PattiSue Plumer

Last updated
PattiSue Plumer
PattiSue Plumer.jpg
Personal information
Born (1962-04-27) April 27, 1962 (age 62)
Covina, California
Sport
College team Stanford Cardinal
Stanford Law School
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)1500 m: 4:03.42 (1992)
Mile (Road): 4:16.68 (1990)
2000 m: 5:42.82
3000 m: 8:40.98 (1992)
5000 m:14:59.99 (1989)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Indoor Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1985 Paris 3000 m
Goodwill Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1990 Seattle 3000 m
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1990 Seattle 1500 m
Grand Prix Final
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1990 Athens 5000 m
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1989 Fontvieille 3000 m

Patricia Susan "PattiSue" Plumer (born April 27, 1962) is an American former middle-distance and long-distance runner. She is a two-time Olympian, finishing 13th in the 3000-m final in 1988 in Seoul, before going on to finish 10th in the 1500-m final and fifth in the 3000-m final in 1992 in Barcelona. [1] She won the 3000 meters title at the 1990 Goodwill Games. Her 5000-m best of 15:00.00 in 1989 is a former American record.

Contents

Early life

Plumer was born in Covina, California. After spending her youth in Newport Beach, California, she moved with her father to Ridgway, Colorado, during junior high school. Her younger sister, Polly Anne Plumer, running in open competition, set the high school mile record at 4:35.24, a mark that lasted for over 30 years. Her senior year, PattiSue took third place in both the mile (5:10A) and the 2-mile (11:20A) at the Colorado State Meet while running for Montrose High School. [2] Next, she went to Stanford University, where she won the 1984 NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship at 5000 m in 15:39.38, and the NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships at two-miles in 1983. She is a nine-time NCAA All-American at Stanford. [3]

Career

Plumer first came to international attention when she won the bronze medal in the 3000 m at the 1985 IAAF World Indoor Games. In 1986, she won the inaugural Carlsbad 5000. [4]

Plumer competed in the 3000 m at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, finishing 13th in the final.

On July 3, 1989, Plumer broke the American record in the 5000-m race, with 14:59.99 at the DN Galan in Stockholm, Sweden, [5] [6] the first woman to break one of Mary Decker's sweep of all distance running American records during the 1980s.

In the 3000-m at the 1989 IAAF World Cup, she fell, but got up to finish third. She won the 1990 Fifth Avenue Mile, setting a course record that stood until 2019, at 4:16.68. [7] [8] She won the 3000-m at the 1990 Goodwill Games, and won the 5000-m at the 1990 IAAF Grand Prix Final.

In 1991, she finished 12th in the 1500-m final at the World Championships. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, she finished fifth in the final of the 3000-m, before going on to finish 10th in the 1500-m final.

Plumer's successes were interspersed with injuries and setbacks, including a broken leg after being hit by a taxi in Yokohama, Japan, several bouts with pneumonia, food poisoning at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and a dog bite at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo.

USA National Championships

She has won multiple USATF national titles at 3000 m (1989, 1992 Olympic Trials) [9] and 5000 m (1990, 1991), [10] and was a three-time runner-up in the 1500-m contest. [11]

International competitions

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
1985 World Indoor Games Paris, France3rd3000 m9:12.12
1986 Goodwill Games Moscow, Soviet Union5th3000 m8:46.24
5th5000 m15:20.88
Grand Prix Final Rome, Italy5th5000 m15:27.70
1988 Olympic Games Seoul, South Korea13th3000 m 8:59.17
1989 Grand Prix Final Fontvieille, Monaco 3rd3000 m9:04.00
World Cup Barcelona, Spain3rd3000 m8:54.33
1990 Goodwill Games Seattle, United States3rd1500 m4:10.72
1st3000 m8:51.59
Grand Prix Final Athens, Greece1st5000 m15:14.36
1991 World Championships Tokyo, Japan12th1500 m4:06.80
Grand Prix Final Barcelona, Spain9thOne mile4:39.??
4th3000 m8:50.54
1992 Olympic Games Barcelona, Spain10th1500 m 4:03.42
5th3000 m 8:48.29

[12]

Post running career

She received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Stanford Law School and worked as a lawyer for several years. She now coaches cross-country and track at University of Texas at Austin , and previously coached for six years at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California, a stint at Stanford, and six years at Los Altos High School (Los Altos, California). [13] [14] [15] [16]

Mt SAC Hall of Fame

Plumer competed for many years at Mt. SAC and captured five titles, winning the 3000 meter event in 1983, 1986 and 1992 and the 5000 meters in 1986 and 1991.

Plumer had a remarkable career which spanned almost 20 years. In the 1500 meters, she ran her lifetime best of 4:03.42 in 1992 and finished 2nd in the Olympic Trials. She went on to make the final in the Olympic Games in Barcelona and finished 10th. She was ranked in the top three in the US at that distance four times, including #1 in 1992. In the 3000 meter event, she captured four #1 US rankings in a row from 1989–1992 and competed in two Olympics at this distance, finishing 13th in 1988 in Seoul and 5th in 1992. She was ranked in the top eight in the US nine times at this distance. And then, in the 5000, she was ranked in the top 10 nationally a total of eight times and captured an NCAA title while at Stanford and two US national titles. She established the American record of 14:59.99 back in 1989. PattiSue is truly one of the greatest American distance runners ever and she is a most deserving and welcome addition to the Mt. SAC Relays Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Her younger sister Polly Plumer, who remained in California, set the national high school record in the mile at 4:35.24 in 1982 while running for University High School (Irvine, California). Plumer married Steven Levere, who she met at Stanford, on December 30, 1989. The two have two children together: Jacqueline and Jennifer.

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References

  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "PattiSue Plumer". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
  2. LUDOVISE, BARBIE (2 August 1989). "MAKING HER NAME : PattiSue Plumer Escapes Shadow of Sister, Ends Loneliness of Long-Distance Runner" via LA Times.
  3. "PattiSue Plumer Profile - GoStanford.com". Archived from the original on 2014-03-02. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
  4. Carlsbad 5 km. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2010-12-18.
  5. MAKING HER NAME : PattiSue Plumer Escapes Shadow of Sister, Ends Loneliness of Long-Distance Runner LA Times (August 02, 1989)
  6. All-Time Best World 5000 meters IAAF
  7. Turner, Chris (2005-09-22). Fifth Avenue Mile races back into the headlines. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-27.
  8. "RRW: Jenny Simpson, Nick Willis Continue Winning Ways at New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile". 8 September 2019.
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  10. "USATF - Statistics - USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions". Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  11. "1990 Goodwill Games Medalists". Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
  12. 1997 profile for PattiSue Plumer USATF
  13. "Catching up with Gunn HS senior, Sarah Robinson..." www.crosscountryexpress.com.
  14. Writer/peteb@latc.com, Pete Borello - Staff. "Robinson returns to running". losaltosonline.com.
  15. "COLORADO RUNNING HALL OF FAME - PattiSue Plumer". 31 January 2013.
  16. "PATTISUE PLUMER TITLE Associate Head Coach (women's)". Stanford Cardinal .