| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1966-05-01)May 1, 1966 (age 59) Manhasset, New York, United States | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Mark J. Coogan (born May 1, 1966) is an American coach and retiredAmerican trackathlete.
He attendedBishop Feehan High School inAttleboro, Massachusetts, and theUniversity of Maryland, College Park.
Coogan was coached at the University of Maryland by Charles Florence Torpey, who headed the Men's and Women's running teams atLa Salle University until his untimely death. While in college, Coogan specialized in thesteeplechase. Coogan was the first Massachusetts native to run the mile in under four minutes.[1][failed verification] In March 1995, at the Pan-American Games (Mar del Plata, Argentina), Coogan earned the silver medal in the Marathon, in a time of 2:15:21. He ran themarathon at the1996 Summer Olympics inAtlanta, placing 41st with a time of 2:20:27,[2] after placing second in the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon with at time of 2:13:05 (his lifetime best). He also placed third in the U.S. 2000 Olympic Trials Marathon with a time of 2:17:04, but did not compete in the2000 Sydney Olympics because he did not achieve the Olympic "A" standard qualifying time. He retired from competitive running in 2004.[3]
He has served as head coach of several cross country teams, including atPhillips Exeter Academy andTufts University, and coached the distance runners atMIT for three years. Coogan served as theDartmouth College women's cross country head coach after serving as an assistant for one season, and the assistant coach for the track programs as the primary coach of the distance runners.[4]
In 2014, he began working forNew Balance inBoston, Massachusetts in sports marketing as well becoming the coach ofTeam New Balance Boston with athletes such asAbbey D'Agostino whom he coached to 7 NCAA Championships atDartmouth College.
In June 2021, Mark successfully coached American New Balance sponsored distance runnersElle Purrier St. Pierre of Vermont andHeather MacLean of Massachusetts in the 1,500 meters at the Olympic Trials at Haywood Field in Eugene, Oregon. Both women will represent the USA at the Paris Olympics.
Coogan has three children, two daughters, Katrina Coogan, a professional runner for New Balance Boston, and Margaret Coogan, who runs at George Washington University, and a son, William Coogan, who runs at UNC-Chapel Hill.
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the United States | ||||
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 41st | Marathon |
| 1995 | Pan Am Games | Mar del Plata, Argentina | 2nd | Marathon |
