abroad. The American Women's record of 3:57.12 was set by Mary Slaney in 1983. The Women's World record of 3:50.46 was set in 1993 in Beijing by Yunxia Qu of China.