INDIANAPOLIS - Colleen De Reuck has been named the 2009 Masters
Athlete of the Year by USA Track & Field's Masters Committee. De
Reuck will be honored on Saturday, December 5, at the Jesse Owens
Awards and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held at the Hyatt Regency
Hotel in Indianapolis, Ind. The event is held in conjunction with USA
Track & Field's 2009 Annual Meeting.
At 45 years old, Colleen De Reuck is the oldest woman ever to win a major U.S. championship, having won the 2009 U.S. 20 km Championships by a margin of 17 seconds. De Reuck took control before the halfway point of the race to win the women's crown in 1 hour 07 minutes 21 seconds.
At the Boston Marathon this year, not only was De Reuck in contention throughout the entire race, she took the lead on three separate occasions. She was crowned the masters winner and finished an astounding eighth overall, covering the course in 2:37:57.
De Reuck's other top performances in 2009 includes finishing second overall in the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon in 2:32:37. The race also played host to the USA Masters Marathon Championships, which saw De Reuck win the W45 age group, and the USA Women's Marathon Championships, in which she finished as the runner-up. De Reuck also won the masters division at the Falmouth Road Race and finished fifth overall.
"It is great that master runners get recognized for their achievements," said Colleen. It is an honor to receive this award, I am very excited and thrilled."
"The most astounding thing about Colleen is that she is a four-time Olympian and she has continued running," said USATF Masters Long Distance Running Committee Chair Don Lein. "Most of our Olympians do not compete as masters, but she has continued on, showing her love for the sport and her love for running. She continues to have outstanding performances which is why we are honoring her."
