Dana Coons

Who is Dana Coons?

Dana Turner Coons Thiele is an American long distance runner. She is a two-time qualifier for the US Olympic Trials, and in 2007 was ranked 16th in the country for the marathon with a time of 2:38:18. In the 2008 Olympic Marathon trials in Boston, Coons finished 30th in a time of 2:41:31. Her twin brother, Jason Turner Coons, played club lacrosse at James Madison University.

Coons went to college at the University of Virginia, where she was a fine arts major. During her fourth and final year, she won the ACC title at 10,000m, and was an NCAA qualifier at that distance. Upon graduating from UVa, Coons spent two years in Charlottesville, VA as an assistant coach at UVa, and during that time she lowered her 10,000m personal best to 33:07.

In September 2003, Coons moved to Minneapolis, MN to train with Team USA Minnesota, where she trained under coach Dennis Barker with Carrie Tollefson, Katie McGregor, and other elite athletes. It was during this time that she moved up to the marathon - she debuted in the Twin Cities Marathon, running 2:46:54 in October, 2005. After spending two years with Team USA Minnesota, she then moved back to Charlottesville.