Luke Puskedra
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | United States |
Born | Ogden, Utah | February 8, 1990
Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Weight | 167 lb (76 kg) |
Sport | |
Country | |
Event(s) | marathon, half marathon, 10,000 meters, 5000 meters |
College team | Oregon Ducks |
Club | Oregon Track Club |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal bests |
|
Luke Puskedra (born February 8, 1990) is an American long-distance runner who competes over distances ranging from 10,000 meters to the marathon.
He grew up in Ogden, Utah and attended Judge Memorial Catholic High School before studying business administration at the University of Oregon. He competed for the Oregon Ducks track and field and cross country teams, earned 12 NCAA Division I All-American awards and was a 10,000 meter finalist at the NCAA level four years running from 2009 to 2012.[1]
In 2015 Puskedra won the Vancouver Sun Run.[2]
Running career
[edit]High school
[edit]Puskedra graduated from Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2008. He was an eight-time state champion in high school winning Utah state track championships in the 1600 meters and 3200 meters as a sophomore, junior and senior and winning the state cross country championships as a junior and senior.[3] He set all-classifications records his senior year in track at 3200 meters (8:54.40) and 1,600 meters (4:09.40) and cross country (14:54.60).[4][5] He was also the first Utah high school runner to break 9:00 in the 3200 meters. He was the 2007 Nike Cross Southwest Regional champion winning the race in 14:48 breaking the meet record. He went on to place fifth at the 2007 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships.[6] He ran the fastest high school indoor mile time in the country (4:08.77) in 2008 at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games. On March 16, 2008, at the Nike Indoor Nationals Puskedra ran the sixth fastest high school indoor two mile time in U.S. history winning the race in a time of 8:49.58.[7][8][9][10] In 2008 as a senior he placed second in both the mile (4:06.60) and two mile (8:47.06) at the Nike Outdoor National meet.[11] He placed tenth in the two mile at the 2008 Prefontaine Classic in a time of 8:46.41.[12] As a junior he finished fourth in the Penn Relays high school boys mile in 4:25.11. Puskedra was a three-time Utah Boys Gatorade Athlete of the Year recipient (2006–07 and 2007–08 in track and 2007 in cross country).[13][14] He was the 2007-08 Salt Lake Tribune Athlete of Year (all sports) and a USA Today All-American at one and two miles.
High school bests:[15]
- 800 m - 1:58.37
- Mile - 4:06.60
- 1600 m - 4:09.29
- Two mile - 8:46.41
- 3200 m - 8:54.40
Collegiate
[edit]Puskedra was recruited to University of Oregon where coach Andy Powell[16] had him specialize in various long distances spanning from the 3 km to 10 km. He placed fourth overall in the men's 10,000 meter final at the 2012 NCAA DI Outdoor T&F Championships.
Post-collegiate
[edit]After graduating from Oregon, Puskedra signed a professional contract with Nike and joined the Nike Oregon Project. There he was coached by Alberto Salazar, and the training regimen was very similar to the college program as Salazar was largely influential in Powell's training philosophy at the University of Oregon.[16]
However, at the end of 2014, his contract with Nike expired, and Puskedra did not anticipate continuing a professional career in running. He moved with his wife to South Africa and gained 23 pounds from his race weight in the course of a month.[17] In spite of the time elapsed from his graduation, college coach Andy Powell remained in contact with Puskedra and gradually convinced him to return to running.[17]
Puskedra and his wife returned to the United States, where he trained briefly for a marathon debut at the 2014 New York City Marathon. In his marathon debut, he ran 2:28:54, but given his half marathon personal record it was widely seen as a disappointing result.[17] Although discouraged by his experience in New York City, he proceeded to train for the 2015 Grandma's Marathon, where he ran a significantly faster result of 2:15:27.[17]
After 2016 US Olympic Marathon Trials, Puskedra switched from Nike to ASICS following Team Hall's apparels unification. But he later reverted to Nike, due to connect with Evan Jager and Sam Crouser.
In January 2018, Luke Puskedra joined the Oregon Track Club.
