Kerri Gallagher (born May 31, 1989) is an American middle-distance runner who specialises in the 1500-meter run. She began to focus on running full-time in 2012 and consistently improved over the following years, resulting in a third-place finish at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2015. She competed collegiately for Fordham University.
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Born | Arlington, Virginia | May 31, 1989
Sport | |
Sport | Track |
Event(s) | 1500 meters, mile |
College team | Fordham |
Turned pro | 2011 |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best(s) | 800 meters: 2:02.63[1] 1500 meters: 4:03.56[1] |
Updated on August 31, 2015. |
Born to John and Patricia Gallagher, she grew up in New York City, hometown of Belle Harbor, New York and attended Bishop Kearney High School in Brooklyn.[2] From a sporting family, several of her siblings took up running.[3] While at Bishop Kearney, her coach was John Lovett, who was friends with Matt Centrowitz. This friendship eventually resulted in Gallagher's post-college link-up with training partner Lauren Centrowitz.[3]
She went on to enroll at Fordham University, taking a degree in mathematics.[2] She competed for the Fordham Rams collegiate sports team while there and in 2010 won the 800-meter run at the Atlantic 10 Conference championships and was runner-up over 1000 m at the indoor Eastern College Athletic Conference championships. In her final year she was runner-up in the 800 m at the indoor ECAC championships and winner of the Atlantic 10 1500 m. She ended her collegiate career with bests of 2:07.61 minutes for the 800 m a 4:20.25 minutes for the 1500 m.[4] Her 800 m best was a school record and she served as the school's track team captain in 2010 and 2011.[5]
After college, she began working in the finance sector at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney but changed her mind and chose to focus on running full-time, training under coach Matt Centrowitz with the New Balance Pacers Track Club.[6] She worked with Centrowitz as a women's track assistant coach at the American University.[5]
She set her sights on qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics, but failed in that attempt, later saying "I didn't have a great understanding of professional running and what it takes to make an Olympic team."[3] She ended the season as a much improved runner, however, with bests of 2:06.73 and 4:16.07 for the 800 m and 1500 m, and had a win at the Army Ten-Miler.
The following year she improved her bests in all distances from 800 m to 10 miles, including a 1500 m win at the Victoria International Track Classic in 4:09.64 minutes and a course record of 54:56 minutes at the Army Ten-Miler. She competed for the first time at national level and placed fifth in the 1500 m at the 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.[4]
Gallagher made her debut in the IAAF Diamond League at the 2014 adidas Grand Prix in New York, coming eighth with an 800 m best of 2:05.91 minutes. Her improvement over 1500 m stalled, having a best of 4:09.99 minutes that year, but she knocked over twenty seconds off her 3000 meters best with 9:07.39 minutes. She had a third straight win at the Army Ten-Miler.
Her breakthrough into the world elite came at the 2015 Penn Relays, where her 4:34.42 minutes win over the mile run was a world-leading time. Entering the 1500 m at the 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she set a personal record of 4:08.70 minutes in the qualifiers and, in a more tactical final, placed third overall to qualify for her first world championships team. She achieved the qualifying standard with another best of 4:03.56 minutes to win at the Meeting Sport Solidarieta in Lignano – her first win in Europe.[7] She had her first race against the world's elite at the Herculis Diamond League meet in Monaco and placed sixth.[3]
Kerri Gallagher finished runner-up behind Shannon Rowbury at the 2016 NYRR Wanamaker Mile in a personal record 4:26.18 (#7 U.S. woman all-time indoors).[8] In July, Gallagher placed 23rd in the 1500 meters in 4:22.47 at 2016 United States Olympic Trials (track and field).[9]