# Allie Ostrander

Allison "Allie" Ostrander (born December 24, 1996) is an American long-distance runner. She was the NCAA Division I steeplechase champion in 2017, 2018 and 2019, competing for the Boise State University Broncos. In July 2019, Ostrander announced her plans to forgo her final season of NCAA eligibility and begin running professionally.

## Early life and education

Ostrander was born in Kenai, Alaska in 1996, the daughter of Teri and Paul Ostrander. Ostrander graduated from Kenai Central High School in 2015 and matriculated to Boise State University.

## Running career

In high school, Ostrander competed on the basketball team along with running, where she was coached by her mother. Ostrander ran cross country, hurdles, and distance events. She won her first state 4A (large school) championship as a sophomore. In 2013, as a junior, Ostrander finished second to Alexa Efraimson, clocking 10:03.66 in the Arcadia Invitational 3200m in California. In 2014, her senior year, she won the Nike Cross Nationals.
Ostrander competed for the Boise State Broncos at the NCAA Division I level.

### Collegiate
#### 2015

In September 2015, Ostrander won the U20 World Mountain Running Championships in Betws-y-Coed, Wales, UK. Later that month, she finished second in the 6 km Roy Griak Invitational cross country race. On October 16, she won the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational 6 km in 19:19.5. Two weeks later, she won her Mountain West Conference championship, followed in another two weeks by an NCAA Division I West Region victory. On November 21, she finished as the runner up in the 2015 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in 19:33.6.

#### 2016

In January, Ostrander set a personal best in the 5000 m, running 15:21.85 at the University of Washington Invitational. At the Husky Classic in February, she set a new personal best of 8:54.27 for 3000 meters. Later that month, she anchored her Broncos distance medley team to a first-place finish at the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships. In July she finished in 8th place in the 5000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

#### 2017

Ostrander won the Stanford invitational 3000 m steeplechase in 9:55.61. In May, at the Mountain West Championships, she won the 10000 m in a personal best time of 35:51.2. In June, she won the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships steeplechase title, in 9:41.31. In November, Ostrander finished second in the 6 kilometers in the NCAA West Region Championships, with a career best time of 19:16.5. She later finished fourth at the NCAA Championships on November 18.

#### 2018

Running as a redshirt sophomore at the Mountain West Indoor Championships in February, she set a personal best for the mile run in 4:46.06, finished second in the 3,000 meters, and anchored Boise State's winning distance medley relay. On May 10, Ostrander finished less than a second behind Karissa Schweizer in the 2018 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships at 3000 meters, running 8:54.35. On March 29, she won the Stanford Invitational 3000m steeplechase, with a new personal best of 9:38.57. At the Bryan Clay Invitational, she ran a new 1500 m personal best of 4:15.06. At the Mountain West Outdoor Championships, she won the 5000 meters and finished second in the 1500 m. On May 25, Ostrander qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships by winning the 3000 m steeplechase in at the NCAA West Preliminary Championships in Sacramento, California. A day later, she qualified for the 5000 meters, finishing second in her heat in a time of 15:27.46. In a repeat performance at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ostrander won the 3000 m steeplechase. In the 5000 meter race about an hour later, she finished eighth.
On November 9, Ostrander won the NCAA Division I West Region Cross Country Championships, in a personal best of 19:09.0. The Broncos finished second overall, four points behind Oregon. On November 17, along with Anna Rohrer, she led the tightly packed leaders through the first 4 kilometers of the NCAA Championships. She faded slightly toward the end, finishing sixth to Colorado's Dani Jones in 19:56.9. On December 1, she ran a personal best in the 5,000 meters of 15:16.38 at Boston University.

