Lindsey Anderson: Mormon Athlete
Lindsey Olson Anderson is a world-class steeplechase and middle distance runner.
She was born on May 23, 1985, in Payson, Utah. She graduated from Morgan High School in Morgan, Utah, where she lettered four times in track, four times in soccer, three times in cross-country, and two times in basketball. She was a five-time state champion in track and cross-country. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Weber State University, where she was a two-time NCAA All-American, a four-time school record holder, and a six-time Big Sky Conference senior champion.
Anderson was honored with the Weber State Female Career Achievement Award in 2007 and was also named the Weber State Female Athlete of the Year for the 2006-2007 season. She also was honored as a Big Sky Scholar Athlete during her senior year. In June 2007 she was named to the ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Track and Field/Cross country Academic All-American Second Team. She was also chosen as the Big Sky Conference representative for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.
In 2005, she began training with Paul Pilkington, 1994 Los Angeles marathon champion who helped her overcome her fear of failure. She qualified for a spot on the United States Olympic team by posting a career-best time of 9:30.75 in the women’s steeplechase at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. At the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, China, she competed in the first-ever women’s 3000m steeplechase. She placed eighth in the first heat, but failed to advance into the finals.
Anderson placed third in the USA Track and Field National Championships earning a spot on the United States Team to the 2007 World Track and Field Championships in Osaka, Japan.
She and her husband, Mark Anderson, who is also a runner, are the parents of two children. She was an assistant coach in track and field at Weber State University, where she worked with distance runners. Lindsey Anderson is a volunteer assistant coach for California State University Bakersfield. She assists with the cross-country team as well as the distance runners for the track and field team.
She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
