Allison "Allie" Ostrander (born December 24, 1996) is an American long-distance runner. She was the NCAA Division I steeplechase champion in 2017, 2018 and 2019, competing for the Boise State University Broncos. In July 2019, Ostrander announced her plans to forgo her final season of NCAA eligibility and begin running professionally.Allie Ostrander to forego final year NCAA looks to run professionally , KTUU, Kortnie Horazdovsky, July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
Early life and education Ostrander was born in Kenai, Alaska in 1996, the daughter of Teri and Paul Ostrander. Ostrander graduated from Kenai Central High School in 2015 and matriculated to Boise State University.Boise State’s only three-time national champion will skip senior year to turn pro, Idaho Statesman, Rachel Roberts, July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
Ostrander has been involved in health and fitness from a young age, participating in sports since the age of five. She competed in varsity cross country and track in college while pursuing a degree in exercise science.
She worked as a children's camp director, sports instructor, and counselor. She also directed local races in her hometown.
Running career While as a youth she considered herself a soccer player, she took up the local challenge of the annual Mount Marathon Race. By 2008, she had the age 7-11 course record. She continued to win every year, setting the course records in the 12-14 division, 15-17 division and would have set the record in her first year in the adult women 18-29 division in 2015, except that was the year professional runner Emelie Forsberg visited to set the record. In high school, Ostrander competed on the basketball team along with running, where she was coached by her mother. Ostrander ran cross country, hurdles, and distance events.Ostrander Returns to Her Roots In 3000m Steeplechase, Runner'sTribe.com, Chris Lotsbohm, June 9, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2019. She won her first state 4A (large school) championship as a sophomore. In 2013, as a junior, Ostrander finished second to Alexa Efraimson, clocking 10:03.66 in the Arcadia Invitational 3200m in California. In 2014, her senior year, she won the Nike Cross Nationals.Alaskan Allie Ostrander is the NXN Champion, Runners World, Marc Bloom, December 9, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
Ostrander competed for the Boise State Broncos at the NCAA Division I level.
Collegiate
2015 In September 2015, Ostrander won the U20 World Mountain Running Championships in Betws-y-Coed, Wales, UK., Runner's World, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2023. Later that month, she finished second in the 6 km Roy Griak Invitational cross country race. On October 16, she won the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational 6 km in 19:19.5. Two weeks later, she won her Mountain West Conference championship, followed in another two weeks by an NCAA Division I West Region victory. On November 21, she finished as the runner up in the 2015 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in 19:33.6.NCAA Division I Cross Country, NCAA, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
2016 In January, Ostrander set a personal best in the 5000 m, running 15:21.85 at the University of Washington Invitational. At the Husky Classic in February, she set a new personal best of 8:54.27 for 3000 meters. Later that month, she anchored her Broncos distance medley team to a first-place finish at the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships. In July she finished in 8th place in the 5000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
2017 Ostrander won the Stanford invitational 3000 m steeplechase in 9:55.61. In May, at the Mountain West Championships, she won the 10000 m in a personal best time of 35:51.2. In June, she won the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships steeplechase title, in 9:41.31. In November, Ostrander finished second in the 6 kilometers in the NCAA West Region Championships, with a career best time of 19:16.5. She later finished fourth at the NCAA Championships on November 18.NCAA Division I Championships - Women 6k, NCAA, November 18, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
2018 Running as a redshirt sophomore at the Mountain West Indoor Championships in February, she set a personal best for the mile run in 4:46.06, finished second in the 3,000 meters, and anchored Boise State's winning distance medley relay. On May 10, Ostrander finished less than a second behind Karissa Schweizer in the 2018 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships at 3000 meters, running 8:54.35.NCAA Division I Indoor Championships at 3,000 meters, NCAA Division I, March 10, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018. On March 29, she won the Stanford Invitational 3000m steeplechase, with a new personal best of 9:38.57. Ostrander runs current world fastest time in winning 3K steeplechase, Peninsula Clarion, April 1, 2018, Retrieved May 28, 2018. At the Bryan Clay Invitational, she ran a new 1500 m personal best of 4:15.06, behind Olympian Shelby Houlihan but beating future Olympian Weini Kelati. At the Mountain West Outdoor Championships, she won the 5000 meters and finished second in the 1500 m. On May 25, Ostrander qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships by winning the 3000 m steeplechase in at the NCAA West Preliminary Championships in Sacramento, California. A day later, she qualified for the 5000 meters, finishing second in her heat in a time of 15:27.46.Ostrander pulls off double as Boise State qualifies a record number for nationals, Idaho Statesman, Rachel Roberts, May 26, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018. In a repeat performance at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ostrander won the 3000 m steeplechase. In the 5000 meter race about an hour later, she finished eighth.Run, jump, repeat: Alaska’s Allie Ostrander wins 2nd straight NCAA steeplechase title, Anchorage Daily News, Beth Bragg, June 9, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
