Emma Coburn is only 33 years old, but sports a running resume that’s hard to match. She has won 10 National Championships in the 3000-meter steeplechase. It almost seems that USATF should rename the event the “Emma Coburn Steeplechase.”
Coburn has also won an Olympic bronze medal, and World Championships gold. Her husband, Joe Bosshard, is now her coach, and also coach to a small but select elite group training in Boulder under the name Team Boss.
Unfortunately, Coburn sustained a serious injury in an early-2024 competition, and required ankle surgery. That means she’ll miss this year’s Olympic Track Trials and the Olympic Games in Paris.
Bad luck for sure. But also a good position from which to discuss the inevitable high and lows of global racing, which Emma does in this podcast. She also talks about:
# Her dog Arthur, and how he got that name in honor of the great New Zealand coach, Arthur Lydiard.
# How she was born and raised in a small, high-altitude Colorado town, and spent her youth pursuing various outdoor activities. (Sorta like a young Kenyan.)
# How she ran her first steeplechase only because her father insisted she enter a couple of events to justify their lengthy car drive to the meet
# What she learned from her college coaches at the University of Colorado
# Why she decided to be coached by her husband, the person “who knows the most about me”
# How she’s dealing emotionally (and financially) from the missed Olympic opportunity this year
# Why she plans to be a steeplechase runner forever, rather than switching to another event
You can learn more about Emma Coburn by following her on Instagram.
Where To Find “Running: State of the Sport”
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