22 Facts About Chris Solinsky

Chris Solinsky was born on December 5,1984 and is a retired American distance runner and an American college cross country coach.

Chris Solinsky was born in Junction City, Wisconsin, and attended high school at Stevens Point Area Senior High.

Chris Solinsky won 11 state medals, eight state titles, led the nation in time on six occasions, and earned four 1st Team All-American awards.

Chris Solinsky is the 2nd athlete in Wisconsin state history to ever win 3 straight 3200 meter championships.

Chris Solinsky's winning time of 14:41 at the 2002 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships gave him a 21-second winning margin, the largest margin of victory in the history of the meet.

Chris Solinsky finished his high school career with personal records of 4:03.80 and 8:43.24.

Former Badger Matt Tegenkamp finished first in 3:56.58 and Chris Solinsky finished second in 3:57.80, both becoming the first to dip under four minutes on Wisconsin soil.

Chris Solinsky graduated from Wisconsin in December 2007 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in history and sociology.

Chris Solinsky continued to live and train in Madison, Wisconsin, until January 2009, at which point he moved to Portland, Oregon, and became part of the Bowerman Track club.

At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Chris Solinsky finished in 12th place with a time of 13:25.87.

Chris Solinsky achieved several of his greatest professional successes during the spring and summer of 2010.

Chris Solinsky was the first non-African to break the 27-minute barrier for the 10,000 meters.

Several weeks later, on June 4,2010, Chris Solinsky improved his personal best in the 5,000 meters, breaking the 13 minute barrier by running 12:56.66 at the Bislett Games.

Two months later, on August 6,2010, Chris Solinsky further improved his personal best with a 12:55.53 performance in the DN Galan event in Stockholm, the second-fastest time ever recorded by a non-African-born runner.

Chris Solinsky developed a chronic left hamstring strain, which became an avulsion after Solinsky tripped over his dog.

In 2015, Chris Solinsky suffered from an injury to his Achilles tendon, which led to a calf problem and a limp, and interfered with his ability to train for the 2016 US Olympic Trials.

Chris Solinsky chose to retire from professional running in April 2016.

Chris Solinsky served as a volunteer coach at the University of Portland from 2012 to 2014.

In September 2016, Chris Solinsky was promoted to the position of Head Distance Coach.

On July 13,2017, University of Florida track and field Head Coach Mike Holloway announced that Chris Solinsky would join the Florida Gators track and field and cross country programs as an assistant coach.

In December 2022, it was announced that Chris Solinsky would leave his position with the Gators to become an assistant coach at the University of Oregon.

Chris Solinsky is married to Amy Dahlin, who competed in the pole vault at Wisconsin.