Alexi Pappas


Alexi Pappas or Alexia Pappa is a Greek-American long distance athlete, filmmaker, actor, and writer. As a long distance runner, Alexi has been most successful in the 10km, but has also been a National Collegiate Athletic Association All-American at indoor 3,000 metres, 5,000 metres, and the steeplechase as well as the Ivy League champion in the steeplechase. In the 2016 Summer Olympics Women's 10km, Pappas represented Greece and set a national Greek record. As a filmmaker, Alexi directed, co-wrote and starred in Tracktown.

Early life and education

Pappas was born on 28 March 1990, to a Greek-American father who has roots from Rhodes and an American mother, and grew up in Alameda, California. Her mother committed suicide when Alexi was four years old, an experience that she has said impacted her in major ways. She has a brother who is 4 years older.
As a sophomore at Oakland's Bishop O'Dowd High School, Alexi placed fourth in the Division III girl's race at the California Interscholastic Federation State Cross Country Championships on 26 November 2005. She covered the 5K course in 18 minutes, 19 seconds leading the girls' team to place 13th at the 2005 CIF D3 State meet. She was a soccer midfielder at Bishop O'Dowd '08, where she went by the name Lexi Pappas.
Pappas graduated with a Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude in creative writing and English at Dartmouth College in 2012.
She is married to her long-term partner and film-making collaborator, Jeremy Teicher.

Athletic career

NCAA

Pappas is a Dartmouth '12 who was a two-time NCAA all-American and one of nine finalists for the 2012 NCAA Woman of the Year award. She also won the 2012 season's Ivy League title in the steeplechase and qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene.
Pappas is an Oregon master grad '13 where she earned three NCAA all-American awards. Alexi finished eighth individually at the 2012 NCAA Championships with a time of 19:43.9 helping the team win the national title.

2016 Olympics

Pappas became a Greek citizen on 8 January 2016 and represented Greece at the Olympic Games 2016 at 10,000 metres. She set a national record at 10,000 metres on 1 May with 31:46:83 and again 12 August at the 2016 Olympics in 31:36.16 to place 17th, behind the world record, in a race with the masters world record and six other national records. She smashed the previous record, which had been in place since 2002.

Track and road running

medalist Caroline Chepkoech, Buze Diriba and Alexi Pappas earned top three podium spots at 2016 Silicon Valley Turkey trot in 15:18 15:42 and 15:44 respectively on Thanksgiving morning.

Personal bests

Her personal best times are: 1500 metres 4:14:08, 3000 metres 9:05:12, 5000 metres 15:28:38, and 10000 metres 31:36:16 at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, and marathon 2:34:26.

Honours

Filmmaking

Pappas is a writer, actor, and producer, known for Tall as the Baobab Tree, Speed Goggles, Tracktown, and Olympic Dreams.