Luke Puskedra Explained

Luke Puskedra
Nationality:United States
Residence:Eugene, Oregon
Event:marathon, half marathon, 10,000 meters, 5000 meters
Club:Oregon Track Club
Birth Date:8 February 1990
Birth Place:Ogden, Utah
Height:6inchesft4inchesin (ftin)
Weight:167lb
Collegeteam:Oregon Ducks

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

High school

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]

Collegiate

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

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

Marathon

Representing the
2014New York MarathonNew York, New York36th2:28:54[18]
2015Grandma's MarathonDuluth, Minnesota6th2:15:27[19]
Chicago MarathonChicago, Illinois5th2:10:24[20]
2016US Olympic Trials MarathonLos Angeles, California4th2:14:12
Chicago MarathonChicago, Illinois19th2:20:18
2017Boston MarathonBoston, Massachusetts9th2:14:45
Chicago MarathonChicago, Illinois20th2:17:53

Half marathon

Representing the
2012Houston Half MarathonHouston, Texas4th1:01:36[21]
World Half Marathon Championships17th1:02:46[22]
2015Rock 'n' Roll Half MarathonPortland, Oregonbgcolor=gold1st1:05:10[23]
2016Houston Half MarathonHouston, Texas4th1:01:29[24]
2018Houston Half MarathonHouston, Texas34th1:03:40

USA National Championships

Road

2012USA 20 km Championshipsbgcolor=silver2nd20 km58:48[25]
2014USA Half Marathon ChampionshipsHouston, Texas6thhalf marathon1:01:48[26]
USA 20 km Championships New Haven, Connecticut3rd20 km1:01:32[27]
2015USA 15 km ChampionshipsJacksonville, Florida18th15 km46:25[28]
USA 20 km ChampionshipsNew Haven, Connecticut4th20 km59:30[29]
2016US Olympic Trials Los Angeles, California4thmarathon2:14:12[30]
2018USA 20 km Championships New Haven, Connecticut14th20 km1:03:31

Track and field

2012U.S. Olympic TrialsEugene, Oregon8th10,000 m27:56.62[31]
2013USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsDes Moines, Iowa9th10,000 m29:27.28[32]

NCAA championships

Outdoor track and field

Representing Oregon
2009NCAA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsFayetteville, Arkansas11th10,000 m29:20.18[33]
2010Eugene, Oregon14th10,000 m29:27.13[34]
2011Des Moines, Iowa6th10,000 m28:33.47[35]
2012NCAA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsDes Moines, Iowa4th10,000 m28:24.24[36]

Indoor track and field

Representing Oregon
2009NCAA Indoor Track and Field ChampionshipsCollege Station, Texas6th5000 m13:50.82
2010Fayetteville, Arkansas9th5000 m13.57.98
14th3000 m8:22.47
2011NCAA Indoor Track and Field ChampionshipsCollege Station, Texas14th5000 m14:02.26

Cross country

Representing Oregon
2008NCAA Cross Country ChampionshipsTerre Haute, Indiana5th29.27.8[37]
2009NCAA Cross Country ChampionshipsTerre Haute, Indiana21st30:01.9[38]
2010NCAA Cross Country ChampionshipsTerre Haute, Indiana3rd29.38.0[39]
2011NCAA Cross Country ChampionshipsTerre Haute, Indiana6th29:09.3[40]

Personal bests

SurfaceEventTimeDateLocation
Outdoor track1500 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 trackMile 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
Road10 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

