Sam Parsons (runner)

Sam Parsons (born June 18, 1994 in Wilmington, Delaware) is a German-American distance runner. He competes in events ranging from the 1500 meters to the 10,000 meters. He attended the Tatnall School of Wilmington, Delaware and later competed on the collegiate level at North Carolina State University.[1]

Sam Parsons
Parsons in 2019
Personal information
CitizenshipUnited States
Germany
Born (1994-06-18) June 18, 1994
Wilmington, Delaware, United States
EducationTatnall School
Alma materNorth Carolina State University
Sport
SportLong-distance running
University teamNorth Carolina State University
ClubTinman Elite
Turned pro2017
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
 

Career

High school

Parsons was coached by Patrick Castagno and competed in cross country or track and field all 12 seasons. Parsons raced a personal best of 1:58 in the 800 meters, 4:12 in the mile, 9:00 in the 3200 meters, and 14:47 in the 5000 meters at New Balance Indoor Nationals. Parsons also individually qualified for Nike Cross Nationals as a senior. Parsons led his team to multiple state championships, including going undefeated during the 2012 season by winning the cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track Delaware state championships for the Tatnall School.

College

Parsons ran for Rollie Geiger at North Carolina State. He achieved personal bests of 3:44 in the 1500 meters, 13:52 in the 5000 meters, and 28:43 in the 10,000 meters. In cross country, Parsons was a four-time participant at the NCAA Cross Country Championship placing as high as 51st during his final cross country season at the 2016 NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championships with a time of 30:33 for 10,000 meters.[2]

Professional

Parsons traveled to Germany to visit his mother’s native country. He was hesitant to continue in track but decided to turn pro by signing a three year deal with Adidas in 2018. Parsons teamed with Drew Hunter to found the professional running team, Tinman Elite. Competing under Tom “Tinman” Schwartz, Parsons posted personal bests of 3:38 in the 1500 meters, 3:58 in the Mile, 7:49 in the 3000 meters, and 13:29 in the 5K. In February 2019, Parsons acquired German citizenship in an attempt to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in the 5000 metres.[3] At the Payton Jordan Invitational (April 2019) Parsons ran with two of his teammates (Drew Hunter and Jordan Gusman) in an attempt to meet the IAAF World Track & Field Championships qualifying standard (13:22.5) in the 5,000m run. Parsons ran 13:22.32; right behind his teammates who ran 13:21. He competed in the men's 5000 metres event at the 2019 World Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar.[4] He did not advance to the final.[4]


In April of 2022 Parsons became the first person to break 4 minutes in the mile on Delaware soil.[5]

References
  1. "Sam Parsons - Stats". MileSplit Delaware. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
  2. "TFRRS | George Parsons - Track and Field Results & Statistics".
  3. "Sam PARSONS | Profile | iaaf.org". www.iaaf.org. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
  4. "Men's 5000 metres" (PDF). 2019 World Athletics Championships. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  5. Bretzger, William (April 11, 2022). "Delaware sees first (and second) 4-minute mile in Tatnall race". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved February 3, 2023.


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