Birthday: 09/19/84 Mile PR: 4:19.2 (road) - 2008
Metric Mile (1500m) PR: 3:56.29 - 2015 (former U.S. record)
High School: Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory HS '02 (CA)
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
College: Duke University '06
Current Residence: San Francisco, CA
Personal Website: shannonrowbury.com
Shannon Rowbury ran 2:56:45 at the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon, her debut.
In 2019, Shannon won the 2019 USA 5K title at the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K in New York City, clocking 15:43.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she placed fourth in the 1500 meters, breaking the beam in 4:11.05, right behind teammate and bronze medalist Jenny Simpson. Shannon was 1500m runner-up at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in 4:05.39 to earn her third Olympic team berth. At the 2016 World Indoor Championships in Portland, OR, Shannon earned the 3000m bronze medal, recording a time of 8:55.55. Also in 2016, she defended her Camel City Elite Mellow Mile title in 2016, clocking 4:26.01, and later in February, she also defended her NYRR Wanamaker Mile title in an unchallenged 4:24.39 at the Armory in New York City.
To cap her 2016 season, Rowbury set the U.S. 5000 meter record in 14:38.92 at the AG Insurance Memorial Van Damme in Brussels (since broken).
At the Herculis meet in Monaco on July 17, 2015, she broke the nearly 32-year-old U.S. women's 1500 meter record by Mary Slaney, clocking 3:56.29 (since broken and currently #5 U.S. all-time). Also in 2015, Shannon won the Camel City Mile in 4:22.66, also a North Carolina state record, and the performance made the U.S. Olympian the 5th fastest woman ever indoors at the time.
Two weeks later, Rowbury captured the Wanamaker Mile crown at the 108th NYRR Millrose Games, clocking an unchallenged 4:24.32. At the 2015 USA Indoor Championships in Boston, the Duke grad earned her first indoor national Mile title with an unchallenged win in 4:34.40.
At the 2015 World Relays in the Bahamas on May 2, Shannon anchored the women's Team USA Distance Medley Relay to a world record shattering 10:36.50 (1200m, 400m, 800m and 1600m).
At the 2014 NIKE Prefontaine Classic, Rowbury set the U.S. 2 Mile outdoor record with her 9:20.25 clocking (bettered by Jenny Simpson in April 2018).
She was the 1500m runner-up at the 2012 Olympic Trials to make her second U.S. Olympic team, and at the London 2012 Olympics, Shannon won the bronze medal, 3rd (4:11.26), the first U.S. female to win an Olympic 1500m medal.
At the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin, she won the 1500m bronze medal. The 2008 Beijing Olympian was also a finalist at 1500 meters (7th place, 4:03.58) after winning the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Rowbury is also a 5-time USA champion, including the 1500m title at the 2009 USA Outdoor Championships, the 2009 USA Road Mile title and a 2008 USA Indoor title at 3000 meters. The six-time NCAA All-American for Duke University was the 2008 NCAA Indoor Mile champion.
The two-time Fifth Avenue Mile champion (2009-10) has a track Mile PR of 4:20.34 from 2008. Did you know? That time is the fastest debut sub-4:30 Mile by a U.S. woman!
Shannon and her husband Pablo Solares welcomed their first child, Sienna Rosaleen Solares-Rowbury, born on June 30, 2018, and on March 29, 2022, their second child, son, Sebastian.
FUN FACT: Shannon is a former competitive Irish dancer
FUN FACT II: She is also the first American woman, since Mary Slaney, to have held the U.S. 1500m and 5000m records simultaneously.
FUN FACT III: Her husband Pablo Solares is an artist and also a sub-4 minute Miler (together, they are the second fastest married couple by Mile PR (4:20.34 + 3:54.52 = 8:14.86 or a 4:07.43 average).
“Three Olympic teams is already above and beyond. A fourth is like a cherry on top. I want to make that team because I think I can and I’ve worked for it.”
By Jeff Hollobaugh, Track & Field News
“As soon as she came into the world, running would never come first.” So Shannon Rowbury describes...
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"I really love the 1500 but if I can be fit enough to sustain the rounds of a 5K, then you know, I think I could also be a contender there..."
By Sieg Lindstrom, Track & Field News
The 1500 may no longer be her primary event—although that decision’s not etched in stone—but any discussion of...
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"I hope I can race well and show that even though I’m 35 and even though I have a child, my ability as an athlete hasn’t diminished and I deserve to have a contract, have an opportunity to toe the line at nationals, hopefully make that Olympic team and go after a medal.”
By Ken Goe | The...
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“I feel confident in the journey that I’ve taken... to see if I can make my fourth Olympic team because I definitely have my work cut out for me with that task alone.”
By Sarah Lorge Butler, Runner's World
Shannon Rowbury has fought her way back into racing shape after the birth of her...
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"It's fun to be involved with building something. I like being able to get in on the ground floor and craft and create a legacy."
From University of San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO — One of the greatest American female distance runners of all time is joining the University of San Francisco men's...
