Allie Ostrander signs with Kilian Jornet’s NNormal brand
The three-time NCAA champion in the 3,000m steeplechase has spent the last year away from professional running following a string of injuries and a struggle with an eating disorder
Photo by:
Kevin Morris
American steeplechaser Allie Ostrander announced on Wednesday that she has signed with Kilian Jornet‘s new outdoor sports brand, NNormal. The partnership comes after Ostrander took a one-year break from professional running. In addition to the news of her new sponsorship, it was announced that she is transitioning from track to trail running in the coming season.
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Ostrander, who is from Kenai, Alaska, had a very successful NCAA career with Boise State University in Idaho, winning three straight NCAA titles in the 3,000m steeplechase. In 2019, she turned pro and signed with Brooks, but her promising career was put on hold following a string of injuries and a struggle with an eating disorder.
She made a comeback in 2021, attempting to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, and although she fell short at the U.S. Olympic Trials, she managed to run a 3,000m steeplechase PB of 9:26.96 en route to her eighth-place finish. In late 2021, Ostrander ended her contract with Brooks and once again stepped away from professional running so she could put her “mental and physical health first.”
Although Ostrander was not racing during her break, she has continued to be vocal about her struggles with mental health. As she wrote on Instagram, this is a big reason she signed with the team at NNormal, who told her they want to support her athletic endeavours as well as her mental health initiatives. Ostrander said that the support presented by NNormal was not offered by all brands she met with. She noted that some brands pointed to her past struggles with eating disorders as a reason they were leery of taking her on.
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With NNormal, though, Ostrander wrote that she knew it was “a brand that would support me through the highs and lows of sport and that cared about something other than race results.” She has yet to announce where she will begin her career as an NNormal athlete, but wherever it is, the running world will be excited to see her back in action.
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