Amy Yoder Begley (née Yoder; born January 11, 1978) is an American running coach and former middle and long-distance runner. Yoder Begley was a national champion at three different distances (3k indoor, 10k road, 15k road) and competed in the 10,000 meter event at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

in Beijing.

High school career

Yoder Begley attended East Noble High School in Kendallville, Indiana. She was a four-time state champion (one cross country and three 3200 meter titles) and held the 3200 meter state record from 1996 until 2011 when it was broken by Culver Academy's Waverly Neer.

Collegiate career

Yoder Begley graduated from the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

in 2001. She was a two-time

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

champion and a 15-time All-American. She was 2000 SEC Female Athlete of the Year, and in 2016 she was selected to the Southeastern Conference 2016 Class of Women's Legends representing Arkansas. She won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top female cross country runner in 2000.

Professional career

Yoder Begley was a Nike Oregon Project athlete from 2007 to 2011. She trained with Galen Rupp, Kara Goucher, Adam Goucher, and Josh Rohatinsky under coach Alberto Salazar, who was later banned for life. Yoder Begley placed third in the 10,000 meters at the 2008

USA Track & Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is a 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 and 1 ...

Olympic Trials in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...

, setting a new personal record of 31:43.60 and qualifying for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She placed 26th in the final of the 10,000 meters at the Olympics. Yoder Begley finished first in the 10,000 meter event at the 2009 USA Track & Field Championship on June 25, 2009, in Eugene, Oregon. This qualified her to compete in the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics held in Berlin. She finished in sixth place and set a new personal record with a time of 31:13.78. In 2013, she became the women's cross country coach and women's

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

assistant coach at the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

. In December 2014 she was hired as the first full-time coach in the 50-year history of the Atlanta Track Club. Among her responsibilities are creating training programs for the club's 21,000 members and training two athletes for the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

. The club announced they were separating from Yoder Begley and her husband in 2023. In 2019, Yoder Begley made substantiated allegations against Alberto Salazar for abuse pertaining to her body and ultimately kicking her off the team for her weight. She also alleged that Salazar made her sign a contract saying she wouldn't become friends with any of her teammates at the Nike Oregon Project. Yoder Begley was hired by USATF in 2023 as the director of long distance running programs. She founded and mentors the Heartland Athletics Club, coached by Andrew Begley and Bianca Martin with athletes Allie Wilson, Emma Grace Hurley, and Gemma Finch.

Highlights

* 15-Time NCAA All-American in Cross Country and Track * 2-Time NCAA National Champion in Track * 2000 USA Olympic Trials Qualifier *2000 Honda Sports Award winner for cross country * 2001 Avon National 10k Champion * 2002 United States Team Member - Beijing Ekiden * 2002 RRCA Road Scholar Grant Recipient * 2002 Avon Global Championships Runner-up * 2004 USA Olympic Trials Qualifier * 2004 USATF 10k Road National Champion * 2008 US Olympic Team, 10k * 2009 USATF Indoor 3k champion * 2009 USA 15k Championship - 1st Place * 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships 10k, 1st place. Set personal and track record with a time of 31:22.69 *

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15 to 23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenbu ...

10k, 6th place.

Personal life

In 2006, Yoder Begley was diagnosed with

Celiac Disease Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine. Patients develop intolerance to gluten, which is present in foods such as wheat, rye, spel ...

. She married her husband Andrew Begley in 2000; Begley is also a running coach and partner of Yoder Begley with the Heartland Athletics Club. In 2020, Yoder Begley announced she and her husband had a commitment ceremony with their mutual partner of three years, Stephanie Reynolds Begley.

References

External links

Website of Amy Yoder Begley
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yoder Begley, Amy Living people 1978 births American female middle-distance runners American female long-distance runners Arkansas Razorbacks women's track and field athletes Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics People from LaGrange County, Indiana People from Kendallville, Indiana Track and field athletes from Indiana Track and field athletes from Atlanta USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners LGBTQ track and field athletes NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships winners Southeastern Conference Athlete of the Year winners 21st-century American sportswomen