Deena Michelle Kastor (née Drossin; born February 14, 1973) 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 in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two d ...

. She was a holder of American records in 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 ...

(2006-2022) and numerous road distances. She won the

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receiv ...

in the women's marathon at the 2004

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

. She is also an eight-time national champion in cross country.

Early and personal life

Kastor is Jewish, and was born in

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, ...

. She is an alumna of

Agoura High School Agoura High School is a public high school in Agoura Hills, California, United States. It is the largest high school in the Las Virgenes Unified School District. Athletics and activities Agoura High School's athletic teams are nicknamed the Cha ...

located in

Agoura Hills Agoura Hills () is a city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, which decreased to 20,299 in 2020. It is in the eastern Conejo Valley between the S ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. She ran collegiately for the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkans ...

. She is married to Andrew Kastor. In August 2010, they announced that she was three months pregnant with their first child, Piper. As a result, she announced she would not compete in that year's New York City Marathon, held November 7. Her daughter was born in February 2011.

Career highlights

In high school, Kastor won three

state cross country titles and two

CIF California State Meet The CIF California State Meet is the annual championship track and field meet for the California Interscholastic Federation. The meet was started in 1915 for boys and 1974 for girls. Every athlete in every high school in California has a dir ...

titles at 3200 meters while running for

Agoura Hills, California Agoura Hills () is a city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 20,330 at the 2010 census, which decreased to 20,299 in 2020. It is in the eastern Conejo Valley between the ...

. She also competed in the

Foot Locker Cross Country Championships The Eastbay-Foot Locker Cross Country Championships are a series of annual cross country running races held in various regions of the United States to determine the premier cross country runner in various age groups, but mainly serves to find the ...

all four years of her prep career, and competed in both the North American Youth

Maccabi Games The Maccabiah Games (a.k.a. the World Maccabiah Games; he, משחקי המכביה, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics"), first held in 1932, are an international Jewish and Israeli multi-sp ...

and the Pan-American

Maccabiah The Maccabiah Games (a.k.a. the World Maccabiah Games; he, משחקי המכביה, or משחקי המכביה העולמית; sometimes referred to as the "Jewish Olympics"), first held in 1932, are an international Jewish and Israeli multi-sp ...

while in high school. At the

she was a four-time SEC champion and an eight-time All-American. Post-collegiately, Kastor ran under coaches Joe Vigil and Terrence Mahon. Since 2015, she has been coached by her husband, Andrew Kastor, head of the

Mammoth Track Club A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and ...

. Kastor has earned two silver medals (2002 Dublin, long race; 2003 Lausanne, long race) in the IAAF

World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the Int ...

. She holds U.S. records in the following events: * Women's road 10 mile (set at the 2006

Berlin Half Marathon The Berlin Half Marathon is a major endurance event held annually in early spring in Berlin, Germany. Besides the runner's main race, the event includes a race for inline skaters, wheelchair athletes and handbikers. All athletes use the same co ...

with a time of 51:31) * Women's road 15K (set at the 2003

Gate River Run The Gate River Run (GRR), formerly known as the Jacksonville River Run, is an annual road running event in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, that attracts both competitive and recreational runners. It has functioned as the US National Champi ...

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

with a time of 47:15) * Women's road 8K (set at the 2005 The LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago with a time of 24:36) Kastor formerly held the following records: * Women's

(set when winning the 2006 Flora

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically he ...

with a time of 2:19:36) * Women's

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

(set at the 2006 Berlin Half Marathon with a time of 1:07:34) * Women's

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 ra ...

(set at

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. S ...

in 2002 with a time of 30:50.32) * Women's road 5K (set at the 2002 Carlsbad 5000 with a time of 14:54) In recent years, Kastor has shifted her focus toward the marathon distance. After winning the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Marathon, she won the 2005

Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a marathon (long-distance foot race) held every October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest r ...

. In 2006, she won the

, setting an American record until Keira D'Amato broke record on 16 January 2022 ( Houston Marathon) taking 24 second off (2:19:12). She placed sixth at the 2006

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor (commercial), sponsor) is an annual Marathon (sport), marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest mar ...

and fifth at the 2007

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 ...