Shortly after the 2019 Aramco Houston Half marathon, Luke Puskedra's Oregon Track Club contract becomes expired. Soon, Luke Puskedra retired from competitive running and turn into real estate. For 2019 season, Luke Puskedra won't run at the 2019 Faxon Law New Haven Road Race 20k. Instead, Jim Walmsley will run the 2019 Faxon Law New Haven Road Race 20k.
Competition record
[edit]Marathon
[edit]Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the | ||||
2014 | New York Marathon | New York, New York | 36th | 2:28:54[18] |
2015 | Grandma's Marathon | Duluth, Minnesota | 6th | 2:15:27[19] |
Chicago Marathon | Chicago, Illinois | 5th | 2:10:24[20] | |
2016 | US Olympic Trials Marathon | Los Angeles, California | 4th | 2:14:12 |
Chicago Marathon | Chicago, Illinois | 19th | 2:20:18 | |
2017 | Boston Marathon | Boston, Massachusetts | 9th | 2:14:45 |
Chicago Marathon | Chicago, Illinois | 20th | 2:17:53 |
Half marathon
[edit]Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the | ||||
2012 | Houston Half Marathon | Houston, Texas | 4th | 1:01:36[21] |
World Half Marathon Championships | Kavarna, Bulgaria | 17th | 1:02:46[22] | |
2015 | Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon | Portland, Oregon | 1st | 1:05:10[23] |
2016 | Houston Half Marathon | Houston, Texas | 4th | 1:01:29[24] |
2018 | Houston Half Marathon | Houston, Texas | 34th | 1:03:40 |
USA National Championships
[edit]Road
[edit]Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | USA 20 km Championships | New Haven, Connecticut | 2nd | 20 km | 58:48[25] |
2014 | USA Half Marathon Championships | Houston, Texas | 6th | half marathon | 1:01:48[26] |
USA 20 km Championships | New Haven, Connecticut | 3rd | 20 km | 1:01:32[27] | |
2015 | USA 15 km Championships | Jacksonville, Florida | 18th | 15 km | 46:25[28] |
USA 20 km Championships | New Haven, Connecticut | 4th | 20 km | 59:30[29] | |
2016 | US Olympic Trials | Los Angeles, California | 4th | marathon | 2:14:12[30] |
2018 | USA 20 km Championships | New Haven, Connecticut | 14th | 20 km | 1:03:31 |
Track and field
[edit]Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | U.S. Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 8th | 10,000 m | 27:56.62[31] |
2013 | USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Des Moines, Iowa | 9th | 10,000 m | 29:27.28[32] |
NCAA championships
[edit]Outdoor track and field
[edit]Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Oregon | |||||
2009 | NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Fayetteville, Arkansas | 11th | 10,000 m | 29:20.18[33] |
2010 | NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 14th | 10,000 m | 29:27.13[34] |
2011 | NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Des Moines, Iowa | 6th | 10,000 m | 28:33.47[35] |
2012 | NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Des Moines, Iowa | 4th | 10,000 m | 28:24.24[36] |
Indoor track and field
[edit]Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Oregon | |||||
2009 | NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships | College Station, Texas | 6th | 5000 m | 13:50.82 |
2010 | NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships | Fayetteville, Arkansas | 9th | 5000 m | 13.57.98 |
14th | 3000 m | 8:22.47 | |||
2011 | NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships | College Station, Texas | 14th | 5000 m | 14:02.26 |
Cross country
[edit]Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Oregon | |||||
2008 | NCAA Cross Country Championships | Terre Haute, Indiana | 5th | 29.27.8[37] | |
2009 | NCAA Cross Country Championships | Terre Haute, Indiana | 21st | 30:01.9[38] | |
2010 | NCAA Cross Country Championships | Terre Haute, Indiana | 3rd | 29.38.0[39] | |
2011 | NCAA Cross Country Championships | Terre Haute, Indiana | 6th | 29:09.3[40] |
Personal bests
[edit]Surface | Event | Time | Date | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
Outdoor track | 1500 m | 3:53.79 | March 21, 2009 | Eugene, Oregon |
Mile | 4:06.60 | June 18, 2008 | Greensboro, North Carolina | |
3000 m | 7:59.33 | May 3, 2013 | Eugene, Oregon | |
2 miles | 8:46.41 | June 8, 2008 | Eugene, Oregon | |
5000 m | 13:31.88 | May 17, 2013 | Los Angeles, California | |
10,000 m | 27:56:62 | June 22, 2012 | Eugene, Oregon | |
Indoor track | Mile | 4:08.77 | January 26, 2008 | Boston, Massachusetts |
3000 m | 8:00.69 | January 30, 2010 | College Station, Texas | |
2 mile | 8:07.41 | January 25, 2014 | Landover, Maryland | |
5000 m | 13:50.82 | March 13, 2009 | College Station, Texas | |
Road | 10 km | 28:53 | April 19, 2015 | Vancouver, British Columbia |
12 km | 35:47 | May 3, 2015 | Spokane, Washington | |
15 km | 46:25 | March 15, 2015 | Jacksonville, Florida | |
20 km | 58:48 | September 3, 2012 | New Haven, Connecticut | |
Half marathon | 1:01:29 | January 17, 2016 | Houston, Texas | |
Marathon | 2:10:24 | October 11, 2015 | Chicago, Illinois |
References
[edit]- ^ Luke Puskedra Oregon Ducks profile. Oregon Ducks. Retrieved on 2015-10-16.
