Betsy Saina (born 30 June 1988) is a

Kenyan ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

athlete in

long distance running Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two d ...

Early life

Saina was born in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

on 30 June 1988. She began running as a teenager in

Eldoret Eldoret is a principal town in the Rift Valley region of Kenya and serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. The town was referred to by white settlers as Farm 64, 64 and colloquially by locals as 'Sisibo'. As per the 2019 Kenya Population ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

with hopes to pursue education at Itigo Girls High School. Her family had success in distance running, so her sisters mentored her as a youth to prepare her for a national stage of running. Her performance at the African juniors national championship caught the attention of scouts and recruiters. "Saina grew up in Kenya's middle class – "not poor, or rich," she says – with a father who worked as an elementary-school teacher and mother who operated a small business."

Iowa State

In her 5 years at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines in central Iowa. It is best known as the home of Iowa State University (ISU), with leading agriculture, design, engineering, and veterinary medici ...

, Saina earned an agriculture and life sciences degree with a focus on

nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

. She won the 2012

National Collegiate Athletic Association 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 ...

(NCAA) Cross Country Championship, 5,000 meters at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Championship and 10,000 meters at the 2013 Outdoor NCAA Championship under the guidance of coach Corey Ihmels. Saina ran at the 2009 NCAA cross country championships and finished 141st in 21:35. Three years later, she has improved her 6K time by two minutes – and everyone is following behind Saina. In her final year of eligibility, Saina took the top spot at this year's NCAA championships in a time of 19:27.9" She set at the time world-leading marks of 31:15.97 in the 10 km and school records of 15:12.05 in the 5k. Saina was the 2011–2012

Iowa State Cyclones The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's and 1 ...

Female Student-Athlete of the year and received this honour in front of 61,000 fans at the football home opener on 1 September 2012. Saina was also a nine-time Big 12 Champion and an 11-time All-American runner. She was also named Athlete of the Year by the Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association her senior season in 2013. Betsy Saina was honoured on 31 August 2013 as the 2013 Iowa State Female Athlete of the Year! She won the

Honda Sports Award The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Sports Award are automatically in th ...

as the nation's best female collegiate cross country runner in 2013.

Professional

Nike Colorado Springs

Saina competed on the roads and on the track based out of Colorado Springs for the professional training group American Distance Project elite 2013 through October 2015 under the guidance of coach Scott Simmons. 2014
In January 2014, she ran a world leading indoor 5,000 meters time. In March 2014, Saina finished second in 15:22 at the

Carlsbad 5000 The Carlsbad 5000 is an annual five kilometer (3.1 mile) road running event that takes place each spring in the city of Carlsbad, California along the north coast of San Diego County. Organization The event is organized by Groundwork Endurance, a ...

five kilometre road race behind Julia Bleasdale. Saina is the only person based in the USA who ranks in the top 15 of the world in the 10,000 meters in 2013 except Shalane Flanagan. Competing in the 10,000 meters at the

Payton Jordan Payton Jordan (March 19, 1917 – February 5, 2009) was the head coach of the 1968 United States Olympic track and field team, one of the most powerful track teams ever assembled, which won a record twenty-four medals, including twelve golds. ...

Invitational on 4 May 2014, she improved her personal best 10 km time to under 31 minutes running 30:57.30. Saina is one of 7 women living in the United States including

Deena Kastor Deena Michelle Kastor (née Drossin; born February 14, 1973) is an American long-distance runner. She was a holder of American records in the marathon (2006-2022) and numerous road distances. She won the bronze medal in the women's marathon at t ...

, Kim Smith, Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher,

Sally Kipyego Sally Jepkosgei Kipyego (born 19 December 1985) is a Kenyan-born American long- and middle-distance runner. She was the silver medalist in the 10,000 metres at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and the silver medalist in the same race ...

and Molly Huddle to have run a 10 km race under 31 minutes. Only 69 women have ever run under 31 minutes. On 18 July, Competing in the 5,000 meters at the

Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...

Herculis The Herculis is an annual track and field meet at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Diamond League. World records Over the course of its history, five world reco ...

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

, Saina improved her personal best 5 km time to under 14:40 minutes running 14:39.49 3rd all-time best performer. In August 2014, Saina won the woman's division of the 42nd New Balance Falmouth Road Race with a time of 35:56 on the course. On 8 September 2014, Saina won a road 10k in Tilburg, the Netherlands running 30:45 and her time is the fastest road 10 km in 2014. On 12 October 2014, Saina finished 4th in her debut at the Boston half marathon in a time of 1:09:27. 69:27 was the 46th fastest in the world as of 17 October. 2015
On 14 February, competing in the 3,000 meters at the

NYRR New York Road Runners (NYRR) is a non-profit running organization based in New York City whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. It was founded in 1958 by Ted Corbitt with 47 members and has since grown to a membership of more ...

Millrose Games Betsy was runner-up to

On 1 March, competing in the 10,000 meters at the World Best 10 km in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...

. Betsy finished 3rd in 32:07 only 10 second behind the win. Competing in the 5,000 meters at the

Invitational on 2 May 2015, she ran a world and Olympic trials qualifying time of 15:00.48 and was runner-up to

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 ...

Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics were held during the last 10 days of the games, from 12 to 21 August 2016, at the Olympic Stadium. The sport of athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics was made into three distinct sets of events: track and ...

Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification For the athletics competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the following qualification systems were in place. Qualification ended on 11 July 2016. Russian disqualification Because of the suspension of the Russian Athletics Federation by t ...

Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Qualification#5000 m 2 On July 4, Betsy finished 10th in 15:07.90 in the 5,000 meters

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Meeting Areva Meeting de Paris (formerly known as the Meeting Areva and Meeting Gaz de France) is an annual track and field meeting at the Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris, France. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamon ...

IAAF Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...

. Friday July 31, 2015 Betsy punched her ticket to

Beijing, China } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

10,000 meters

at Kenya national trials. Betsy placed 8th in 31:51.35 in China. Betsy's time qualifies her for

(if selected). On September 6, Betsy placed 3rd in road Rabobank Tilburg Ladies Run 10 km in Netherlands in 32:21 where Shalane Flanagan set American record.

Nike Bowerman Track Club

In October 2015, Betsy joined Nike Bowerman Track Club; leaving American Distance Project in Colorado Springs. ; 2016 On February 20, 2016 Saina finished first in the Millrose Games women's indoor 5000 meters in 14:57.18, edging out Molly Huddle in the final stretch. On May 27, 2016 Saina placed 8th in 14:44.67 in

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 ...

. On August 12, Saina placed 5th in 30:07.78 in Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Women's 10,000 metres.

References

External links

Official website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saina, Betsy Iowa State University alumni Kenyan female long-distance runners 1988 births Living people World Athletics Championships athletes for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Kenya People from Uasin Gishu County Kenyan expatriates in the United States Paris Marathon female winners Iowa State Cyclones women's track and field athletes 21st-century Kenyan women