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=1554572 Luke Puskedra Oregon Ducks profile
  2. https://vancouversun.com/They+tough+Vancouver+winner+Luke+Puskedra+worried+about+Kenyan+runners/10985446/story.html?__lsa=c8b3-6c07
  3. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700227086/High-school-boys-track-Track-stars-run-to-glory.html?pg=all High school boys track: Track stars run to glory Judge's Luke Puskedra dominates in distances.
  4. http://www.byutrack.com/various/Special/Meet_Info/HS-Results/2008%20State%20Results.htm 2008 Utah Boys State Track and Field Results
  5. http://ut.milesplit.com/articles/31162/utah-state-championship-records Utah State Cross Country Championships results
  6. http://footlockercc.com/2007/ 2007 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships results
  7. http://www.milesplit.com/articles/17597/king-of-the-mountain-an-interview-with-utahs-luke-puskedra King of the Mountain: An Interview with Utah's Luke Puskedra
  8. http://www.runnerspace.com/news.php?news_id=9565 2008 Nike Indoor Nationals results
  9. http://preclassic.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=120&do=news&news_id=2549 Luke Puskedra Going for High School Two Mile Record
  10. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/preps/track/2008-top-boys-track.htm Boys' Track Top Performers
  11. http://www.nationalscholastic.org/nbon/result/877 2008 Nike Outdoor Nationals results
  12. http://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?title_id=143&event_id=120&do=title&pg=1&folder_id=190&page_id=304 2008 Prefontaine Classic two mile results
  13. https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=3541628 Utah Boys' Track Athlete of the Year
  14. http://archive.sltrib.com/printfriendly.php?id=7943888&itype=ngpsid Judge's Puskedra Earns National Award
  15. http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/Athlete.aspx?AID=71869 Luke Puskedra Athletic profile
  16. Web site: Luke Puskedra Joins Nike Oregon Project. Scott Douglas. February 1, 2013. November 15, 2015.
  17. Web site: After Briefly Quitting Running, Former Oregon Project Member Heads to Chicago Marathon. Peter Gambaccini. October 7, 2015. November 15, 2015.
  18. http://www.tcsnycmarathon.org/about-the-race/results/overall-men 2014 New York City Marathon men's overall results
  19. http://www.mtecresults.com/race/show/3106/2015_Grandma%2527s_Marathon-Marathon 2015 Grandma's Marathon men's overall results
  20. http://results.chicagomarathon.com/2015/?pid=list 2015 Chicago Marathon men's overall results
  21. http://results.houstonmarathon.com/2012/?pid=list 2012 Houston Half Marathon msn's overall results
  22. Web site: http://www.usatf.org/News/Team-USA-men-fourth,-women-fifth-at-IAAF-World-Hal.aspx?feed=news . www.usatf.org . October 15, 2016.
  23. http://running.competitor.com/rnrresults?eId=53&eiId=238&seidv=844 2015 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon results
  24. https://www.runnersworld.com/olympic-trials/on-final-day-of-qualifying-houston-and-arizona-swell-olympic-trials-ranks On Final Day of Qualifying, Houston and Arizona Swell Olympic Trials Ranks
  25. http://www.newhavenroadrace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/NH12-20k-overall.txt 2012 USA 20K Championships
  26. http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2014/USA-Half-Marathon-Championships/Results.aspx 2014 USA Half Marathon Championships results
  27. http://www.jbsports.com/wp-content/uploads/RESULTS-20K-overall.txt 2014 USA 20K Championships results
  28. http://www.gate-riverrun.com/grr15overallres.htm 2015 USA 15 km Championships results
  29. http://usatf-20km-championships.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=2518&year=2015&do=info 2015 USA 20K Championships results
  30. http://www.usatf.org/usatf/files/47/47be9a85-8981-4fa3-8e7c-9060ee563fd3.pdf 2016 US Olympic Team Trials - Marathon results
  31. http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2012/U-S--Olympic-Team-Trials-TF/Results.aspx 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials results
  32. http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2013/USATFCS/Events/USA-Outdoor-Track---Field-Championships/Results---Full.aspx 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships results
  33. http://www.flashresults.com/2009_Meets/outdoor/NCAA/ 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships results
  34. http://www.flashresults.com/2010_Meets/outdoor/NCAA/ 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships results
  35. https://www.tfrrs.org/results/22067_1392960.html 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships results
  36. https://www.tfrrs.org/results/26566_1670247.html 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships results
  37. http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/33-archive/319-ncaa-xc-2008-men . Track and Field News. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
  38. http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/33-archive/320-ncaa-xc-2009-men. Track and Field. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
  39. http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/33-archive/487-ncaa-xc-2010-men. Track and Field News. Retrieved on October 16, 2015
  40. http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/index.php/archivemenu/26-news/948-ncaa-xc-2011-men-indiana. Track and Field News. Retrieved on October 16, 2015