Luke Puskedra (born February 8, 1990) is an American

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 ...

who competes over distances ranging from

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 ...

to 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 ...

. He grew up in

Ogden, Utah Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...

and attended

Judge Memorial Catholic High School Judge Memorial Catholic High School is a private Catholic high school located in Salt Lake City, Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It is one of three high schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City serving students in grades ...

before studying business administration at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

. He competed for the

Oregon Ducks track and field The Oregon Ducks track and field program is the intercollegiate track and field team for the University of Oregon located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference. T ...

and cross country teams, earned 12

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

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n awards and was a 10,000 meter finalist at the NCAA level four years running from 2009 to 2012. In 2015 Puskedra won the

Vancouver Sun Run The Vancouver Sun Run, owned by Run Vancouver Holdings ULC and sponsored by ''The Vancouver Sun'' newspaper, is a 10-kilometre road running event held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, each year on the third (sometimes the fourth) Sunday i ...

Running career

High school

Puskedra graduated from

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

in 2008. He was an eight-time state champion in high school winning Utah state track championships in the 1600 meters and 3200 meters as a sophomore, junior and senior and winning the state cross country championships as a junior and senior. He set all-classifications records his senior year in track at 3200 meters (8:54.40) and 1,600 meters (4:09.40) and cross country (14:54.60). He was also the first Utah high school runner to break 9:00 in the 3200 meters. He was the 2007 Nike Cross Southwest Regional champion winning the race in 14:48 breaking the meet record. He went on to place fifth at the 2007 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships. He ran the fastest high school indoor mile time in the country (4:08.77) in 2008 at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games. On March 16, 2008, at the Nike Indoor Nationals Puskedra ran the sixth fastest high school indoor two mile time in U.S. history winning the race in a time of 8:49.58. In 2008 as a senior he placed second in both the mile (4:06.60) and two mile (8:47.06) at the Nike Outdoor National meet. He placed tenth in the two mile at the 2008

Prefontaine Classic The Prefontaine Classic, an Oregon Track Club event, is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States, held in Eugene, Oregon. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at Hayward Field on the campus of the University o ...

in a time of 8:46.41. As a junior he finished fourth in the

Penn Relays The Penn Relays (also Penn Relays Carnival) is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, hosted annually since April 21, 1895 by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. In 2012, there were ...

high school boys mile in 4:25.11. Puskedra was a three-time Utah Boys Gatorade Athlete of the Year recipient (2006–07 and 2007–08 in track and 2007 in cross country). He was the 2007-08 Salt Lake Tribune Athlete of Year (all sports) and a USA Today All-American at one and two miles. High school bests:Luke Puskedra Athletic profile
Retrieved on November 2, 2015 *800 m - 1:58.37 *Mile - 4:06.60 *1600 m - 4:09.29 *Two mile - 8:46.41 *3200 m - 8:54.40

Collegiate

Puskedra was recruited to

where coach Andy Powell had him specialize in various long distances spanning from the 3 km to 10 km. He placed fourth overall in the men's 10,000 meter final at the 2012 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships.

Post-collegiate

After graduating from Oregon, Puskedra signed a professional contract with

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

and joined the

Nike Oregon Project The Nike Oregon Project was a group created by the American corporation Nike, established in Beaverton, Oregon in 2001. The team folded on October 10, 2019 after an investigation resulted in a four-year ban of longtime coach Alberto Salazar. Fa ...

. There he was coached by

Alberto Salazar Alberto Salazar (born August 7, 1958) is an American former track coach and long-distance runner. Born in Cuba, Salazar immigrated to the United States as a child with his family, living in Connecticut and then in Wayland, Massachusetts, whe ...

, and the training regimen was very similar to the college program as Salazar was largely influential in Powell's training philosophy at the University of Oregon. However, at the end of 2014, his contract with Nike expired, and Puskedra did not anticipate continuing a professional career in running. He moved with his wife to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and gained 23 pounds from his race weight in the course of a month. In spite of the time elapsed from his graduation, college coach Andy Powell remained in contact with Puskedra and gradually convinced him to return to running. Puskedra and his wife returned to the United States, where he trained briefly for a marathon debut at the

2014 New York City Marathon The 2014 New York City Marathon was the 44th running of the annual marathon race in New York City, United States, which took place on November 2. The elite men's race was won by Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich of Kenya with a time of 2:10:59 and the wom ...

. In his marathon debut, he ran 2:28:54, but given his half marathon personal record it was widely seen as a disappointing result. Although discouraged by his experience in New York City, he proceeded to train for the 2015

Grandma's Marathon Grandma's Marathon is an annual road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the city of Two Harbors on Scenic Route 61 and continues along Lake Superior into the city of Duluth. The ...

, where he ran a significantly faster result of 2:15:27. After 2016 US Olympic Marathon Trials, Puskedra switched from Nike to ASICS following Team Hall's apparels unification. But he later reverted to Nike, due to connect with

Evan Jager Evan Reese Jager (born March 8, 1989) is an American distance runner. He won the silver medal in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2016 Rio Olympics and a bronze at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics. Jager is the current NACAC area ...

and

Sam Crouser Samuel Crouser (born December 31, 1991) is an American javelin thrower. He is a 2015 alumnus of the University of Oregon. High school career While a senior at Gresham High School, Crouser was named Gatorade High School Track and Field Athlete ...

. In January 2018, Luke Puskedra joined the

Oregon Track Club The Oregon Track Club (OTC) is an American running organization based in Eugene, Oregon. History Emerald Empire Athletic Association Formed by Bill Bowerman, the Emerald Empire Athletic Association (EEAA) was the predecessor to the Oregon Track C ...

. Shortly after the 2019 Aramco Houston Half marathon, Luke Puskedra's

contract becomes expired. Soon, Luke Puskedra retired from competitive running and turn into real estate. For 2019 season, Luke Puskedra won't run at the 2019 Faxon Law New Haven Road Race 20k. Instead,

Jim Walmsley Jim Walmsley (born January 17, 1990) is an American long-distance runner. An ultra-trail specialist, his wins include the JFK 50 Mile in 2014, 2015 and 2016, the Lake Sonoma 50 in 2016 and 2018, the Tarawera Ultramarathon in 2017, and the Wester ...

will run the 2019 Faxon Law New Haven Road Race 20k.

Competition record

Marathon

Half marathon

USA National Championships

Road

Track and field

NCAA championships

Outdoor track and field

Indoor track and field

Cross country

Personal bests

References

External links

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Luke Puskedra University of Oregon Ducks profile

Luke Puskedra Joins the Nike Oregon Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puskedra, Luke Living people 1990 births Track and field athletes from Salt Lake City American male long-distance runners American male marathon runners Oregon Ducks men's track and field athletes Oregon Ducks men's cross country runners