#### 2019

On January 26, Ostrander broke the Boise State school record for the mile at the University of Washington Indoor Meet, running 4:35.79. Her distance medley team also set a school record, where Ostrander was the 1600 meter leg. At the Stanford Invitational on March 29, Ostrander competed in the 10,000m, finishing third in 32.06.7. On May 2, she returned to the steeple at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Stanford, California, to win 0.05 seconds ahead of New Mexico State's Adva Cohen. On June 8, as a redshirt junior, Ostrander repeated her NCAA 3000m steeplechase win, winning in a new personal best of 9:37.73, marking the first-ever woman to win the event three times in a row. On June 30, at the Prefontaine Classic, Ostrander ran a new 3000m steeplechase personal best of 9:31.44.
Ostrander finished her collegiate running career as Boise State's most-decorated student-athlete. She was inducted into the Boise State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.

### Professional
#### 2019–2022

After the 2019 Prefontaine Classic, Ostrander decided to forego her last seasons of collegiate eligibility to go professional. She signed contracts with agent Ray Flynn and with Brooks Running to become a member of the Brooks Beasts Track Club, under Danny Mackey.
On July 28, Ostrander finished fourth in the steeplechase at the 2019 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, in a time of 9:38.52. Because Emma Coburn, who ran 9:25.63, was the defending World Champion from 2017, and consequently was an automatic qualifier to the 2019 World Championships, Ostrander qualified to compete at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.
On September 8, Ostrander competed in New York City's Fifth Avenue Mile, running 4:33.5 to finish 16th. In February 2020, she won the 3000 meters at the Millrose Games, in a personal best of 8:48.94, despite an achilles injury. At the 2019 World Championships, in the 3000m steeplechase, Ostrander ran a new personal best of 9:30.85 in her heat, barely missing the final.
On April 2, 2020, Ostrander received platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy to help accelerate the healing of her torn achilles tendon. She trained at altitude in New Mexico during this time. The same year, Ostrander began a volunteer coaching position with the NCAA DII distance running program at Seattle Pacific University.
In 2021, Ostrander ended her contract with Brooks in order to step away from professional running.

#### 2023-present

In February 2023, Ostrander signed a contract with NNormal. On August 25, 2023, Ostrander was suspended for 4 months by the USADA after testing positive for canrenone, a banned substance that's often used as a masking agent, on March 30, 2023. Ostrander was exposed to the substance through a prescription acne medicine, which she had not obtained a Therapeutic Use Exemption to use. During this year, Ostrander began to be coached by David Roche.
In January 2024, she got 4th at the 2024 USA Cross Country Championships allowing her to compete at the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
Ostrander won the 3000 meter steeplechase at the Portland Track Festival in June 2024, running a new personal best of 9:24.70. A few weeks later, she competed at the US Olympic Trials, finishing 7th in the 3000 meter steeplechase final, setting a new personal best of 9:21.82.
In January 2025, Ostrander announced that she had signed a contract with Oiselle, and would continue to compete in track, road, and trail competitions.
In February 2025, Ostrander competed in a half marathon, finishing in 1:11:10. This time stands as the fastest half marathon by an Alaskan.

