Katie Izzo

Last updated
Katie Izzo
Personal information
Born (1996-12-22) 22 December 1996 (age 28)
Sport
Sport Athletics
Event(s)
Long distance running, Cross country running

Katie Izzo (born 22 December 1996) is an American middle- and long-distance, and cross country runner. She represented the United States at the 2023 and 2024 World Cross Country Championships. [1]

Contents

Early life

Izzo attended Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson, Arizona before moving with her family to Seal Beach, California, for her senior year of high school where she attended Los Alamitos High School. [2]

NCAA

Izzo first ran at the collegiate level for California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She missed considerable racing time after she suffered a broken tibia and fibula whilst competing in the 2016 NCAA West Regionals in Sacramento, and resultant recovery included the insertion of a titanium rod inside her tibia bone. She returned to have a top three finish at the 2018 Big West Conference Cross Country Championships. [3]

Izzo transferred to the University of Arkansas for a recreation and sports management master’s degree and was part of the Arkansas women's cross country team that won the 2019 NCAA Division I cross country championships in Terre Haute, Indiana, placing third in the women’s individual race. [2] [4] In December 2019, Izzo ran the 5000 metres in 15:13.09 in Boston, Massachusetts, recording the second-fastst indoor time in collegiate history, less than a second from Emily Sisson's collegiate record. [2]

Professional career

In February 2023, Izzo competed for the United States at the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, placing 31st overall. [5] On the road she won her first half-marathon at the Monumental Half in Indianapolis in 2023, and she set personal best times on the track that year in the 1500m, 3000m and 10,000m. [6]

In December 2023, she won the Trofeo Ibercaja Zaragoza Gran Premio de Aragon in Spain, part of the 2023–24 World Athletics Cross Country Tour. [7] Izzo ran for the United States at the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia in March 2024 as part of the mixed team relay. [8] [9] [10] In June, she placed 13th at the 2024 US Olympic Trials in the 10,000 metres. [5]

In December 2025, she finished runner-up to Weini Kelati in the 10km race at the 2025 USA Cross Country Championships to gain automatic selection for the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee. [11]

References

  1. "Katie Izzo". World Athletics. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Sully, Kevin (16 January 2020). "Katie Izzo's Improbable March Into The NCAA Record Books". Flo Track. Retrieved 7 Dec 2025.
  3. Truong, Brian (November 8, 2018). "Get to know Cross Country senior runners Katie Izzo and Peter Cotsirilos". Mustang News. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  4. "Looking back at Arkansas' historic 2019 XC season". secsports.com. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  5. 1 2 Johnson, Weldon (December 6, 2025). "Weini Kelati dominates USA XC as Katie Izzo and Edna Kurgat round out the podium". Lets Run. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  6. Smith, Dominique (November 21, 2023). "KATIE IZZO FINDS THE FUN IN THE SPORT THAT SHE LOVES". fanhubtf.com. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  7. "Trofeo Ibercaja Zaragoza Gran Premio de Aragon". World Athletics. 23 Dec 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  8. "Bronze for gritty Brits in Belgrade". European Athletics. 30 March 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  9. "World Athletics Cross Country Championships 2024: Great Britain win mixed relay bronze in Belgrade". BBC Sport. 30 March 2024. Retrieved 7 Dec 2025.
  10. Mull, Cory (30 March 2024). "How Did The U.S. Teams Fare At The World XC Championships In Belgrade?". flotrack. Retrieved 7 Dec 2025.
  11. "Kelati Frezghi and Wolfe take US cross-country titles in Portland". World Athletics. 7 Dec 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.