Emily Infeld (born March 21, 1990) is an American long-distance runner. She regularly competes in the 5000 m and 10,000 m distances during her professional career; in her college career she regularly competed in the 4 × 800 meter relay and

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 ...

on up to 5000 m. During her collegiate career at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, she was the

3000 m 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 ...

2012 NCAA Indoor Championships winner. She also had runner-up placings in NCAA competition in

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

and outdoor track (

and 5000 m). During her professional career, Infeld has represented her country at major international championships including the

2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 24, 2013. The races were held at the Myślęcinek Park in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Kenya topped the medal standings in the competition with 5 gold, and Ethiopia had the most overall ...

(21st overall aiding the US team to 4th), the

2015 World Championships in Athletics The 2015 IAAF World Championships ( zh, 第十五届世界田径锦标赛), the fifteenth edition of the IAAF World Championships, were held from 22 to 30 August at the National Stadium in Beijing, China. Forty-three nations won medals, 144 of ...

(3rd), the 2016 Summer Olympics (11th), and the

2017 World Championships in Athletics Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

(6th).

Running career

Early career

Raised in

University Heights, Ohio University Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It borders Beachwood to the east, Cleveland Heights to the west, South Euclid to the north and Shaker Heights to the south. The population was 13,914 as of the 2020 Census. ...

, Infeld attended Beaumont School. She was interested in

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 ...

from an early age and initially took up

racewalking Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully asse ...

after being turned down for the Cleveland AAU track team, which took on her older sister, Maggie.Miller, Jen A. (March 5, 2014)
Emily Infield's Roller Coaster to a Pro Career
''Runners World''. Retrieved on 2015-06-28. While at high school she moved back into

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

and won four straight state titles in the

800 meters The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

College

She went on to attend

and began to compete for their

Georgetown Hoyas The Georgetown Hoyas are the collegiate athletics teams that officially represent Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C. Georgetown's athletics department fields 23 men's and women's varsity level teams and competes at the National ...

collegiate team, following in the footsteps of her older sister. In her first major competition for the team, she was eighth 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 Athleti ...

at the 2009 NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She established herself among the country's top college distance runners with a runner-up finish at the

NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship The NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship is the cross country championship held by the National Collegiate Athletic Association each autumn for individual runners and cross country teams from universities in Division I. Teams and ...

in 2010.Emily Infeld
GU Hoyas. Retrieved on June 28, 2015. She placed eighth in the 3000 meters at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships but had greater success the following year. She was fourth at the 2011 NCAA Cross Country, leading Georgetown to the team title. She placed second in the

5000 meters The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

at the NCAA Outdoor Championships that year. Her best collegiate performances came in 2012 when she was a double indoor

Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

champion (3000 m and

mile run The mile run (1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race. The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to ...

) and was the 3000 m winner at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Turning to the outdoor season, she was runner-up in the 1500 m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships behind Katie Flood. Her personal bests in the 3000 m and 5000 m were school records.

Professional

Early career (2012–2015)

Infeld originally intended to pursue graduate school at

for the 2012–2013 academic year; however, she was not feeling fully invested in her graduate program, and with her college coach Chris Miltenberg and many training partners moving elsewhere, she decided to turn pro joining Kimbia Athletics (officially announced October 2012) and move to Portland, Oregon to work under coach

Jerry Schumacher Jerry Schumacher is an American coach for the University of Oregon track and field and cross country program, specializing in distance running. He has coached Olympic silver medalist and the former American women's 10k record holder Shalane Flanaga ...

at the

Bowerman Track Club The Bowerman Track Club (BTC) is an American training group sponsored by Nike, Inc. for professional distance runners as well as a separate recreational club for casual runners. The professional team is supported by head coach Jerry Schumacher a ...

. She began training alongside American Olympians

Shalane Flanagan Shalane Grace Flanagan (born July 8, 1981) is an American long-distance runner, Olympic medalist and New York City Marathon champion. She was the first American woman to win the New York City Marathon since 1977. She holds the NACAC area reco ...

and

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 ...

where she struggled to adapt to the strict training schedule at first and missed parts of the 2013 season. However, she placed 4th at the 2013

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, a ...

to qualify for the

and placed 21st – a key member of the United States fourth place team. In November 2013, she was diagnosed with a

stress fracture A stress fracture is a fatigue-induced bone fracture caused by repeated stress over time. Instead of resulting from a single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of accumulated injury from repeated submaximal loading, such as running or ...

in her sacrum on the left side, and again had to take time off from running. After taking months off, she was beginning to progress with her career again, but in December 2014, she suffered another stress fracture of the sacrum; this time on the right side. She was unable to run on foot again until about 6 weeks before her first race back from injury on May 3, 2015.Emily Infeld: From Broken to Bronze
Runner's World (December 18, 2015). Retrieved on 2016-11-29.

