David Roche (born June 22, 1988) is an ultramarathoner and running coach. He currently holds the record for the Leadville Trail 100.
.jpg) Roche at 2014 Loon Mountain Race | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | June 22, 1988 Millington, Maryland |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Ultramarathon |
Athletic career
editRoche began his college athletics career as a football player at Columbia University.[1] He took up endurance running while in graduate school at Duke University. He won the 2012 USATF 10k Trail Championship and received the 2014 USATF Trail Runner of the Year sub-ultra award.[2][3][4]
Roche won the Quad Dipsea Race twice, in 2016 and 2019, and the Way Too Cool 50k in 2016.[5][6] He has also competed in the duathlon, placing ninth in the 2009 World Triathlon Duathlon Championships.[7]
In 2024, Roche won the Leadville Trail 100 in 15:26:34 in his first 100-mile race. He broke the previous 19-year-old record held by Matt Carpenter.[8]
Coaching career
editRoche currently coaches, alongside his wife, elite runners including Grayson Murphy, Clare Gallagher, Amelia Boone, Allie Ostrander, Stephanie Garcia, Erin Clark, and John Kelly.[9] He often works with athletes with a history of disordered eating.[4] Under his coaching, his athletes have achieved top finishes at the Leadville Trail 100, World Mountain Running Championships, and Barkley Marathons and competed in the 2024 US Olympic Trials.[8][10][11]
Roche and his wife published a book, The Happy Runner: Love the Process, Get Faster, Run Longer, in 2019.[12]
Personal life
editRoche previously worked as an attorney for the Environmental Law Institute and a contributor to Outside. He is married to Megan (Deakins) Roche and has a son.[2][13][14]
References
edit- ^ "Roche, David - Football". Columbia University Athletics. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ a b "A Match Made in Mountain Running". Trail Runner Magazine. 2017-04-26. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ "Going Up: Roche and Deakins Contending for Mountain Cup Titles". Runner's World. 2014-05-09. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ a b Mertens, Maggie (2024-08-08). "A new generation of elite female runners embraces strength over thinness". NPR. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ "Quad Dipsea". www.quad-dipsea.com. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ "2016 Way Too Cool Race Results (50 KM )". Ultra Running Magazine. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ Triathlon, World. "Results: 20-24 Male AG | 2009 Concord ITU Duathlon World Championships". World Triathlon. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ a b "In His First 100-Miler, David Roche Demolishes the Legendary Leadville 100 Course Record". Runner's World. 2024-08-19. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ Play, Some Work All. "SWAP Adventure Team". SWAP Adventure Team. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ Sandrock, Michael (2022-08-15). "Ultrarunner Clare Gallagher: Her dominance 'is impressively consistent'". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ Helminiak, Jeff (2024-06-11). "Ostrander wins tuneup race for Olympic Trials". Peninsula Clarion. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
- ^ Roche, David; Roche, Megan (2019). The Happy Runner: Love the Process, Get Faster, Run Longer. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics. ISBN 9781492567646.
- ^ Dreier, Frederick (2024-08-21). "David Roche Had Never Raced 100 Miles. He Still Smashed the Leadville 100 Ultramarathon". Outside Online. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Jason (2024-09-12). "Why David Roche Needed 4-Minute Mile Speed to Win the Leadville 100 (+ More Secrets)". Strength Running. Retrieved 2024-09-17.