Shannon Rowbury To Be Coached By Alberto Salazar

The two-time Olympian will be moving to Portland, Oregon.

(c) 2013 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission. 

After ending her 2013 summer season at the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York on Sunday, American Olympian Shannon Rowbury will move to Portland, Ore., where she will be coached by Alberto Salazar under Nike’s Oregon Project program. Previously, Rowbury had been coached by John Cook who told Race Results Weekly two weeks ago that he was retiring.

“I am pleased to announce that I will be coached by Alberto Salazar and join the Nike Oregon Project,” Rowbury said through a statement provided by PACE Sports Management, her management company. “This is an exciting time in my career as I will join the likes of Olympic and World Championships medalists Mo Farah, Galen Rupp and Matthew Centrowitz in one of the world’s top distance running groups. I spoke to Alberto several times over the past few months and feel he is the right person to take me to the next level in my running career and further explore my potential in both the 1500m and 5000m on my road to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.”

RELATED: 5 Lessons Learned From Alberto Salazar

Rowbury, 28, who won the bronze medal at the 2009 IAAF World Championships at 1500m, has made two consecutive Olympic finals. In 2008 she finished seventh in the 1500m, and in 2012 she was sixth, the highest position every by an American women in an Olympic 1500m final. At this summer’s IAAF World Championships, she placed 7th in the 5000m. She has personal bests of 4:00.33 for 1500m, 4:20.34 for the mile, 8:31.38 for 3000m, and 15:00.51 for 5000m. Rowbury dabbles in road racing, and has won the Fifth Avenue Mile twice (2009 & 2010).

Rowbury, who recently announced her engagement to Mexican 1,500m runner Pablo Solares, said that she was grateful to Coach Cook –and the Bay Area Track Club’s Tom Kloos– for helping her reach such a high level in the sport.

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“I would like to thank Coach Cook for everything he has done for me since I graduated from Duke University in 2008,” she said. “He has taught me so much and I will remain close to him. I wish him a happy and stress free retirement/semi-retirement not having to plan my next workout or worry about my weekly mileage.”