Kathy Butler (born 22 October 1973) is a long-distance runner who competes 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 ra ...

and marathon, as well as

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

and

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ...

. Born in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, she has competed internationally for both

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Early life and collegiate career

Butler was born in Edinburgh of English parents and brought up in Edinburgh and the Isle of Wight until her parents emigrated to

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada when she was 10. She attended the

University of Guelph , mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities" , established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922) , type = Public university , chancellor ...

, Canada before transferring to the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

, USA. In 2004, she was inducted into the University of Wisconsin hall of fame. In 2005, she was inducted into the

hall of fame. As a member of the cross country and track teams at the University of Wisconsin, Butler was a five-time NCAA Champion and a 13-time All-American. In the 1995-96 season, Butler received the Honda Sports Award, given to the top women in collegiate athletics.http://www.gostanford.com/sports/c-xc/mtt/tegen_peter00.html Peter Tegen Biography.

Canada

While in college she competed for Canada in the 5,000 metres at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. She finished seventh in her heat and did not advance to the final.

Great Britain

In 2000, she switched to competing internationally for

. In 2001, Butler finished 12th at the World Cross Country Championships (4 k race), won the European Cup 3000m and also placed third in the 5,000 metres at the Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. During the IAAF World Championships Olga Yegorova, who had shown positive for the blood-boosting agent erythropoietin in tests conducted by a Paris lab escaped suspension because procedures were improperly observed, her presence at the World Championships kept Butler out of the World Championship final. In 2002 Butler missed out on competing for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games after she was diagnosed with

osteitis pubis Osteitis pubis is a noninfectious inflammation of the pubis symphysis (also known as the pubic symphysis, symphysis pubis, or symphysis pubica), causing varying degrees of lower abdominal and pelvic pain. Osteitis pubis was first described in pa ...

. In 2004, she finished 11th at the World Cross Country Championships (8 km race) in Brussels, winning a bronze medal with the British team. Running for Great Britain at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Butler finished 12th in the 10,000 metres with a time of 31:41.13. In 2005 Butler won the meet at the Venta de Baños Cross Country. Later in the year she debuted in the marathon with 2:30:01 at the

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 ...

. Butler competed in the

at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, finishing 7th while representing Scotland. Butler was an assistant coach at both Stanford University and University of Wisconsin. Butler is now coached by former marathon world record holder Steve Jones.

Personal life

In 1994 Butler was diagnosed with Graves' disease, a disorder of the thyroid gland. Butler has a maple leaf tattooed on her ankle, along with the five-ring Olympic insignia. Butler lives in

Nederland, Colorado Nederland (, ) is a statutory town located near Barker Meadow Reservoir in the foothills of southwest Boulder County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census it had a population of 1,445. History Nederland was established in ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. She is the Head Coach of Run Boulder AC. Butler is the Chair of USATF Coaching Education as well as a Level 1 and Level 2 Instructor for USATF.

Competition record

Olympics

1996 Atlanta Olympics * 5000 m (competing for Canada)

2004 Athens Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

* 10,000 m: 12th. 31:40 (competing for Great Britain)

Other events

* 2005 British World Trials - First place (10000) 31:45 * 2004 British Olympic Trials - First place (10000 m) 31:36 *

1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on 27 and 28 March 1999. The races were held at the Barnett Demesne/ Queen's University Playing Fields in Belfast, United Kingdom. Reports of the event were given in ''The New York Ti ...

- 4th Place (4k) * 1997 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship - First place (3000m) * 1996 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship - First place (3000m) * 1995 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship - First place (3000m) * 1995 NCAA Cross Country Championship - First place

Personal bests

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 Athle ...

- 4:07.68 min (1997) * 3000 metres - 8.40.97 min (2001) * 5000 metres - 15:05.51 min (2004) *

- 31:36.90 min (2004) *

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 ...

- 71:05 min (2006) * Marathon - 2:28:39 min (2006)

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Kathy Living people 1973 births Sportspeople from Edinburgh Canadian female long-distance runners British female long-distance runners Scottish female long-distance runners Olympic athletes of Great Britain Olympic track and field athletes of Canada Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games competitors for Scotland Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games World Athletics Championships athletes for Great Britain University of Guelph alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Goodwill Games medalists in athletics Big Ten Athlete of the Year winners Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games Wisconsin Badgers women's track and field athletes