2015

After significant struggles in her early professional career, Infeld made an astonishing comeback in 2015. She set personal records in 2015, running her first race of the year in 31:38.71 for the

10,000 meters The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...

in May and 15:07.19 for the 5000 m in June surpassing both the qualifying standards outlined in

2015 World Championships in Athletics qualification standards The following marks are the qualification standards for the 2015 World Championships in Athletics. The standards have been changed again from the 2013 standards. Each country may send a maximum of four athletes who have attained the A qualificati ...

and Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification. Further progressing in 2015, she placed third in the 10,000 m at the

2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships were held at Hayward Field, University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. Organized by USA Track and Field, the four-day competition took place June 25–28 and served as the national championships i ...

, her highest ever national finish up to that date, gaining selection for the national team alongside

Molly Huddle Molly Huddle (born August 31, 1984) is an American long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running events. Huddle set the American record in the 5000 m at the 2014 Herculis Diamond League meet in Fontvieille, Monaco (14:42. ...

and fellow Bowerman Track Club athlete

. At the 2015 Beijing World Championships on August 24, Infeld kicked hard for the bronze medal in the 10,000 m, catching a slowing Huddle at the line. All three USA team members (Infeld, Huddle, and Flanagan), were within seconds of one another. The heat and humidity were factors affecting the evolution of the race, slowing the pace of most or all competitors.

2016

On February 20, 2016, Infeld finished third in the

Millrose Games The Millrose Games is an annual indoor athletics meet (track and field) held each February in New York City. They started taking place at the Armory in Washington Heights in 2012, after having taken place in Madison Square Garden from 1914 to 2011 ...

women's indoor 5000 meters in 15:00.91, behind

Betsy Saina Betsy Saina (born 30 June 1988) is a Kenyan athlete in long distance running. Early life Saina was born in Kenya on 30 June 1988. She began running as a teenager in Eldoret, Kenya with hopes to pursue education at Itigo Girls High School. Her ...

and

. Infeld placed second in the 10,000 m behind

at the 2016 United States Olympic Trials (track and field) to qualify for Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics with

Marielle Hall Marielle Hall (born January 28, 1992) is a Long-distance running, long-distance runner from the United States. She competed in the 2015 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 5000 metres, Women's 5000 meters event at the 2015 World Champio ...

. In the Olympics 10000 m event she placed 11th in 31:26.94. The weather conditions were ideal for a fast race, where at least the top 6 competitors performed close to their best expectations that day, and many personal records were set including a World Record of 29:17 by

Almaz Ayana Almaz Ayana Eba ( om, Almaaz Ayyanaa Eebbaa; am, አልማዝ አያና ኤባ, born 21 November 1991) is an Ethiopian female long-distance runner. She won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres and bronze for the 5000 metres at the 2016 Rio Oly ...

. The Olympics USA team was spread apart by more than 2 minutes. Infeld's fellow team member, Molly Huddle, was well ahead and had one of her best performances establishing a PR of 30:13 and placing 6th. Marielle Hall was far behind in 32:39 for 33rd. On September 3 at the 5th Avenue Mile, held on the roads in New York, Infeld placed 16th in an official time of 4:28, setting a new road PR.New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile
NYRR Race Results. September 3, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2017.

2017

On March 11, 2017, Infeld started the year off well with a 2nd-place finish in the U.S. 15k Road Championship in a time of 49:42. As a preparation for the

2017 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 2017 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships were held at Hornet Stadium on the campus of California State University, Sacramento in Sacramento, California. Organized by USA Track & Field, the four-day competition took place June 22–25 an ...

, Infeld participated part way through the Payton Jordan Invitational 10,000m held on May 5. When it came time for the

on June 22, Infeld placed 2nd in the 10,000m establishing a new PR of 31:22.67 at the 2017 World Championships in London.2017 Outdoor Championships Results
USA Track and Field, June 22, 2017 In preparation for the World Championships, Infeld travelled to St. Moritz Switzerland to train and also competed in two events during her stay in Europe. Her first event was in Lucerne Switzerland on July 11 where she ran the 3000m and placed 5th in 8:55.41. Her second event was a 5000 m run in Huesden Belgium on July 22 where she ran close to her training partner, Shalane Flanagan, and then led the race for the last 2.5k with the exception of being passed at the very end, placing second. She established a PR of 14:56.33 that day.European Athletics Results , Night of Athletics , Huesden – Zolder – BEL , Women
European Athletics, July 11, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2017. At the 2017 World Championships in London on August 5, Infeld placed 6th where she led the USA team in a time of 31:20.45, establishing another PR in the 10,000m despite the leaders starting off with a significantly slow first 3k.10,000 Metres Result , IAAF World Championships London 2017 , iaaf.org
iaaf.org. August 5, 2017. Similar to the 2015 World Championships, all three USA team members (this time Infeld, Huddle, and Sisson) were within seconds of one another. The first 2k of the race was slow (6:48 for the leader where 1k was 3:30 for the leader), and it wasn't until after 3k-4k with Almaz Ayana making a decisive move where the large pack of runners started break up. Molly Huddle was leading the USA team for the first 7-8k, while Infeld showed greater strength particularly in last 1k in an attempt to overcome the local pack of other competitors just in front of the USA team. Infeld succeeded, falling just short of only one of those competitors in the local pack, Susan Krumins, who also surpassed Infeld at the end in the Huesden Belgium 5000 m. The remaining runners had a significant lead ahead of the local pack starting at 6k, which included Almaz Ayana who lapped all competitors except the three who placed behind her. Infeld's first 5k was 16:08 and her last 5k was 15:12, showing significant potential for another PR in the future. In September, Infeld attended two 1 mile races in New York State. At the Long Island Mile on September 6, Infeld placed 4th in a time of 4:30.78 setting a new outdoor track PR.Hoka Long Island Mile Run
Runner Space. September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2017. Four days later, on September 10, at the 5th Avenue Mile held on the roads in New York City, Infeld placed 17th in a very competitive field in an official time of 4:31 (rounded up; 4:30.3 unofficially).

