Adam Goucher (born February 18, 1975) is a retired American cross-country and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete. He ran for the United States at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

in the men's 5000 meters. Goucher primarily competed in distance events and is featured in '' Running With The Buffaloes'', a book revolving around the 1998 season of the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

cross country team.

Running career

High school

Goucher attended Doherty High School in

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

and graduated in 1994. Before he ran competitively in high school, he played basketball. He won the Foot Locker National High School Cross Country Championship in 1993, as well as having personal bests of 1:53 at 800 m, 4:18 at 1600 m, and 8:55 at 3200 m. Goucher's coach in high school was Judy Fellhauer, who was an Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon.

Collegiate

While attending the

, Goucher won two

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

indoor track titles in the 3,000 meter race (1997 & 1998) and an outdoor NCAA track title in 5,000 meters in 1998. After three top ten finishes, he finally won the

Division I cross country title his senior year in 1998. It is during this season in which '' Running With The Buffaloes'' is written. He also competed in the United States Olympic Trials in 1996 and placed 14th in the 5000 m.

Professional

After graduating, Goucher continued to compete with a contract from

Fila Fila Holdings Corp. is a sportswear brand of shoes and apparel. The company was founded by Ettore and Giansevero Fila in 1911 in Coggiola, near Biella, Piedmont, Italy. In 2003, it was sold to United States-based Sports Brand International. Sub ...

, running the fastest time for an American in 1999 in the mile (3:54.17), the sixth fastest for 3,000 meters (7:43.31), and third fastest for 5,000 meters (13:11.25). On consecutive days in February 2000 he won both the short (4K) and long course (12K) races at the

USATF National Cross Country Championships The USA Cross Country Championships is the annual national championships for cross country running in the United States. The championships is generally held in mid-February and it serves as a way of designating the country's national champion, a ...

under cold, muddy conditions in North Carolina. During 2000, he also made his first

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

team, placing first in the Olympic Trials in the 5000 m. He was 13th in the 5000 m at the

Sydney Olympic Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

, despite serious battles with back troubles. Goucher's career has been plagued with injury. Despite having continually been ranked as one of the foremost American competitors at distances between

1500 m The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athle ...

and 5000 m, he was prevented from performing optimally at the 2004 Olympic Trials by an

Achilles heel An Achilles' heel (or Achilles heel) is a weakness in spite of overall strength, which can lead to downfall. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to ...

problem and thus did not qualify for the Olympic team. The Olympic Trials were a culmination of a very rough period for him and soon thereafter he left Mark Wetmore, his longtime coach and friend, to train with

Alberto Salazar Alberto Salazar (born August 7, 1958) is an American former track coach and long-distance runner. Born in Cuba, Salazar immigrated to the United States as a child with his family, living in Connecticut and then in Wayland, Massachusetts, where ...

in Oregon. The move proved beneficial for Goucher. Goucher's 2005 season saw him improve his 5000 m time to 13:10.19 and take 2nd place at the USA Cross Country 4 km Championships. In 2006, Goucher ran a 10:50 at the USA Cross Country Championships to win first place in the short course (4 km). He went on to finish 6th in the short course race 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 Int ...

in Fukuoka, Japan, the highest finish by an American since Pat Porter placed 6th in the 1986 World Cross (12K) Championships. He finished only 8 seconds behind the winner, world-renowned Ethiopian champion

Kenenisa Bekele Kenenisa Bekele ( om, Qananiisaa baqqalaa; am, ቀነኒሳ በቀለ; born 13 June 1982) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He was the world record holder in both the 5000-metre and 10000-metre from 2004 (5,000m) and 2005 (10,000m) unti ...

, the 5k and 10k world record holder. At the 2006

Prefontaine Classic The Prefontaine Classic, an Oregon Track Club event, is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States, held in Eugene, Oregon. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at Hayward Field on the campus of the University ...

, Goucher finished third in the 2 mile with a time of 8:12.7, the third fastest 2 mile ever run by an American. Goucher's performance at the World Cross Country meet and his 2 mile at the Prefontaine Classic were the highlights of a year that also saw him dipping under 28 minutes for the 10,000 meters with a 27:59.41 at the Van Damme Memorial Meet in Brussels, Belgium. In 2008, he took part in the US Olympic Trials in Eugene,

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

with hopes of qualifying in the 5k and 10k. His time of 13:56.25 in the semifinal of the 5k was enough to advance to the finals, but after holding the lead for several laps, he dropped out of the race with two laps remaining. He withdrew from the race because he was at a point that he would not be able to run the Olympic A standard if he were to continue with the race. This was done to conserve energy for the 10k. He finished seventh in the 10k final, failing to qualify for the Olympics, but besting his previous 10k personal record by less than a second with a 27:59.31. Goucher currently resides in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife,

Kara Goucher Kara Goucher (born Kara Grgas on July 9, 1978) is an American long-distance runner. She was the 10,000 meters silver medalist at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and represented the USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympi ...

, also a professional runner. They have one son, Colton Mirko. Goucher is co-founder of Run The Edge, a virtual fitness challenge company.

Personal bests (outdoor)

References

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Competitor: Adam Goucher Officially Retires From Running
by Mario Fraioli, November 9, 2011

External links

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Run The Edge (company)
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Audio interviews

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Video interviews

Flotrack Interviews of Adam Goucher
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goucher, Adam 1975 births Living people American male middle-distance runners American male long-distance runners Colorado Buffaloes men's track and field athletes Jewish American sportspeople Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Colorado Buffaloes men's cross country runners 21st-century American Jews