## Competitions

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Boise State University ||||||
| 2015 | Wisconsin Adidas Invitational | Madison, Wisconsin | 1st | Cross country running | 19:19.5 |
| 2015 | NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship | Terre Haute, Indiana | 2nd | Cross country running | 19:33.6 |
| 2016 | 2016 United States Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 8th | 5000m | 15:24.74 |
| 2017 | Stanford Invitational | Palo Alto, California | 1st | Steeplechase | 9:55.61 |
| 2017 | NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 1st | Steeplechase | 9:41.31 |
| 2017 | NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 4th | 5000m | 15:38.93 |
| 2017 | NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship | Louisville, Kentucky | 4th | Cross country running | 19:31.3 |
| 2018 | NCAA Women's Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships | College Station, Texas | 2nd | 3000m | 8:54.35 |
| 2018 | Stanford Invitational | Palo Alto, California | 1st | Steeplechase | 9:38.57 |
| 2018 | NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 1st | Steeplechase | 9:39.27 |
| 2018 | NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 8th | 5000m | 15:46.50 |
| 2018 | NCAA Women's Division I West Cross Country Championship | Sacramento, California | 1st | Cross country running | 19:09.0 |
| 2018 | NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship | Madison, Wisconsin | 8th | Cross country running | 19:56.9 |
| 2019 | Stanford Invitational | Palo Alto, California | 3rd | 10,000 metres | 32:06.71 |
| 2019 | Payton Jordan Invitational | Palo Alto, California | 1st | Steeplechase | 9:45.66 |
| 2019 | NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Austin, Texas | 1st | Steeplechase | 9:37.73 |
| 2019 | NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Austin, Texas | 16th | 5000 m | 16:28.19 |
| 2019 | Prefontaine Classic | Palo Alto, California | 13th | Steeplechase | 9:31.44 |
| Representing the United States ||||||
| 2019 | 2019 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 3000 metres steeplechase | Doha, Qatar | 17th | Steeplechase | 9:30.85 |
| 2015 | World Mountain Running Championships U20 | Betws-y-Coed, United Kingdom | 1st | 4.7 km | 19:44 |
| Representing Brooks Beasts Track Club ||||||
| 2019 | USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships | Des Moines, Iowa | 4th | Steeplechase | 9:38.52 |
| 2020 | Millrose games (Indoor) | New York, New York | 1st | 3000 meters | 8:48.04 |
| 2020 | Last Chance Invitational (Indoor) | Boston, Massachusetts | 8th | 5000 meters | 15:19.71 |
| 2021 | 2020 United States Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 8th | Steeplechase | 9:26.96 |
| 2022 | USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 16th | 5000 m | 16:12.03 |
| 2023 | Carlsbad 5000 | Carlsbad, California | 2nd | 5 km | 15:47 |
| Representing NNormal ||||||
| 2024 | USATF Cross Country Championships | Richmond, Virginia | 4th | Cross country running | 33:52.5 |
| 2024 | Portland Track Festival | Portland, Oregon | 1st | Steeplechase | 9:24:70 |
| 2024 | 2024 United States Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 7th | Steeplechase | 9:21.82 |
| 2024 | 2024 USATF 10 km Trail Championships | Bentonville, Arkansas | 2nd | Trail running | 43:18 |

## Honors

* 2016, 2018, 2019 Honda Sports Award Finalist - Cross Country
* NCAA 5000m First-Team All-American
* Boise State Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024
* Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024

## Critique of athletics coverage

In 2018, NCAA commentator Jill Montgomery referred to Ostrander as the "baby-faced assassin", and said she looked like she still played with "Barbie Dolls". Dwight Stones said, "She may look like she was just playing with her 'Barbies,' but she's the reigning National Champ."
In 2019, Ostrander wrote, "This year, the commentators found it necessary to state (incorrectly I might add) my height and weight multiple times. Not only were these comments objectifying and unnecessary, they drew attention away from the real focus of the event. People attend this event and listen to the commentary because they want to see what we're capable of, not what we look like we're capable of. So why do the commentators insist on providing information that has nothing to do with the sport? In a sport where eating disorders and body dysmorphia are so common, the media has an opportunity to help women (and men) feel capable and powerful and worthy, but by focusing on appearance and body proportions, this opportunity is missed."
ESPN subsequently responded with a statement regarding the comments in question, saying: "We greatly appreciate Allie bringing this important conversation to light. Commentary about height & weight was not broadcast on ESPN."

## Personal life

Ostrander has an older sister, Taylor, who was a runner at NCAA Division III Willamette University.
Ostrander frequently competes in the Mount Marathon Race in Seward, Alaska, which she began running in grade school. She won the half-distance, junior version of the race six consecutive times from 2009 to 2014. In 2015, in her first senior race, Ostrander finished under the standing 25-year-old female record, but was beaten by world skyrunning champion Emelie Forsberg. In 2017, Ostrander won with her best time to date, 49:19.
In 2021, Ostrander was hospitalized for treatment of an unspecified eating disorder. She had previously run in the 2021 Olympic Trials, setting a personal best of 9:26.96 for the 3000m steeplechase while finishing in 8th place in the finals.
Her domestic partner is Spencer Brown, a former Brooks Beasts middle-distance runner and host of YouTube channel The Athlete Special.