Amy Yoder Begley


Amy Yoder Begley is an American middle and long distance runner and a US Olympian in the 10,000 meter event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Yoder Begley lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is coach of the Atlanta Track Club, assisted by her husband Andrew Begley.

High school career

Yoder Begley attended East Noble High School in Kendallville, Indiana. She was a four-time state champion and held the 3200 meter state record from 1996 until 2011 when it was broken by Culver Academy's Waverly Neer.

Collegiate career

Yoder Begley graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2001. She was a two-time NCAA champion and a 15-time All-American. She was 2000 SEC Female Athlete of the Year, and in 2016 she was selected to the Southeastern Conference 2016 Class of Women's Legends representing Arkansas. She won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top female cross country runner in 2000.

Professional career

In 2006, Yoder Begley was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.
Yoder Begley was a Nike Oregon Project athlete from 2007 to 2011. She trained with Galen Rupp, Kara Goucher, Adam Goucher, and Josh Rohatinsky under coach Alberto Salazar.
Yoder Begley placed third in the 10,000 meters at the 2008 USA Track & Field Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, setting a new personal record of 31:43.60 and qualifying for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She placed 26th in the final of the 10,000 meters at the Olympics.
Yoder Begley finished first in the 10,000 meter event at the 2009 USA Track & Field Championship on June 25, 2009 in Eugene, Oregon. This qualified her to compete in the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics held in Berlin. She finished in sixth place and set a new personal record with a time of 31:13.78.
In 2013, she became the women's cross country coach and women's track and field assistant coach at the University of Connecticut.
In December 2014 she was hired as the first full-time coach in the 50-year history of the Atlanta Track Club. Among her responsibilities are creating training programs for the club's 21,000 members and training two athletes for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Highlights