- ^ [1] Gary Kingston. Vancouver Sun: "They're Tough": Vancouver Winner Worried About Kenyan Runners. April 20, 2015.
- ^ High school boys track: Track stars run to glory Judge's Luke Puskedra dominates in distances. Retrieved on November 2, 2015
- ^ 2008 Utah Boys State Track and Field Results. Retrieved on November 1, 2015
- ^ Utah State Cross Country Championships results. Retrieved on November 2, 2015
- ^ 2007 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships results. Retrieved on November 2, 2015
- ^ King of the Mountain: An Interview with Utah's Luke Puskedra. Retrieved on November 2, 2015
- ^ 2008 Nike Indoor Nationals results. Retrieved on November 2, 2015
- ^ Luke Puskedra Going for High School Two Mile Record. Retrieved on November 2, 1015
- ^ Boys' Track Top Performers. Retrieved on November 2, 2015
- ^ 2008 Nike Outdoor Nationals results. Retrieved November 2, 2015
- ^ 2008 Prefontaine Classic two mile results. Retrieved on November 2, 2015
- ^ Utah Boys' Track Athlete of the Year. Retrieved on November 1, 2015
- ^ Judge's Puskedra Earns National Award. Retrieved on November 1, 2015
- ^ Luke Puskedra Athletic profile. Retrieved on November 2, 2015
- ^ a b Scott Douglas (February 1, 2013). "Luke Puskedra Joins Nike Oregon Project". Retrieved November 15, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Peter Gambaccini (October 7, 2015). "After Briefly Quitting Running, Former Oregon Project Member Heads to Chicago Marathon". Retrieved November 15, 2015.
- ^ 2014 New York City Marathon men's overall results. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ 2015 Grandma's Marathon men's overall results. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ 2015 Chicago Marathon men's overall results. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ 2012 Houston Half Marathon msn's overall results. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ www.usatf.org http://www.usatf.org/News/Team-USA-men-fourth,-women-fifth-at-IAAF-World-Hal.aspx?feed=news. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help)[title missing] - ^ 2015 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon results. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ On Final Day of Qualifying, Houston and Arizona Swell Olympic Trials Ranks. Retrieved on January 10, 2018
- ^ 2012 USA 20K Championships. Retrieved on October 17, 2015
- ^ 2014 USA Half Marathon Championships results. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ 2014 USA 20K Championships results. Retrieved on October 17, 2015
- ^ 2015 USA 15 km Championships results. Retrieved on October 17, 2015
- ^ 2015 USA 20K Championships results. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ 2016 US Olympic Team Trials - Marathon results Archived 2016-02-16 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on February 14, 2016
- ^ 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials results. Retrieved on October 15, 2016
- ^ 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships results. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships results. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships results. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships results. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships results. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/33-archive/319-ncaa-xc-2008-men Archived 2015-06-01 at the Wayback Machine. Track and Field News. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/33-archive/320-ncaa-xc-2009-men. Track and Field. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/33-archive/487-ncaa-xc-2010-men. Track and Field News. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
- ^ http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/26-news/948-ncaa-xc-2011-men-indiana. Track and Field News. Retrieved on October 16, 2015