Anne Marie Letko

Anne Marie Letko (married name Lauck; born March 7, 1969 in Rochester, New York) is an American long-distance runner who competed in the Summer Olympics in 1996 (10th place in marathon) and 2000 (5000m).

Anne Marie Letko is the daughter of Jim and Sandy Letko.[1] She started running at the age of 14 when she accompanied her father on jogs around the block.[2] Letko claims that she became hooked on running after winner her age division in the Hampton Classic 7-miler.[2] Lynne Lauck, her future mother-in-law, was the overall female winner in the same race.[2] In high school, Letko finished 18th at the 1986 Kinney Cross Country Championships.[3] She was two-time New Jersey State Champion in the indoor 3200 meter run[4] and her mark of 10:39.6 was a state record from 1986 to 2001.[5]

In 1991, Letko won the 10,000 metres at the World University Games in Sheffield, England in what was a personal best for her at the time of 32:26.87.[6] Her 31:37.26 at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany was the fourth fastest 10,000 by an American woman.[7] In 1994, Letko won USA 15K Championships at the newly named Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Florida.[8][9]

Dehydration forced Letko to drop out of her debut marathon - the New York City Marathon - in 1993.[10] She returned the following year, coached by for two-time NYC marathon champion Tom Fleming, to finish third with a time of 2:30:19.[7][11] Letko qualified for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia with a third-place finish of 2:31:18 at the United States Olympic women's marathon trials the preceding February in Columbia, South Carolina.[12] She was the top American woman in Atlanta finishing in 10th place with a time of 2:31:30.[13]

Letko won Spokane, Washington's Lilac Bloomsday Run in 1993, Atlanta's historic Peachtree Road Race in 1994,[7] and has competed in San Francisco's Bay to Breakers multiple times, finishing third in 1994,[14] second in 1996,[15] and third in 1998.[11] She is the last American to win the Crim 10 mile race in Flint, Michigan (1994).[16][17]

A native of Glen Gardner, New Jersey,[18] Letko graduated from North Hunterdon High School in Clinton Township in 1987.[19] In 1992, she earned a B.A. in English from Rutgers University.[14][20] She competed under the name Anne Marie Lauck after she married Jim Lauck in 1995.[14] Jim Lauck later became a chiropractor.[11] She was previously coached by Alberto Salazar.[11]

Achievements
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing the  United States
1991 Universiade Sheffield, United Kingdom 1st 10,000 m 32:36.87
World Championships Tokyo, Japan — 10,000 m DNF
1992 World Cup Havana, Cuba 5th 10,000 m 34:14.18
1993 World Championships Stuttgart, Germany 8th 10,000 m 31:37.36
1995 World Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 14th 10,000 m 32:22.54
1996 Olympic Games Atlanta, United States 10th Marathon 2:31:30
2000 Olympic Games Sydney, Australia 32nd (h) 5000 m 15:47.78

References
  1. "Lauck Realizes Olympic Dream". New York: NYDailyNews.com. August 2, 1996. Archived from the original on March 17, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  2. Kislevitz, Gail Waesche (2003). The Spirit of the Marathon: What to Expect in Your First Marathon and How to Run Them for the Rest of Your Life. Breakaway Books. pp. 205–211. ISBN 1-891369-36-9. Retrieved August 31, 2009. anne marie letko parents.
  3. "1986 National Finals". nj.com/The Star-Ledger. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  4. "Tough Choice Ahead For Thompson". nj.com/Hunterdon County Democrat. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  5. "Ledger Archives: Donohue tops 14-year-old record". nj.com/The Star-Ledger. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  6. "Result Plus". The New York Times. July 23, 1991. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  7. Longman, Jere (November 1, 1994). "Letko Hopes Patience Will Pay Off; A Torrid Start in '93 Marathon, but Nothing Left for a Finish". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  8. "Keflezighi to Defend USA 15K Title at Gate River Run. De Reuck Headlines Women's Field; "Equalizer Bonus" Offered". CoolRunning.com. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  9. "River Run 15 km". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  10. "NEW YORK CITY MARATHON; For Pippig, Running Is the Best Medicine". The New York Times. November 15, 1993. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  11. "Her Lauck Is Changing". New York: NYDailyNews.com. October 28, 1998. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  12. Longman, Jere (February 11, 1996). "MARATHON;A New Face Emerges In Marathon". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  13. http://marathoninfo.free.fr/jo/atlanta1996.htm
  14. "Special Olympians Compete At North Hunterdon". SFGate.com. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  15. "Bay to Breakers 12 km". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  16. "Crim Road Race 10 mile". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  17. "Crim Festival of Races will be American women's 10-mile road race championship this year". mlive.com. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  18. Staff. "NEW YORK CITY MARATHON; U.S. Women Make Changes", The New York Times, November 6, 1994. Accessed July 20, 2011. "Two leading American runners, Kim Jones, 36, of Spokane, Wash., and Anne Marie Letko, 25, of Glen Gardner, N.J., said they have learned how to overcome the problems that knocked them out of last year's New York City Marathon, Jones by running with a medicated atomizer to combat her chronic asthma and Letko by controlling her pace and drinking plenty of water to avoid dehydration."
  19. "Special Olympians Compete At North Hunterdon". NJ.com/Hunterdon County Democrat. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  20. "Anne Marie Letko". International Association of Healthcare Practitioners. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
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