Kate Avery (born 10 October 1991) is a British long-distance runner. She competes in track and road competitions but specialises in cross country running. She was twice silver medallist at the 2014 European Cross Country Championships and 2015, and also a gold medallist on both occasions as part of the Great Britain women's senior team. She became the first British woman to win the NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship in 2014, running for Iona College.

She was among Europe's top developing runners as a junior, claiming medals at the European Athletics Junior Championships and European Cross Country Championships in 2009. She moved up the age categories and was a medallist at the 2013 European Athletics U23 Championships, as well as a team champion in European cross country.

Career

Early life and career Avery was born in Bishop Auckland.. Glasgow2014. Retrieved on 19 December 2014. Raised in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, she began taking part in running competitions as a youth, representing her local club, Shildon Running & AC. In 2005, she placed fifth in the 1500 metres at the English Schools Championships.Kate Avery. Power of 10. Retrieved on 19 December 2014. While a student at Woodham Community Technology College, she won the national cross country running title for her age group in 2006.Flag day for Kate . Evening Gazette (4 May 2006). Retrieved on 19 December 2014. The following year she was runner-up at the English schools cross country and also placed second in the 1500 m at the UK School Games and the English Schools Championships.

She began to make her first impact in the junior category in 2009. She was runner-up at the English junior cross country, won the junior section of the Cross Juan Muguerza in Spain and was the sixth placed junior at the prominent Cinque Mulini in Italy. These performances gained her a debut international appearance at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships. In the junior race she came 25th – the third best European behind teammates Lauren Howarth and Charlotte Purdue, which helped the British team to fourth place.Junior Race – women Final . IAAF. Retrieved on 19 December 2014. Third place at the 3000 metres national junior trials brought her selection for the 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships, where she went on to claim the silver medal, being overtaken by winner Yelena Korobkina in the final straight.Minshull, Phil (26 July 2009). Storl the star as more championship records fall – Euro Jnr Champs, Day 3. IAAF. Retrieved on 19 December 2014. Further international medals followed at the 2009 European Cross Country Championships as she took the bronze and led the British junior women to second in the team rankings.Results – Junior Women . European Athletics (13 December 2009). Retrieved on 17 December 2009.

Avery had three international outings the year after. At the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships she improved from her previous attempt and finished twentieth (second best European behind Gulshat Fazlitdinova).38th IAAF World Cross Country Championships – Bydgoszcz – Sunday 28 March 2010 – Junior Race – Women – Results. IAAF. Retrieved on 19 December 2014. At the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics she stepped up to the 5000 metres distance and placed eleventh overall.Kate Avery Honours. IAAF. Retrieved on 19 December 2014. A return to the continental scene at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships saw her finish lower down the order in twelfth place.Kate Avery. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 19 December 2014. Her 2011 season was quiet in comparison: she failed to finish at the European 5000 m trials and did not compete internationally.

Under-23 and NCAA debut Avery won her first senior national title in 2014, winning over 1500 m at the English Athletics Championships. She also paced sixth in the 5000 m at the British Athletics Championships, having improved her best to 15:35.12 minutes earlier that season. She began to progress in the under-23 category the following year, starting with a win in the 10,000 metres at the Penn Relays. She won the 5000 m at the under-23 trials before going on to take the bronze medal in that event at the 2013 European Athletics U23 Championships, which was later upgraded to silver. She enrolled at Iona College in the United States towards the end of the year and began competing for their Iona Gaels collegiate team.Kate Avery. Iona Gaels. Retrieved on 19 December 2014. Her first collegiate honours quickly followed at the 2013 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, where she paced third.Lorge Butler, Sarah (23 November 2013). D'Agostino Wins NCAA Title, Providence Takes Team Victory. Running Times. Retrieved on 19 December 2014. A month later she shared in the under-23 team title with Great Britain at the 2013 European Cross Country Championships, having finished fourth behind teammate Charlotte Purdue.Hassan's Dutch delight as Terzic brings joy to Serbia. European Athletics (8 December 2013). Retrieved on 19 December 2014.

She established herself among the top American collegiate runners in 2014. She competed a mile run/3000 m double at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) indoor Championships and came ninth in the latter event at the 2014 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships. She was eighth in the 5000 m at the 2014 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships and went on to claim one title in cross country soon after, winning the MAAC event then pacing first at the 2014 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. In the NCAA race she led from start to finish with a winning margin of over eight seconds. Her win was a first for a British woman and an Iona Gaels athlete, being the institution's third ever NCAA individual title.Rubin, Roger (22 November 2014). Iona's Kate Avery races to victory in NCAA Cross Country Championships. New York Daily News. Retrieved on 19 December 2011. She placed fourth 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 5000 metres.

In 2015, while at Iona, Avery won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's best female collegiate cross country runner.

Senior career Avery also ran internationally that year. She came ninth in the 3000 m at the 2014 European Team Championships then made her debut for England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, running a personal best of 32:33.35 minutes to come fourth in the 10,000 m (beaten only by Kenyan opposition).. Glasgow2014. Retrieved on 19 December 2014. Her third and final international outing that year was her most successful. At the 2014 European Cross Country Championships she ran in the senior race for the first time. Aiming for a top ten placing, she ran hard from the front and was rewarded with a silver medal after losing a close finish to teammate Gemma Steel. The two shared in the women's senior team title.Townsend, Joe (16 December 2014). European Cross Country: Kate Avery 'amazed' by silver medal run. BBC Sport. Retrieved on 19 December 2014. As the top-ranked British indoor runner over 3000 m, she was initially invited by British Athletics to compete at the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships at the start of the year. However, the governing body then told her she was ineligible, not having obtained permission to miss the trials event. The body was criticised for giving the athlete confusing information.Townsend, Joe (18 February 2014). World Indoor Athletics: British Athletics omit Kate Avery. BBC Sport. Retrieved on 19 December 2014.

In 2019, she competed in the senior women's race at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Aarhus, Denmark. She finished in 30th place.

National titles English Athletics Championships 1500 metres: 2012

International competitions 2009World Cross Country ChampionshipsAmman, Jordan25thJunior women's race (6 km)21:53European Junior ChampionshipsNovi Sad, Serbia2nd3000 m9:13.68European Cross Country ChampionshipsDublin, Ireland3rdJunior women's race (4.039 km)14:272ndJunior women's team51 pts2010World Cross Country ChampionshipsBydgoszcz, Poland20thJunior women's race (5.833 km)20:17World Junior ChampionshipsMoncton, Canada11th5000 metres16:23.97European Cross Country ChampionshipsAlbufeira, Portugal12thJunior women's race (3.97 km)13:242013European U23 ChampionshipsTampere, Finland2nd5000 m15:54.07European Cross Country ChampionshipsBelgrade, Serbia4thUnder-23 women's race (6.025 km)19:561stUnder-23 women's team19 pts2014European Team ChampionshipsBraunschweig, Germany9th3000 m8:56.24Commonwealth GamesGlasgow, Scotland4th10,000 metres32:33.35 European Cross Country ChampionshipsSamokov, Bulgaria2ndSenior women's race (8.05 km)28:271stSenior women's team21 pts2015World ChampionshipsBeijing, China15th10,000 m32:16.19European Cross Country ChampionshipsHyéres, France2ndSenior women's race (8.05 km)25:351stSenior women's team33 pts2016Great Edinburgh International Cross CountryEdinburgh, Scotland1st6000 m21:052018European Cup (athletics)London, England20th10,000 m33:05.24

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