Carrie Anne Tollefson (born January 18, 1977 in

Dawson, Minnesota Dawson is a city in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,466 at the 2020 census. History Dawson was platted in 1884. The city was named for William Dawson, a former mayor of St. Paul, and one of three partners ...

) is an American former middle-distance runner who was on the US

2004 Summer Olympic The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

team.

Running career

Tollefson was raised in Dawson, a small town in western

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. Running for Dawson-Boyd High School in Lac qui Parle County, she was a five-time state champion in cross-country from 1990 through 1994, setting a national record for the most consecutive state championships. She also won eight individual track and field titles in the 1600 and 3200 meters, and set a then-state record in the 3,200 meters in 1994 with a time of 10:30.28. Tollefson's thirteen individual titles in cross-country and track are the most in Minnesota history as of 2020. Tollefson ran collegiately at

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

where she won the 1997

NCAA Cross Country Championships NCAA Cross Country Championship may refer to several annual competitions in cross country running organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association: *NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship *NCAA Men's Division II Cross Country Cha ...

. In 1998, she returned to the championship race after surgery, and finished 11th as the first Villanova runner as she led her team to the 1998

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

. She was also the 1999 NCAA Outdoor and Indoor 3000 meters and Outdoor 5000 meters champion. She graduated from Villanova with a communications degree in 1999. At the US Olympic Trials in 2004, Tollefson won the 1500 meters. She was the only American athlete selected for the women's 1500m event at the Olympics, as neither the second- nor third-placed finishers at the Trials had achieved Olympic "A" standard times. Tollefson competed in the 2004 Olympic Summer Games, making it to the semis in the

1500 meters 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 Athletic ...

. In 2004, she was ranked #1 nationally by

Track and Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on runni ...

. In 2006, Tollefson won the 4K race at the

USA 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, as ...

. She also won the 3000 meters at the 2006 US Indoor National Championships. At the

2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 11th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) was held in Moscow from March 10 to March 12, 2006 in the Olimpiyski Sport arena. The announcement by the IA ...

in Moscow, Tollefson finished 7th in the

3000m The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

Post-competition career

In 2010, Tollefson began hosting a weekly online video show and podcast about running and fitness called ''C Tolle Run''. Tollefson works as an analyst and commentator for a variety of outlets including

ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially fo ...

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

, and USATF.tv, covering events such as the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) 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 finishe ...

. Tollefson began hosting a yearly summer distance camp for teens at

St. Catherine University St. Catherine University (St. Kate's) is a private Catholic university in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was established as one of the first institutions of higher learning specifically for women in the Midwest and was known as the College of St. C ...

in 2007. She is a Global

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer 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 ...

Running Ambassador. Tollefson was inducted into the Minnesota High School Hall of Fame in 2015. She was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame in 2018. Tollefson is a product advocate for

Body Togs Body may refer to: In science * Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space * Body (biology), the physical material of an organism * Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of animal ...

, a company producing weighted sleeves for weight loss and exercising. In addition, she is a brand ambassador for St. Paul-based Hiway Credit Union, where she’s been a member for 20+ years.

Personal life

Tollefson married Charlie Peterson in 2003. They have three children: Ruby (born 2010), Everett (born 2013), and Greer (born 2016).

References

External links

Carrie Tollefson
at

USA Track & Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is the 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 ...

Team USA Minnesota Bio

2004 Olympic Results
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tollefson, Carrie 1977 births Living people People from Dawson, Minnesota American female middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Villanova University alumni 21st-century American women