ANN ALYANAK
Event: Marathon
Height: 5-8
Weight: 116
PR: 2:38:55 (2007)
Born: Sept. 16, 1978 in Lima, Ohio
Current Residence: Bellbrook, Ohio
High School: Bluffton HS (Ohio) ‘97
College: Purdue ‘01
Coach: Ed Alyanak
Agent: Peter DeLaCerda
Club: Unattached

Career Highlights: 2001 Big Ten Conference XC champion; 2007 World Outdoor Champs team member

Alyanak is a 2001 graduate of Purdue University where she was a standout cross country and track runner. She was selected MVP of the cross country team all four years she competed, earning All-Region honors in 1999-2000. In track, she was an NCAA qualifier in the 10,000-meters after winning the Big Ten title as a senior. She also set the school record in the 5,000-meters and placed second at the Big Ten Championship. Alyanak graduated from Purdue with a degree in exercise science. She ran her marathon debut in Columbus in 2002, finishing fifth in 2:52:04. She ran her second marathon three years later, crossing the finish line in 2:48:04 while finishing 18th at the 2005 USA Women's Marathon Championship. She had a strong year in 2006, improving her personal bests in the 5 km (16:34), 10 km (34:19) and 10,000m (33:35.64), while also finishing fourth at the USA Half Marathon Championships in 1:15:30, and posting a 41st-place finish (second American) at the World Road Running Championships (20K) in Hungary. She again improved her half marathon best when she finished ninth (1:14:24) in Houston at the 2007 USA Half Marathon Championships. She raced in the 2007 Boston Marathon and finished in 2:38:55, good for ninth in the women's division and a second-best finish among American women. Her performance bettered the “A” qualifying standard for the 2008 Olympic Trials by five seconds. Alyanak was named head coach of the University of Dayton women's cross country program on May 6, 2004. She also serves as an assistant track and field coach, working primarily with the distance runners. She became the first full time distance coach at UD in the school’s history. In her three seasons as UD head coach, Alyanak's squads have been named to the All-Academic Cross County Team by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, meaning the team has maintained a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0. In 2007, Dayton's 18 member cross country team finished ahead of 93 schools, sitting 52nd nationally with the team's cumulative GPA of 3.4.

2007: 31st at World Outdoors (2:42:23)…9th at USA Half-Marathon Champs (1:14:24)…9th at Boston Marathon (2:38:55PR)...…ranked #3 in the U.S. by T&FN…best of 2:38:55.
2006: 4th at USA Half-Marathon Champs (1:15:30)…41st at World road Running Championships 20 km…best of 1:15:30.
2005: 18th at 2005 USA Marathon Champs (2:48:04)…best of 2:48.04.