Lisa Larsen Rainsberger, previously known as Lisa Larsen Weidenbach, (born May 7, 1961) is a distance runner. She is a member of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

Track and Field and Road Runners of America Halls of Fame. Her marathon times were among the top ten in the US in 1984 and 1987–1994. As of 2008, she was listed four times in the top 100 all-time US women's marathon performances, with a best time of 2:28:15.

Early life

While in high school in Battle Creek, Michigan, Rainsberger won competitions as a swimmer in the Individual Medley, qualifying for the 1980 Olympic Swimming trials, and later competed on scholarship as an All-American swimmer in college at the

. She walked away from that scholarship to earn another as a collegiate runner and was a two-time

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 in track and cross country.

Professional career

In 1984, she ran the inaugural women’s Olympic marathon trials where she finished fourth, missing a spot in the Olympic games. In 1985, she won the Boston Marathon in a time of 2:34:06. An American did not win the Boston Marathon again until 2018, 33 years later, when

Desiree Linden Desiree "Des" Nicole Linden (née Davila; born July 26, 1983) is an American long-distance runner. She represented the United States in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics women's marathon. In 2018, she won the Bosto ...

ran to victory. Rainsberger finished first back-to-back in 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 ...

in 1988 (2:29:17) and 1989 (2:28:15), something no American woman has repeated since. She had run in numerous other distance races on the track and road, in the United States and abroad (notably Japan's

Hokkaido Marathon The Hokkaido Marathon held in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, is one of the prominent marathon races of the year. The staging area as well as both the start and finish lines are in Odori Park starting between Nishi 3-chome and Nishi 4-chome and the fi ...

). Rainsberger ended her 12-year career of professional competition after a final attempt to become a professional triathlete and training for the Olympics. She now focuses on her family and coaching. She coaches members of the Army's world class athlete program, and her daughter, Katie Rainsberger, who is a champion in her own right.

Achievements

*1980–84

three sport NCAA All-American (swimming, cross country, track & field); Cross Country Team Captain *1984

Montreal Marathon Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

champion *1985 Boston Marathon champion *1985 USAT&F Runner of the Year *1985 Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, champion 53:30 *1986–89 Crim 10 Mile champion, 52:32 *1988 US Olympic Marathon Team Trials, 4th, Alternate *1988 US Olympic Track & Field Trials 10k, 32:12 *1988, 1989 Chicago Marathon champion, 2:29:12 and 2:28:15 *1989, 1990 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile champion, 52:30 *1989 American Record 15k, 48:28 *1989 USAT&F Runner of the Year *1989 Runner's World Runner of the Year *1991 Bloomsday 12k champion *1990

champion *1990, 1991 Sapporo, Japan Half Marathon champion *1993

Twin Cities Marathon The Twin Cities Marathon (TCM) is an annual 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 a course that win ...

champion *1995, 1996 Kyoto, Japan Half Marathon 2nd place *1996 US Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier *1997 Lawrence Triathlon - 1st *1997 USA Triathlon Nationals - 5th *1997 Mrs. T's Triathlon Pro - 5th

Personal

Lisa's daughter,

Katie Rainsberger Katherine (Katie) Rainsberger (born August 18, 1998) is an American long distance runner from Colorado. Her mother is former distance star Lisa Larsen (Weidenbach) Rainsberger. She was also a swimmer who qualified for the Olympic team trials in ...

, secured the United States' girls' high school 5K cross country record with a time of 16:23.40, set in 2016. It was surpassed in 2018 by

Katelyn Tuohy Katelyn Tuohy (born March 18, 2002) is an American middle- and long-distance runner. She is a four-time NCAA champion ( 3000 meters, 5000 meters outdoor and indoor, and cross country). By the 2019 cross country season, Tuohy had won five Gat ...

.Footsteps: Lisa and Katie , Rainsberger are Colorado’s distance running duo
'' Mile High Sports'', Dan Mohrmann, May 7, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2018.

References

External links