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"You can't change the past but you can try to affect a better future..."
By Cathal Dennehy, RunBlogRun
Half a second - it's about the time it takes for an eye to blink, or for Steph Curry, the fastest shooter in the NBA, to release a jump shot. It's also the length of time by which Shannon...
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Signature event at 110th NYRR Millrose Games from The Armory’s New Balance Track & Field Center includes nine Olympians with live broadcast on NBC
NEW YORK — Three-time Olympian Shannon Rowbury will go for her third straight title in the NYRR Wanamaker Mile, while Olympic bronze medalist...
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Top 10 talented track tandems span over a 30-plus year period
By Bring Back the Mile
The recent marriage of top Mile athletes Aisha Praught & Will Leer prompted BBTM to compile a list of the fastest married couples in the Mile. Sitting at the top of the talented tandems are three-time U.S....
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The world record holder was overtaken with 200 meters to go by this year’s fastest woman. Americans Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury finished 3rd and 4th respectively.
By Scott Douglas, Runner's World
In the first real upset in a middle-distance or distance final of these Games, Kenya’s...
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Women's 1500m top 3 strongest in U.S. Olympic team history; Blankenship, Andrews and Martinez celebrate first Olympic berths; Centrowitz breaks Steve Scott's Olympic Trials meet record.
By Chris Chavez, Sports Illustrated
Less than half a second separated the third and fourth place finishers...
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Centrowitz wins first international 1500m gold, Hill & Rowbury earn 3000m silver & bronze in front of sellout crowd in Portland.
By Ben DeJarnette, Runner's World
The American distance crew capped its impressive weekend with four more medals at the IAAF World Indoor Championships on Sunday,...
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“You’re never going to achieve any goals if you don’t put yourself out there.”
By Ken Belson, New York Times
The Wanamaker Mile is always the fitting finale of the Millrose Games, the country’s premier indoor track meet, and this year’s showdown between Matthew Centrowitz, the reigning...
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Shannon Rowbury also to defend NYRR Wanamaker Mile title against star-studded women’s field
From NYRR
The NYRR Wanamaker Mile at the 109th NYRR Millrose Games will feature a riveting rematch between defending champion Matthew Centrowitz, of Portland OR, and 2015 runner-up and the fastest...
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North Carolina state record for Centrowitz; Rowbury defends; world-leading times for both champions; Bring Back the Mile Grand Prix Tour 2016 kicks off at JDL Fast Track
By David Monico, Bring Back the Mile
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – With 2,500-plus rabid fans in attendance at the JDL Fast Track...
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I’m really, really proud of what I’ve accomplished. I’m so fortunate to have had such a successful year.
From Spikes powered by IAAF
Over the last seven years Shannon Rowbury has been one of the USA's most consistent middle distance performers. In 2015 she proved herself as one of the best...
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“I know it motivates me to perform better and I would imagine it does the same for her.” – Rowbury on her rivalry with fellow ace American Miler Jenny Simpson
By Alex Mills, Athletics Weekly
With less than a year to go until Rio 2016, the women’s 1500m is set to be one of the stand-out...
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I have this meal the night before a race, but also pretty regularly. It's my go-to favorite. I had it in Portland before leaving for Asia.
By Kelly O'Mara, espnW
Two-time U.S. Olympian Shannon Rowbury, the U.S. record holder in the 1500 meters, knows exactly what she likes to eat. So much so...
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"It's tit-for-tat, so you're not making a lot of decisions. When they go, I go. When they slow down, I slow down. Finally, you're preparing for when you're going to strike. It's empowering to determine when to strike. It's a much more predatory position than leading a race and having to fend...
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One is a former world champion, the other the American record holder.
By Peter Gambaccini, Runner's World
The United States could take home two of the three medals in the women’s 1500 meters at the IAAF World Championships, which begin August 22 in Beijing. Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury...
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"Seeing how much my fitness has progressed gives me the confidence that I have the ability to race with the best in the world. That’s what it will take to get on the medal podium."
By Christopher Chavez, Sports Illustrated
On July 17, at the Monaco Diamond League meet, Shannon Rowbury of the...
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Rivalries aside, the 2015 World Championships and 2016 Rio Olympics will be a thrill for fans of American middle distances.
By Meg Bellino, FloTrack
By now you’ve already seen or heard about Shannon Rowbury’s 1500m American record. If you didn’t, it came during a race where Ethiopia’s Genzebe...
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Genzebe Dibaba runs a World Record time of 3:50.07; Rowbury takes third, clocking 3:56.29.
From USA Track & Field
Olympian Shannon Rowbury (Portland, OR) etched her name in the history books Friday, breaking Mary Decker Slaney's long-standing American record in the Herculis Monaco meeting...
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The two-time Olympian and USA champion is a proud, fourth-generation San Franciscan who says she can’t imagine living anywhere else.
By C.W. Nevius, The San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco is a city full of celebrities that no one recognizes. Or maybe it takes an insider to pick up on who...
