Ed Moran (born May 27, 1981) is a retired track and road runner who specialized in various

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disciplines. A gold medalist in the 5000-meter race at the 2007 Pan American Games, he would go on to represent the

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at two

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 2008 and 2009, before finishing the 2011 New York City Marathon in 9th place.

Running career

High school

Moran moved to the Lawrenceville section of

Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Lawrence Township is a township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Located at the cross-roads between the Delaware Valley region to the south and the Raritan Valley region to the north, the township is an outer-ring suburb of New Yo ...

at the age of 6 and attended Notre Dame High School, where he didn't take up running until his sophomore year. By his senior year of high school, Moran's personal bests were 4:19 (min:sec) in the mile and 9:26 for the 2-mile.Hunt, Christopher
"Moran to live dream in NYC marathon"

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, November 2, 2011. Accessed October 21, 2014. "After his parents moved to Lawrenceville when he was 6, Moran started running as a sophomore at Notre Dame High School in New Jersey."

Collegiate

Moran ran and studied at the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...

, where he was a four-time

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n. In spite of being in a track team of prodigies like

Sean Graham Sean Graham (born March 6, 1980) is a retired track runner who specialized in middle-distance and long-distance disciplines. Graham was a product of Stillwater High, whose coach Scott Christensen helped make a nationally recognized track history ...

, Moran eventually became a standout in the 5000 metres. His collegiate career was riddled with serious injuries, and due to this it was not until his sixth year (after being granted extended eligibility by the

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 ...

) of studying while earning a master's degree that he exploded in the 5000 metres.

Post-collegiate

Moran was very close to deciding not to continue running after college. By the time he finished his undergrad studies in 2003, he was working on completing a master's degree in public policy and tried to focus on a career after college. He changed his mind after the 2005

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Oly ...

, where he ran 13:25.87 (min:sec) in the 5000 metres, 14 seconds better than his previous personal best. He subsequently signed a professional contract with

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so that he could train full-time. In 2007, Moran won the men's 5000 metres at the 2007 Pan American Games, and as of 2023 still holds the course record of the race. He was selected to run for the US at the

2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 30, 2008. The races were held at the Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All race ...

although he did not finish the race. Moran ran the same competition the following year, finishing the course at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 60th place of 137 finishers.

Coaching

Moran coached at

from August 2005 – May 2011 where he helped develop individual training plans for distance runners. He mentored student-athletes on

NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...

nationally ranked cross country and track teams. Coach Ed was viewed by many of his athletes as a more skillful race day coach than his mentor, Mr. Gibby. He also recruited high school student-athletes nationwide. Moran performed administrative tasks including budgeting, equipment acquisition, fundraising, and travel logistics. He was in his seventh season on the William and Mary staff, and third as a volunteer after four years as a full-time assistant.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moran, Ed Living people 1981 births People from Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Mercer County, New Jersey People from South Brunswick, New Jersey Track and field athletes from New Jersey American male middle-distance runners American male marathon runners Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2007 Pan American Games William & Mary Tribe men's track and field athletes William & Mary Tribe track and field coaches William & Mary Tribe cross country coaches Notre Dame High School (New Jersey) alumni