Rock n Roll Marathon series
From a young age all the way to the Olympics, the middle-distance runner excelled in her running career.
Born on August 8, 1968, Suzy Favor Hamilton began running at age nine. As a Wisconsin middle school student, she was a member of a local club called the Sparkles.
At Stevens Point Area High School, Favor Hamilton won 11 state track titles. She won three consecutive USA Junior 1500 titles beginning in 1984.
At the University of Wisconsin, Favor Hamilton had one of the most decorated middle-distance careers in collegiate history. She won nine NCAA track titles before graduating in 1991.
Favor Hamilton was Athlete of the Year three times in the Big Ten, the Midwest athletic conference that the University of Wisconsin is part of. The award was named for her after she graduated. Her name was removed from the award after she was revealed in 2012 to have been working as a prostitute after her running career ended.
Favor Hamilton made the first of her three U.S. Olympic teams in 1992 as part of the 1500-meter squad. She also an Olympian in 1996 (at 800 meters) and 2000 (at 1500 meters).
Favor Hamilton often performed better in one-day invitational track meets than at the Olympics or World Championships. She was 11th in a qualifying heat of the 1500 in 1992 and, seen here, fourth in a qualifying heat of the 800 in 1996.
The photogenic Favor Hamilton has appeared on four Runner's World covers (clockwise from top left: July 1991, July 1996, July 1999, and August 2004). She also did occasional non-running modeling, including a TV ad for Pert Plus shampoo in the early 1990s.
A prerace favorite, Favor Hamilton led the 2000 Olympic 1500-meter final with less than 200 meters to go. She then fell to the track and finished last.
Favor Hamilton's teammate Marla Runyan and a volunteer helped her sit up after the 2000 Olympic 1500-meter final.
Favor Hamilton has offered varying accounts for the incident. She initially ascribed it to dehydration. In 2001, she told Runner's World she suffered a panic attack and that "my body pretty much shut down." Favor Hamilton has subsequently said she purposefully fell because of the stressfulness of the situation.
Favor Hamilton won the 1500-meter race at the 2001 Prefontaine Classic by almost three seconds. Her personal best of 3:57.40 for the distance makes her the fourth fastest American in history.
Favor Hamilton won four outdoor and three indoor U.S. titles. She was runner-up several times to Regina Jacobs, who in 2004 received a competitive ban for using performance-enhancing drugs.
Favor Hamilton made her final Olympic Trials appearance in 2004 in Sacramento, California. She qualified for the 1500-meter final but didn't start the race.
After retiring from elite competition, Favor Hamilton remained active in the running industry in a promotional role. At the 2011 Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, Adidas Unveils Boston Marathon Jacket
Favor Hamilton ran the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in November 2012, one month before her work as a paid escort was revealed. She subsequently lost many sponsorships, including with runDisney and the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon series.
Parker Valby Wins the Bowerman, Fast Girl, in September 2015. In it she ascribed her work as a paid escort to improper medication for her bipolar disorder.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including she participated in a stiletto race, Advanced Marathoning, and All About 75 Hard. Foot Locker XC Results Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
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