Craig Leon is an American distance runner who represented the United States in the men"s marathon at the 2015 Pan American Games.
Education
Leon first participated in competitive running at Van Wert High School. At the 2002 OHSAA Boys" Division II state cross country championships, Leon placed 11th overall in the 5K in 16:31. In his senior year cross country season, his best result in the 5K was 16:03.
He graduated from Van Wert in 2003.
Career
High school Collegiate Ohio coach Mitch Bentley had told Leon, "You want to walk on? Sure, go ahead". At the 2007 Hillsdale Relays, Leon ran the men"s 10,000 meters in 30:06.54. Post-collegiate After college, Leon took a brief hiatus from high-volume training for a period of two years until he began training for the marathon in 2009.
He then qualified for the United States Olympic Trials after running the marathon at the 2010 United States of America Marathon Championships in 2:18:29.
The following year, he moved to Eugene, Oregon, where he joined Team Run Eugene and signed a professional contract with Mizuno. During the summer of 2015, he earned his first call-up to the United States" distance roster for the 2015 Pan American Games, where he finished in 5th place overall in the men"s marathon.