On November 9, Ostrander won the NCAA Division I West Region Cross Country Championships, in a personal best of 19:09.0. The Broncos finished second overall, four points behind Oregon.NCAA Division I West Region XC, NCAA, November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018. On November 17, along with Anna Rohrer, she led the tightly packed leaders through the first 4 kilometers of the NCAA Championships. She faded slightly toward the end, finishing sixth to Colorado's Dani Jones in 19:56.9.NCAA Division I Championships, Track and Field Reporting Results System, November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2018.Jones, MacDonald sprint to NCAA Cross Country titles, Runnerspace, November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018. On December 1, she ran a personal best in the 5,000 meters of 15:16.38 at Boston University.Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, Track and Field Reporting Results System, November 17, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
2019 On January 26, Ostrander broke the Boise State school record for the mile at the University of Washington Indoor Meet, running 4:35.79. Her distance medley team also set a school record, where Ostrander was the 1600 meter leg.Ostrander breaks 2 indoor records in Seattle, Peninsula Clarion, Joey Klecka, January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019. At the Stanford Invitational on March 29, Ostrander competed in the 10,000m, finishing third in 32.06.7.Stanford Invitational 10,000 meter run invite, Record Timing, March 31, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019. On May 2, she returned to the steeple at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Stanford, California, to win 0.05 seconds ahead of New Mexico State's Adva Cohen.Allie Ostrander 1st Place Women's Invitational 3000m Steeplechase - Payton Jordan Invitational, RunnerSpace.com, May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019. On June 8, as a redshirt junior, Ostrander repeated her NCAA 3000m steeplechase win, winning in a new personal best of 9:37.73, marking the first-ever woman to win the event three times in a row.Alaska’s Allie Ostrander wins 3rd straight NCAA steeplechase title, Anchorage Daily News, Beth Bragg, June 8, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2019. On June 30, at the Prefontaine Classic, Ostrander ran a new 3000m steeplechase personal best of 9:31.44.
Ostrander finished her collegiate running career as Boise State's most-decorated student-athlete. She was inducted into the Boise State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.
Professional
2019–2022 After the 2019 Prefontaine Classic, Ostrander decided to forego her last seasons of collegiate eligibility to go professional. She signed contracts with agent Ray FlynnAlaska runner Allie Ostrander decides to go pro, Anchorage Daily News, Rachel Roberts, July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019. and with Brooks Running to become a member of the Brooks Beasts Track Club, under Danny Mackey.Brooks signs NCAA champs Allie Ostrander and Karisa Nelson to sponsorship contracts, LetsRun.com, July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
On July 28, Ostrander finished fourth in the steeplechase at the 2019 USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships, in a time of 9:38.52. Because Emma Coburn, who ran 9:25.63, was the defending World Champion from 2017, and consequently was an automatic qualifier to the 2019 World Championships, Ostrander qualified to compete at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.Boise State alum Allie Ostrander takes 4th at USATF Championships, KTVB, Jay Tust, July 28, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
On September 8, Ostrander competed in New York City's Fifth Avenue Mile, running 4:33.5 to finish 16th.Ostrander takes 16th at 5th Avenue Mile, Peninsula Clarion, Jeff Helminiak, September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019. In February 2020, she won the 3000 meters at the Millrose Games, in a personal best of 8:48.94, despite an achilles injury. At the 2019 World Championships, in the 3000m steeplechase, Ostrander ran a new personal best of 9:30.85 in her heat, barely missing the final.
On April 2, 2020, Ostrander received platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy to help accelerate the healing of her torn achilles tendon. She trained at altitude in New Mexico during this time.Allie Ostrander Making The Most Of Break In Action, Track and Field News, Rich Sands, June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020. The same year, Ostrander began a volunteer coaching position with the NCAA DII distance running program at Seattle Pacific University.
In 2021, Ostrander ended her contract with Brooks in order to step away from professional running.
2023-present In February 2023, Ostrander signed a contract with NNormal. On August 25, 2023, Ostrander was suspended for 4 months by the USADA after testing positive for canrenone, a banned substance that's often used as a masking agent, on March 30, 2023. Ostrander claimed she was exposed to the substance through a prescription acne medicine, which she had not obtained a Therapeutic Use Exemption to use. During this year, Ostrander began to be coached by David Roche.
In January 2024, she got 4th at the 2024 USA Cross Country Championships allowing her to compete at the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.
Ostrander won the 3000 meter steeplechase at the Portland Track Festival in June 2024, running a new personal best of 9:24.70. A few weeks later, she competed at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, finishing 7th in the 3000 meter steeplechase final, setting a new personal best of 9:21.82. She then moved to Boulder, Colorado to focus on training at altitude and continue her running career. In January 2025, Ostrander announced that she had signed a contract with Oiselle, and would continue to compete in track, road, and trail competitions.
In February 2025, Ostrander competed in a half marathon, finishing in 1:11:10.
In December 2025, Ostrander got 8th at the 2025 USA Cross Country Championships with a time of 34:34.
In January 2026, Ostrander competed in the Houston Half Marathon, finishing in 1:10:08 as the 18th overall female. This time stands as the fastest half marathon by an Alaskan.