2018

Infeld started her 2018 season with a win at the 2018

in 33:18.7 (3:19.9/km), followed by

Molly Seidel Molly Seidel (born July 12, 1994) is an American long distance runner. Seidel represented the United States at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country in 2012, 2013, and 2018. In her first-ever marathon, Seidel placed second at the 2020 U.S. Marath ...

in 33:22.1, Stephanie Bruce in 33:34.1, her teammate Courtney Frerichs 33:55.1, Emily Durgin in 33:56.9, and Susan Tanui in 34:39.0; the six qualified for Team USA at 2018 NACAC Cross Country Championships in

La Libertad, El Salvador La Libertad (English: ''Liberty'') is a municipality in the La Libertad Department of El Salvador. It had a population of 35,997 inhabitants in 2007 according to the official census of that year. It is one of the main tourist attractions in the ...

on February 17, 2018.

2019

Infeld struggled with a number of complex injury-related obstacles for many months since early 2018, but was on a smooth trajectory in 2019 about 2 months prior to her departure at the World class Beach to Beacon 10k event. After about 18 months of not competing, on Aug 3rd Infeld surprisingly placed 4th in 32:39 at the Beach to Beacon 10k. Continuing her trend for the year in the 10k, on October 14, Infeld placed 3rd in the Boston 10k for Women in a time of 32:14. On November 2, Infeld placed 3rd in the NYRR 5k in a time of 15:47.2019 NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5K - Results
USATF 5K Championships. November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2019 and February 16, 2020.

2020

Infeld started the 2020 year on the track. Notably, this was her first track race in about 2 years. At the Husky Classic on February 14, Infeld placed 1st in the 3000m in a meet record time of 8:48.73. On February 27, Infeld ran a 5000m 14:51.91 PR at the Boston University Last Chance Invitational.

2021

On February 20, Infeld competed in the 10,000m on the outdoor track for the first time in years. Despite this, Infeld ran the 10,000m in a time of 31:08.57 for 4th place in San Juan Capistrano, CA. However, her build-up efforts did not shine as hoped for on the day of the Olympic trials. On June 26, 2021, on an unusually warm day, Infeld ran the 10,000-meter final of the Olympic trials finishing in eighth place with a time of 32:19. She stated that " t wasprobably one of my worst races. It's never a fun place to have one of your worst races at the trials. I feel like I'm fitter than that race showcased."

Personal records

International championship qualifier record

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, a ...
, USATF Indoor Championships, USATF Outdoor Championships, and US Olympic Trials

International championship record

Personal life

Stalking

Beginning April 2018, and for three years thereafter (with the exception of 16 months within that time starting September/October 2018 after a protection order), Infield was stalked, which resulted in her fear, stress, and the hiding of her location. This harassment had a significant impact on Infeld's personal life and professional career. The harasser was eventually arrested and charged in June 2021 by a U.S. Attorney with felony cyberstalking and interstate violation of a protection order.

References

External links

* *
February 14, 2019 Carrie catches up with 2016 Olympian Emily Infeld! They discuss her recent injury and surgery, the rollercoaster ride of doctors and therapists, her cross training habits, and much more

Carrie Tollefson Carrie Anne Tollefson (born January 18, 1977 in Dawson, Minnesota) is an American former middle-distance runner who was on the US 2004 Summer Olympics, 2004 Summer Olympic team. Running career Tollefson was raised in Dawson, Minnesota, Dawson, a ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Infeld, Emily Living people 1990 births Sportspeople from Cuyahoga County, Ohio Track and field athletes from Ohio American female long-distance runners American female middle-distance runners Georgetown Hoyas women's track and field athletes World Athletics Championships medalists World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics People from University Heights, Ohio 21st-century American sportswomen