Cathy Schiro O'Brien (born July 19, 1967, in

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. It is a principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison–Jane ...

) is a retired female

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

from the United States. She was an Olympian, and she holds the US women's high school record in the marathon. O'Brien set her personal best (2:29:38) in the women's

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

when she won the women's

Los Angeles Marathon The Los Angeles Marathon (formerly known as the City of Los Angeles Marathon) is an annual running event typically held each spring in Los Angeles, California, since 1986. The marathon was inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Ga ...

in 1991.

Biography

While attending Dover High School in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, Cathy qualified for the 1984 Olympic Trials Marathon in her first marathon, at 2:45.07. In the trials, held in

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...

, when she was only 16 years old, she ran 2:34:24. She finished in 9th place after being a legitimate contender for third place on the team, until fading in the last few miles. Her time there still stands as the national high school women's record in the marathon, and it was a junior record that lasted for 36 years. She competed in the United States Olympic Trials Marathon two more times in 1988 and 1992. In the Olympic Trials Marathon in 1988 (May 1) in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, she finished third in a time of 2:30:18, which qualified her for the US Olympic team. O'Brien then placed 40th in the women's marathon at

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, South Korea. In the Olympic Trials Marathon in 1992 (January 26), in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, she finished second in a time of 2:30:28, qualifying her for the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Spain. O'Brien was 10th overall and the top-finishing American. Some of her notable performances include: *1990

Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other ...

Silver medal in the 10,000 meters, in a personal best time of 32:05 *1989

Paris Marathon The Paris Marathon (french: Marathon de Paris) is an annual marathon hosted by the city of Paris, France. It is the marathon with the second-most finishers in the world, behind the New York City Marathon. The marathon begins along the Champs ...

2nd in a time of 2:31:14 *1989

Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a marathon (long-distance foot race) held every October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest r ...

3rd in a time of 2:31:19 *1989 Crim 10 miler (

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

)
1st in a then-world record time of 51:47, which stood until 1991 * Girls Foot Locker Cross Country Championships: **1984 – 1st in 16:48.1 **1983 – 3rd in 17:25.4 **1982 – 10th in 17:33.1 **1981 – 19th in 17:51

Personal life

She is married to Michael O'Brien and has two children, Patrick and Andrew.

Achievements

*All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise

References

External links

* *
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, Cathy 1967 births Living people American female long-distance runners Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Janesville, Wisconsin Track and field athletes from Wisconsin Goodwill Games medalists in athletics Competitors at the 1990 Goodwill Games Dover High School (New Hampshire) alumni 20th-century American sportswomen