PattiSue Plumer

Last updated
PattiSue Plumer
PattiSue Plumer.jpg
Personal information
Born (1962-04-27) April 27, 1962 (age 61)
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.svg  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.svg  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.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Decker</span> American middle-distance runner

Mary Teresa Slaney is a retired American middle-distance runner. During her career, she won gold medals in the 1500 meters and 3000 meters at the 1983 World Championships and was the world-record holder in the mile, 5000 meters and 10,000 meters. In total, she set 17 official and unofficial world records, and she was the first woman to break 4:20 for the mile. She also set 36 U.S. national records at distances ranging from 800 meters to 10,000 meters, and has held the U.S. record in the mile, 2000 meters and 3000 meters since the early 1980s, while her 1500 meters record stood for 32 years. In 2003, she was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Lagat</span> Kenyan-American runner

Bernard Kipchirchir Lagat is a Kenyan-American middle and long-distance runner.

Katie McGregor is an American runner who participates in track, cross country and the marathon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Hasay</span> American long-distance runner

Jordan Melissa Hasay is an American distance runner. She grew up in Arroyo Grande, California, and attended Mission College Preparatory High School in San Luis Obispo. She was unanimously selected 2008 Girls High School Athlete of the Year by the voting panel at Track and Field News. In March 2009, she became the ninth high school athlete and third woman on the cover of Track and Field News magazine. She attended the University of Oregon, where she studied business administration and competed on the cross country and track and field teams earning 18 All-American honors, 2011 Mile and 3,000 meters NCAA titles. Her father was a high school basketball star in Pennsylvania, and her mother was a national level swimmer in her native England. Jordan Hasay is no longer coached by Alberto Salazar due to his suspension.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shannon Rowbury</span> American middle-distance runner

Shannon Solares-Rowbury is an American middle-distance runner from San Francisco, California. After competing collegiately for Duke University, she turned professional in 2007. Rowbury has represented the United States at the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympics. She also represented the United States at the World Championships in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017, winning the bronze medal in the 1500 meters in 2009. In 2015, Rowbury helped set the world record with the U.S. team for the distance medley relay event, and set a then-American record for 1500 meters on July 17, 2015, breaking Mary Slaney's 32 year-old mark with a time of 3:56.29.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenny Simpson</span> American middle-distance runner and steeplechaser

Jennifer Simpson is an American middle- and long-distance runner, formerly a steeplechaser. She won the gold medal in the 1500 meters at the 2011 World Championships, silvers at the 2013 and 2017 World Championships, and a bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in the event.

Polly Anne Plumer is an American track and field athlete who set the National High School record holder in the Mile run at 4:35.24, in open competition at UCLA May 16, 1982 while a student at University High School. That distance is no longer run in high school competition since the NFHS converted to metric distances in 1980, but it is still an international record event. Her record lasted over 30 years until it was surpassed on January 26, 2013 by Mary Cain, indoors, running 4:32.78 at the New Balance Games. Cain later improved her own mark to 4:28.25, also indoors at the Millrose Games. Because Cain's marks were set on an indoor track, which is generally considered to be more difficult, they were not recognized by Track and Field News the ratifier of high school records in non-NFHS sanctioned events, so Plumer retains the record as published. Christine Babcock, born 8 years and 3 days after Plumer's record, running for Woodbridge High School, also in Irvine, took the record in the more commonly run but shorter 1600 meters to an equitable 4:33.82 in 2008. Babcock's record was improved to 4:33.29 in 2014 by Alexa Efraimson.

Lauren Fleshman is an American runner, coach, author, and retired professional track and field athlete. She was the U.S. 5000 meters champion in 2006 and 2010, and competed at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in 2003, 2005, and 2011. In the 5000 meter final of the 2011 IAAF World Championships she finished in 7th place, equalling what was at the time the highest ever finish by an American woman in that event.

Anne Rochelle Steely Ramirez, née Anne Rochelle Steely, is a former long-distance runner who competed internationally for the United States. She specialized in the 3,000 meters on the track and later competed in road running events.

Sara Elizabeth Slattery is an American middle- and long-distance runner who mainly competes in track races. Slattery has represented the United States at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships at both junior and senior level.

Annette Sergent is a French former long-distance runner. She represented her country three times at the Summer Olympics, but it was in cross country running that she had her greatest success. She became the first Frenchwoman to win a world title in the sport at the 1987 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and won for a second time in 1989. In addition to these victories, she made eleven appearances at the competition and placed third in both 1986 and 1988.

Mary Cecilia Cain is an American professional middle distance runner from Bronxville, New York. Cain was the 2014 World Junior Champion in the 3000 meter event. She is the youngest American athlete ever to represent the United States at a track and field World Championships meet after competing in the 2013 World Championships in Athletics in Moscow aged 17 years and 3 months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley Higginson</span>

Ashley Higginson is an American middle-distance runner who has made the U.S. team for the 2013 World Championships in Athletics in the 3000 meter steeplechase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbey Cooper</span> American runner

Abbey Cooper is an American middle- and long-distance runner. Cooper is the most decorated Ivy League athlete in track and field and cross country running. She is the first Dartmouth female distance runner to win an NCAA title. She won a total of seven NCAA titles in her career. In 2014, she became a professional runner for New Balance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Fisher</span> Canadian-born American distance runner

Grant Fisher is a Canadian-born American professional middle- and long-distance runner. He placed fifth in the 10,000 meters at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Fisher holds North American records in the 3000 meters, 5000 m and 10,000 m, all set in 2022.

Emily Infeld is an American long-distance runner. She regularly competes in the 5000 m and 10,000 m distances during her professional career; in her college career she regularly competed in the 4 × 800 meter relay and 1500 m on up to 5000 m.

Joan Nesbit Mabe is an American former long-distance runner who competed mainly in distances from 3000 meters to 10,000 meters. Her highest honour was a bronze medal in the 3000 m at the 1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships. She represented her country at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and appeared four times at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Terrence Paul Brahm is an American former long-distance runner. He was the bronze medalist in the 3000 meters at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 1987 and represented the United States in the 5000 meters at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He was the 1986 NCAA champion in that event for the Indiana Hoosiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelby Houlihan</span> American middle distance runner (born 1993)

Shelby Houlihan is an American middle distance runner, Olympian and World Record holder in the 4x1500m relay who is currently serving a ban. Houlihan competed in the 5000m final at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, finishing 11th. She is a 12-time US National Champion winning seven indoor and five outdoor titles in middle-distance events. While at Arizona State University she won the 2014 NCAA 1500m championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katie Mackey</span> American middle-distance runner (born 1987)

Katherine "Katie" Follett is an American middle-distance runner. She placed 8th at 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 3000 metres.

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.
  9. "USATF - Statistics - USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions". Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
  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 .