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Nike Oregon Project teammates take distance titles on meet's final day.
By David Monti for Runner's World
Nike Oregon Project teammates Matthew Centrowitz and Shannon Rowbury won the distance races and Casimir Loxsom broke the American 600-meter record on Sunday, the final day of the USA...
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Lagat shatters Masters (40 & older) Mile world record; near record 10 men go sub-4 indoors at 108th NYRR Millrose Games
By Jim Gerweck, Mile wire
NEW YORK – The Mile is generally considered to be the perfect race in the track & field canon because of its near-perfect symmetry. Four laps of...
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Bring Back the Mile Grand Prix Tour 2015 opens with a bang, bang at first stop; five men also go sub-4
By David Monico, Bring Back the Mile
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – With the lights turned low, the music loud, an energetic crowd and ready-to-race athletes, the 3rd Camel City Elite Miles at the...
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U.S. Olympian likely to challenge North Carolina state Mile record at first stop on Bring Back the Mile Grand Prix Tour 2015
By Eddie Wooten, News & Record
If two-time Olympian Shannon Rowbury makes the 2016 U.S. track & field team headed for Rio de Janeiro, then her performances last year...
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I have some time before I have to make a decision on which distance to race in the Olympics and I will watch and see how the competition pans out as we get closer.
By Christopher Kelsall, AthleticsIllustrated.com
Shannon Rowbury is one of America’s best middle-distance runners. She has...
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Two-time NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile champion gets engaged, new coach, ready for Sunday's event
By Barbara Huebner, Marathon News Service
This has been a big week for Shannon Rowbury, and it’s far from over.
On Tuesday, while Rowbury was in Golden Gate Park doing the last hard workout of her...
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“I would like to thank Coach Cook for everything he has done for me."
By Peter Gambaccini, Runner's World
Shannon Rowbury, the 2009 World Championships 1500 meter bronze medalist who has been a finalist in two Olympic 1500s, will join Coach Alberto Salazar and the Nike Oregon Project after...
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Two-time Olympian at 1500 meters is in the Prefontaine Classic 5000.
By Peter Gambaccini, Runner's World
Shannon Rowbury, two-time Olympic 1500 meter finalist and bronze medalist in the 1500 at the 2009 World Championships, may be in an unfamiliar position at 3:22pm Central Time on Sunday,...
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By Scott Bush, Runnerspace
For the past six years, Shannon Rowbury has defined herself in the sport as a one of the most consistent elite 1500m runners, exceling at running rounds and running incredibly smart tactics. Her top level fitness and race smarts have led to three U.S. outdoor 1500m...
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Two-time Olympians Manzano, Rowbury headline field; $30,000 national championship prize purse
By Lance Bergeson, Des Moines Register
The elite fields for the 2013 USA Men's and Women's 1 Mile Road Championships on Tuesday, April 23 in Des Moines will feature an Olympic silver medalist.
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Although Rowbury lives in San Francisco, you may spot her during or after training around Berkeley.
By Hal Lifson, Berkeley Patch
San Francisco is home to the fastest female 1500-meter runner in the U.S. Shannon Rowbury, but Berkeley is where she logs a lot of her toughest Miles.
The 1500...
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By David Woods, Indystar
LONDON -- Morgan Uceny of Plymouth, Ind., and world champion Jenny Simpson today both advanced to semifinals of the women's 1500 meters at the Olympic Games.
Top six from each of three heats, plus the next six times, qualified for Wednesday's semifinals...
...The...
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“I feel like I can get better as the rounds progress because I’m able to recover quickly and bounce back.”
By David Monti, (c) 2012 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
TEDDINGTON, England – (July 24, 2012) – The three rounds of the 1500m at the Olympic Games makes that event a...
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By Alexis Terrazas, San Francisco Examine
Andy Chan first witnessed it 14 years ago, and has seen it hundreds of times since.
It’s the simple sight of his former student, Shannon Rowbury, jumping up and down two to three times before each and every race. But four years ago at the Beijing...
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By Luke Cyphers, ESPN.com
EUGENE, Ore. -- Fans of U.S. women's track, meet depth.
At the 2008 Beijing Games, the Americans didn't get near the podium in the 1,500 meters or the long jump. But on the final day of the Olympic trials Sunday, the U.S. picked squads in the two events that could...
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By David Woods, The Register-Guard
Since the Olympic Games introduced the 1,500 meters for women in 1972, the race has been dominated by Eastern Europeans and Africans. No American has ever won a medal.
Not Mary Decker Slaney. Not Suzy Favor Hamilton. Not Ruth Wysocki. Not Francie Larrieu....
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Bring Back the Mile’s podcast series, 4 Minutes with a Miler, speaks to U.S. Olympian and #2 Miler on the U.S. list with a 4:20.34, Shannon Rowbury. Shannon, a Bay Area native and Duke University grad was a founding member of the Bay Area Track Club and is coached by John Cook. The interview is...
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