Coburn closes collegiate career with another NCAA title

Signs on with New Balance for pro career

Just hours after winning her second Division I National title in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase on Saturday, June 8, Emma Coburn immediately kicked into her professional career, signing with New Balance.

While Coburn admits it’s not a surprise, she did chuckle when she said the words, “Professional athlete for New Balance.”
“It is a little weird,” said Coburn, “when I think back five years ago when I was in high school.”
Coburn was a standout in three high school sports at the Crested Butte Community School—cross-country, basketball and track. As she closed out her high school athletic career, Coburn ventured out into the big world of track and field competing as a high school senior in a couple of Nike regional events. It was there that she first tried the steeplechase.
Since then, her career has taken off, racking up numerous collegiate titles as well as making a name for herself on the Olympic and professional circuit.
In addition to her two steeplechase national titles, Coburn earned a litany of collegiate titles including winning the indoor National title in the mile this past winter. Outside of college racing, Coburn won the steeplechase at the 2011 USA Track and Field championships and the steeplechase at the 2012 Olympic trials. She placed ninth at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England with a personal record time of 9:23.56.
She came out of the 2013 indoor season on fire, running the fastest time for the 2013 season, posting a time of 9:28 at the prestigious Payton Jordan Cardinal Invite. Coburn then lined up for the 1,500 meters with the world’s top professionals at the OXY High Performance meet in Eugene, Oregon to record a personal best time of 4:06.87, the fifth-fastest time ever in the history of NCAA athletes.
“I was really happy about that,” said Coburn.
Needless to say, Coburn was the heavy favorite to win the NCAA steeplechase title and did so with little challenge. After doing what she does, jumping out in front to take a commanding lead, Coburn was able to cruise to the win in the final lap.
“I was pretty comfortable just jogging in,” admitted Coburn.
Shortly after the race, Coburn turned pro, landing a deal with New Balance. The move was no surprise as she had her sights set on turning professional and hoped to run for New Balance for a while.
“It was definitely a goal the last couple of years,” said Coburn about the move. “I have heard good things about New Balance for years and they have a small team of elite athletes and they treat them really well. They’re more of a family than a business and they’re a really great company.”
While Coburn feels the end of her collegiate career is “a little bittersweet,” she’s focused on the next step in her running career.
“The fact that I’ve been in college for five years, I feel ready to take on the world as a professional athlete,” said Coburn.
She kicks off her professional career with a return to the USA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa next week and then has plans to compete in Europe and jump into the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) Diamond League season full time, none of which is really new to Coburn. While steeplechase will continue to be her focus, she has plans to mix in the occasional 1,500-meters race throughout the season.
“I’ve been racing in the pro circuit for three years now,” says Coburn. “This will be very similar to my racing schedule in 2012.”
The only difference really? She won’t have any homework on the road.