. Kastor is a featured subject in the 2007 marathon documentary '' Spirit of the Marathon'', which follows her victory at the 2005

2008

In April 2008, Kastor won the U.S. women's Olympic marathon trials in Boston, Massachusetts. She finished with an unofficial time of 2:29:35, after overtaking competitor

Magdalena Lewy Boulet Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (née ''Lewy;'' born August 1, 1973), commonly known as either Magdalena or Magda Boulet, is an American runner from Oakland, California. Born in Jastrzębie-Zdrój, Poland, Lewy-Boulet became a U.S. citizen on September 11 ...

in mile 23. Kastor ran most of the race from behind, while Lewy Boulet built a commanding lead very early on, running alone for most of the marathon. With some to go, Kastor made a move to catch up to Lewy Boulet, stringing out the field. Lewy Boulet took second place in 2:30:19. In August 2008, Kastor pulled out of the women's marathon at the Beijing Olympics with a foot injury. At about the mark, she dropped to one knee, holding her right foot. She attempted to rise, but dropped back down again and was forced to withdraw from the race.

2010

On March 21, 2010, Kastor competed in the first spring running of the

New York City Half Marathon The New York City Half Marathon (branded as the United Airlines NYC Half) is an annual half marathon road running race from Brooklyn's Prospect Park to Manhattan's Central Park via the Manhattan Bridge, held since 2006. It passes through o ...

. After running the majority of the race in first, on her way to breaking the course record, she dropped to second place to finish behind Great Britain's

Mara Yamauchi Mara Rosalind Yamauchi (born Mara Myers 13 August 1973) is a British long-distance track and road running athlete. She currently holds the third fastest time by a British woman over the marathon, behind former world-record holder, Paula Radcl ...

. It was announced in August 2010 that Kastor and her husband were expecting their first child, Piper Bloom, in March 2011. It was also announced that Deena would be making her return to racing at the New York Mini 10K.

2012

In January 2012, Deena ran 2:30:40 to place 6th at the Olympic Squad Houston Olympic Trials.

2013

In January 2013, Kastor announced she would be running in the 2013

Los Angeles Marathon The Los Angeles Marathon (formerly known as the City of Los Angeles Marathon) is an annual running event typically held each spring in Los Angeles, California, since 1986. The marathon was inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Ga ...

, to be held on March 17, 2013 where she finished third in 2:32:39. On August 10, 2013, Kastor placed 9th at the World Championship Marathon in Moscow with a time of 2:36. She stated that it may have been her last high-level marathon.

2014

In April 2014, the 41-year-old Kastor won the 2014 More, Fitness Half-Marathon in New York's

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...

in a U.S. masters record of 1:11:38. On September 21, 2014, she set the world record in the Women's Masters division for the half-marathon, at 1:09:39, while running in the Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon in Philadelphia.

2015

In October 2015, she broke the U.S. Women's Masters marathon record by almost a minute at the

2015 Chicago Marathon The 2015 Chicago Marathon was the 38th edition of the Chicago Marathon, held in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, October 11. The elite men's race was won by Kenyan Dickson Chumba in a time of 2:09:25 hours and the women's race was won by another Ken ...

, running 2:27:47.

Awards and rankings

Kastor was selected as the top women's marathoner in the world in 2006 by ''

Track and Field News ''Track & Field News'' is an American monthly sports magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson and Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field. The magazine provides coverage of athletics in the United States from the high ...

'' magazine. Among the honors Kastor has received from the

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 an ...

are: *2003

Jesse Owens Award The Jesse Owens Award (also the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award for the female version of the award) is an annual track and field award that is the highest accolade given out by USA Track & Field (USATF). As the country's highest award for the sport, ...

as the top female track and field athlete in the US *USATF Runner of the Year in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2008 *C.C. Jackson Award in 2002, 2003 and 2004 *USATF Female Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 2001 and 2003, and as a team member in 2002 when the US team finished second at the World Cross Country Championships 8 kilometer run She was inducted into the New York Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2001, and into the

National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, in Commack, New York, is dedicated to honoring American Jewish figures who have distinguished themselves in sports. Its objective is to foster Jewish identity through athletics, and to commemo ...

on April 29, 2007. In 2003 she was inducted into the

Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, in Beverly Hills, California, is a hall of fame dedicated to honoring American Jewish athletes, other sports personalities, and teams from Southern California who have distinguished themsel ...

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kastor, Deena 1973 births Living people People from Mammoth Lakes, California Sportspeople from Waltham, Massachusetts Track and field athletes from California Track and field athletes from Massachusetts American female long-distance runners American female marathon runners American female cross country runners Olympic female marathon runners Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Chicago Marathon female winners London Marathon female winners Jewish American sportspeople Jewish female athletes (track and field) University of Arkansas alumni Arkansas Razorbacks women's track and field athletes Universiade gold medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1997 Summer Universiade 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women