Pro runner Allie Ostrander will begin her journey at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, with a Friday semifinal heat race in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Ostrander, a recent Boise State graduate that ran for Kenai Central High School from 2011 to 2015, is making her first appearance at a world championship track meet, but will face seriously stiff competition.
Ostrander is slotted in the second of three heats Friday evening in Doha, which is morning for Alaskans. The heat is scheduled for 7:55 a.m. AKDT, and can be seen on NBC Sports Gold, an online subscription streaming service. Ostrander will join fellow American Courtney Frerichs in heat two, which features 15 total runners.
The top three of each heat automatically advance to the final, as well as the next six-fastest times, meaning 15 move on out of a total 43 entered runners across the three heats.
Ostrander currently runs for Brooks Running, a Seattle-based company that designs and markets performance wear for runners. Ostrander holds a 2019 best of 9 minutes, 31.44 seconds, seeding her seventh in her heat, although the next fastest time is just fractions of a second quicker (Ethiopia’s Lomi Muleta at 9:31.03). The third-fastest 2019 time in her heat is a 9:09.75 owned by Frerichs, meaning Ostrander is looking at a near 22-second deficit to automatically qualify for the final.
The women’s steeplechase final will be Monday at 10:50 a.m. AKDT, and will be broadcast on the Olympic Channel.
