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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1962-04-27)April 27, 1962 (age 62) Covina, California | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Stanford Cardinal track and field Stanford Law School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personalbest(s) | 1500 m: 4:03.42 (1992) Mile (Road): 4:16.68 (1990) 2000 m: 5:42.82 3000 m: 8:40.98 (1992) 5000 m:14:59.99 (1989) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Patricia Susan "PattiSue" Plumer (born April 27, 1962) is an American formermiddle-distance andlong-distance runner. She is a two-timeOlympian, finishing 13th in the 3000-m final in1988 inSeoul, before going on to finish 10th in the 1500-m final and fifth in the 3000-m final in1992 in Barcelona.[1] She won the 3000 meters title at the1990 Goodwill Games. Her 5000-m best of 15:00.00 in 1989 is a former American record.
Plumer was born inCovina, California. After spending her youth inNewport Beach, California, she moved with her father toRidgway, Colorado, during junior high school. Her younger sister,Polly Anne Plumer, running in open competition, set the high school mile record at 4:35.24, a mark that lasted for over 30 years. Her senior year, PattiSue took third place in both the mile (5:10A) and the 2-mile (11:20A) at the Colorado State Meet while running forMontrose High School.[2] Next, she went toStanford University, where she won the 1984NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship at 5000 m in 15:39.38, and theNCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships at two-miles in 1983. She is a nine-timeNCAA All-American at Stanford.[3]
Plumer first came to international attention when she won the bronze medal in the 3000 m at the1985 IAAF World Indoor Games. In 1986, she won the inauguralCarlsbad 5000.[4]
Plumer competed in the 3000 m at the1988 Seoul Olympics, finishing 13th in the final.
On July 3, 1989, Plumer broke theAmerican record in the 5000-m race, with 14:59.99 at theDN Galan inStockholm, Sweden,[5][6] the first woman to break one ofMary Decker's sweep of all distance running American records during the 1980s.
In the 3000-m at the1989 IAAF World Cup, she fell, but got up to finish third. She won the 1990Fifth Avenue Mile, setting a course record that stood until 2019, at 4:16.68.[7][8] She won the 3000-m at the1990 Goodwill Games, and won the 5000-m at the1990 IAAF Grand Prix Final.
In 1991, she finished 12th in the 1500-m final at the World Championships. At the1992 Barcelona Olympics, she finished fifth in the final of the 3000-m, before going on to finish 10th in the 1500-m final.
Plumer's successes were interspersed with injuries and setbacks, including a broken leg after being hit by a taxi inYokohama, Japan, several bouts withpneumonia, food poisoning at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and a dog bite at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo.
She has won multipleUSATF national titles at 3000 m (1989, 1992 Olympic Trials)[9] and 5000 m (1990, 1991),[10] and was a three-time runner-up in the 1500-m contest.[11]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing United States | |||||
| 1985 | World Indoor Games | Paris, France | 3rd | 3000 m | 9:12.12 |
| 1986 | Goodwill Games | Moscow, Soviet Union | 5th | 3000 m | 8:46.24 |
| 5th | 5000 m | 15:20.88 | |||
| Grand Prix Final | Rome, Italy | 5th | 5000 m | 15:27.70 | |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 13th | 3000 m | 8:59.17 |
| 1989 | Grand Prix Final | Fontvieille, Monaco | 3rd | 3000 m | 9:04.00 |
| World Cup | Barcelona, Spain | 3rd | 3000 m | 8:54.33 | |
| 1990 | Goodwill Games | Seattle, United States | 3rd | 1500 m | 4:10.72 |
| 1st | 3000 m | 8:51.59 | |||
| Grand Prix Final | Athens, Greece | 1st | 5000 m | 15:14.36 | |
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 12th | 1500 m | 4:06.80 |
| Grand Prix Final | Barcelona, Spain | 9th | One mile | 4:39.?? | |
| 4th | 3000 m | 8:50.54 | |||
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 10th | 1500 m | 4:03.42 |
| 5th | 3000 m | 8:48.29 | |||
She received herJuris Doctor(J.D.) from Stanford Law School and worked as a lawyer for several years. She now coaches cross-country and track atUniversity of California, Santa Barbara, preceded by a position atUniversity of Texas at Austin, a six year position atGunn High School in Palo Alto, California, a stint atStanford, and six years atLos Altos High School (Los Altos, California).[13][14][15][16]
Plumer competed for many years atMt. SAC and captured five titles, winning the 3000 meter event in 1983, 1986 and 1992 and the 5000 meters in 1986 and 1991.
Plumer had a remarkable career which spanned almost 20 years. In the 1500 meters, she ran her lifetime best of 4:03.42 in 1992 and finished 2nd in the Olympic Trials. She went on to make the final in the Olympic Games in Barcelona and finished 10th. She was ranked in the top three in the US at that distance four times, including #1 in 1992. In the 3000 meter event, she captured four #1 US rankings in a row from 1989–1992 and competed in two Olympics at this distance, finishing 13th in 1988 in Seoul and 5th in 1992. She was ranked in the top eight in the US nine times at this distance. And then, in the 5000, she was ranked in the top 10 nationally a total of eight times and captured an NCAA title while at Stanford and two US national titles. She established the American record of 14:59.99 back in 1989. PattiSue is truly one of the greatest American distance runners ever and she is a most deserving and welcome addition to the Mt. SAC Relays Hall of Fame.
Her younger sisterPolly Plumer, who remained in California, set the national high school record in the mile at 4:35.24 in 1982 while running forUniversity High School (Irvine, California). Plumer married Steven Levere, who she met at Stanford, on December 30, 1989. The two have two children together: Jacqueline and Jennifer.
