Background
After spending her youth in Newport Beach, California she moved with her father to Ridgway, Colorado during junior high school.
After spending her youth in Newport Beach, California she moved with her father to Ridgway, Colorado during junior high school.
University
She ran first in 1988 in Seoul, South of Korea where she finished 13th in the now defunct 3000 meters.
In 1992 in Barcelona, Spain she ran in two events, the 1500 meters, finishing 10th and the 3000 meters finishing 5th. |Puerto Rico"s:
1500: 4:03.42
Mile: 4:24.90
2000: 5:42.82
3000: 8:40.98
5000: 15:00.00
On July 3, 1989 she set the American record in the 5000 meters at 14:59.99 minutes at DN Galan in Stockholm, Sweden, the first woman to beat one of Mary Decker"s sweep of all distance running American records during the 1980s. Her senior year, she 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.
She is a nine-time National Collegiate Athletic Association All-American at University.
Championships
3000M
1989: 9:00.05
1992: 8:40.98
5000M
1990: 15:45.67
1991: 16:24.72
Goodwill Games:
1500M
3rd: 4:10.72
3000M
1st: 8:51.59
IAAF Grand Prix:
3000M
1989: 9:04.00 (3rd)
5000M
1990: 15:14.36 (1st)
5000M
1984: 15:39.38
Her 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, pregnancy and a dog bite at the 1991 in Athletics. Post Running She received her Juris Doctor (Juris Doctor) from Law School and worked as a lawyer for several years.
She now coaches cross-country and track at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California. PattiSue competed for many years at Mountain.
SAC and captured five titles, winning the 3000 meter event in 1983, 1986 and 1992 and the 5000 meters in 1986 and 1991.
PattiSue 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 take the final in the Olympic Games in Barcelona and finished 10th.
She was ranked in the top three in the United States at that distance four times, including #1 in 1992.
In the 3000 meter event, she captured four #1 United States rankings in a row from 1989 - 1992 and competed in two Olympics at this distance, finishing 13th in 1988 in Seol and 5th in 1992. She was ranked in the top eight in the United States 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 National Collegiate Athletic Association title while at and two United States national titles. She established the American record of 15:00.00 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 Mountain.
SAC Relays Hall of Fame. Her younger sister Polly Plumer, who remained in California, set the still standing national high school record in the mile at 4:35.24 in 1982 while running for University High School (Irvine, California).
She won the 1990 Fifth Avenue Mile, setting a course record which remains unbeaten. Next she went to University, where she won the 1984 National Collegiate Athletic Association Women"s Outdoor Track and Field Championship at 5000 meters and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Women"s Indoor Track and Field Championships at two-miles in 1983. She has won multiple USATF national titles at 3000 meters (1989, 1992 Olympic Trials) and 5000 meters (1990, 1991), and was a three-time runner-up in the 1500 meters. She won a gold medal in the 3000 meters and a bronze medal in the 1500 meters at the 1990 Goodwill Games. United States. Outdoor Champion: National Collegiate Athletic Association Outdoor Champion: She won the inaugural edition of the Carlsbad 5000 in 1986.
