Nicole Aish (maiden name Jefferson, born March 8, 1976) is a

long distance runner Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mensur ...

who is a U.S. National Championship

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 ...

winner and a bronze medalist at the

2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when Dominican Republic had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America. Al ...

in the

5,000 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 stand ...

Running career

Since she was cut from her high school basketball team, Aish decided to become a runner. She ran cross country and track at

Western Colorado Mountaineers The Western Colorado Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent Western Colorado University, located in Gunnison, Colorado, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Mountaineers compete as members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Con ...

with

Elva Dryer Elva Dryer (née Martinez; born September 26, 1971, in Durango, Colorado) is an American long-distance runner who competed mostly in the 5000 and 10,000 meters, before turning to road running. She represented the United States at the 2000 and 20 ...

. Aish set multiple school records on her way to becoming the national champion at the 1998 and 1999

NCAA Division II Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships The NCAA Division II Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships are the annual collegiate track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived fro ...

in the 3,000 metres. She finished her college career also as the

one mile 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 ...

national champion in the 1999

NCAA Division II Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships The NCAA Women's Division II Indoor Track and Field Championship is an annual collegiate indoor track and field competition for women from Division II institutions organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Athletes' performances ...

. She still holds the school record for fastest time in the mile (4:38.76). Aish continued running after college. In 2001 she raced 3,000 metres at the

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 ...

, where she placed 13th. Two years later, she ran a 32:10 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 ...

, qualifying for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Track Trials. Aish continued racing track and road races around the country. Her first ever half-marathon was in the Monterey Peninsula of California, which she won. Aish then netted prize money for win a large 10k in Colorado. A year later, in 2005, she also won her first-ever marathon, the

Twin Cities Marathon The Twin Cities Marathon (TCM) is an annual Marathon (sport), marathon in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area which normally takes place the first weekend in October. The race is often called "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America" due to ...

. She finished with a time of 2:40.21, which happened to be the slowest winning time, likely due to the heat—the temperature at the starting line was more than 70 degrees F. Although her hamstrings cramped and she walked briefly, Aish won with a comfortable lead. She won $30,000 and the title of U.S. National Marathon Champion. Later in 2006, Aish had hip surgery, which stopped her from running in any more major races. She still competes in shorter distance races, such as the FireKraker 5k for the 4th of July in her hometown in Colorado. She has won nearly $85,000 in her running career so far.

Early and personal life

Aish was previously married to Michael Aish, a

who competed for the

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

and 2004 New Zealand Olympic Team. They ran together and won respective men's and woman's titles in the Monterey Half Marathon. Aish started a blog about her personal and daily life but has not posted on it since 2014. Her last post was about a second hip surgery. She and Michael Aish divorced in 2017 and he has since remarried.

Achievements

*2001

3K 13th place 9:29.42 *

5K 3rd place 15:42.40 *2003 Freihofer's Run for Women 5K 4th place 15:51 *2004 Monterey Half-Marathon 1st place 1:15.13 *2005 TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 7th place 33:08.8 *2005

1st place 2:40.21 *2005 Colorado 10k 1st place 34:57 *2006 Spokane 12,000m Race 9th place 41:32 *2008 Aramco Houston Half Marathon 4th place 1:12:30

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aish, Nicole 1976 births Living people American female long-distance runners American female marathon runners Western Colorado University alumni Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) 20th-century American sportswomen 21st-century American sportswomen

Running career

Early and personal life

Achievements

See also

References

External links