• VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/313261162/03cf5b9f86
At any track meet, distance events are considered to start at 800 meters, and get longer from there.
For Gitte Karlshoj, the longer, the better.
During her three years with the Falcons in the late 1980s, Karlshoj excelled at just about all of them, from 800 to 5,000. Even today, almost 30 years after her final Seattle Pacific race, the native of Denmark remains among SPU’s top 10 at five different distances
By the time her first season with the Falcons concluded in the spring of 1987, Karlshoj had set school records in the 1,500 and 3,000. Matter of fact, her 3K time of 9:10.99 was 20-plus seconds faster than the old record of 9:31.17.
But for Karlshoj, her time with the Falcons was just the start of what became an internationally successful running career. She won the NCAA 3,000-meter championship in 1987, and that event ultimately became her trademark.
In fact, Karlshoj became so good in the 3K that she raced it for Denmark in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. And, sticking to that longer-is-better mantra, she was back at the Olympics in 1996, this time in Athens competing in the marathon.
Her collection of 37 Danish championships covers every length from the 800 to the marathon, and also includes cross country and road racing.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS (1987-89)
• Named winner of team’s Most Inspirational Award in 1987 and 1988.
• Her performances helped Falcons tie for 4
th in the NCAA team standings in 1987, placed 6
th in 1988 and third in 1989.
• During her career, she accounted for 40 points at the NCAA national meet.
• Won the Masters Division (age 40 and older) of the Boston Marathon in 2000 and 2001.
