Gitte Karlshøj (born 14 May 1959 in Lyderslev, Stevns, Sjælland, Denmark) is a Danish

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 ...

. She ran the

3000 metres 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 ...

at 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 ...

, finishing in a non-qualifying sixth place in the qualifying round and the

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 ...

at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, failing to finish. She also made the final at the 1992 World Championships in the

10,000 metres 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 ...

. Karlshøj has won 37 Danish championships at various distances. She has set three Danish records at 1000 m, 1500m and 2000 meters, and set the 2002 world record for Masters (W40) at the half marathon distance. Her personal record for the marathon is 2:31:31, just 1.53min from Dorthe Rasmussen's Danish record of 2:29:34. At almost 45 years of age, Gitte Karlshøj won the open division of the Hong Kong Marathon in 2004. She won the masters division of the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

two years in a row. She won all distances from 800m to marathon at the European Veterans Championships in 2004, all within a week. She was the 2009 world champion at 5.000 mi class-W50. She won the Danish championship marathon in 2009, which was hosted by the Hans Christian Andersen Marathon in Odense and thus became the oldest Danish champion ever. Her finishing time was 2:51,30. Karlshøj is the only Dane to claim to be Danish champion at all distances from 800 meters to the marathon, including cross and road race (11 different distances). Gitte chosen for European Best Female Master of the Year 2009 that is the best female athlete over 35 years in Europe. Starting her career at a fairly late age (early twenties), she teamed up with runner Flemming Jensen as her first coach and trainer. This partnership brought her from being a recognised talent to a developed professional top athlete. At the later part of her career she took over responsibility of own coaching and used Flemming more as a mentor. This partnership however, faded out at the time of her late career continuation. She studied in the United States running for Seattle Pacific University. She has continued running into the Masters athletics age groups. She is the current World Record holder in the W50 division at

1500 metres 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 ...

, 3000 metres,

5000 metres 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 ...

and 10,000 metres. She also has a pending W50 world record for the mile. Karlshøj starred as a personal trainer for DR2 runners who ran the

New York 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 ...

in Tema Saturday in November 2006. She is a physiotherapist by Team Denmark in

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

and lecturer in business/sports clubs.

Personal bests

* 800 metres : 2.02.9 (1992) *

: 4.08.61 (1991) Danish record in 1991 *

: 8:44:35 (1991) *

: 15.22.95 (1993) *

: 32.26.25 (1994) * Half marathon : 1:10:50 (1996) *

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 ...

: 2:31:31 (1997)

Masters world records

*Half-marathon: 1:11:09 (2002), W40 (since improved) *1.500m: 4:40:7 (2009), W50 *Mile: 5:00:59 (2010), W50 *3.000m: 9:47:20 (2009), W50 *5.000m: 16:51:17 (2009), W50 *10,000: 35:41:8 (2009), W50

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karlshoj, Gitte 1959 births Living people Danish female middle-distance runners Danish female long-distance runners Danish female marathon runners Danish female cross country runners Danish masters athletes Olympic female long-distance runners Olympic athletes for Denmark Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Goodwill Games medalists in athletics World record holders in masters athletics Seattle Pacific University alumni People from Stevns Municipality Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games Sportspeople from Region Zealand