Courtney Frerichs

Courtney Frerichs is an accomplished American track and field athlete specializing in the 3000 meters steeplechase. She is a world-class competitor, having won a silver medal at the 2017 World Championships and set the American record in her event. Frerichs also represented the United States at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games, securing a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Olympic Medals

Silver1

World Championship Medals

Silver1

Personal Bests

Mile

The Monument Mile Classic

4:35.01

8/26/2023

10,000 Metres

31:23.13

3/6/2022

5000 Metres

14:48.75

2/11/2022

3000 Metres Steeplechase

Prefontaine Classic

8:57.77

8/21/2021

800 Metres

2:06.33

8/7/2020

Major Championships

🥈

The XXXII Olympic Games - 3000 Metres Steeplechase

9:04.79

🥈

IAAF World Championships in Athletics - 3000 Metres Steeplechase

9:03.77

Upcoming Events

Recent Mentions

Podcast

Episode 682: Live in Indianapolis: Emma Grace Hurley, Drew Hunter, Courtney Frerichs + A Surprise Drop-In from Jenny Simpson

May 3, 2026

I’m coming to you with a bonus episode recorded live in Indianapolis during an incredible weekend at the 500 Festival Indy Mini Marathon and the USATF 5K Championships. I had the opportunity to announce the 5K and witness a high-stakes race where the top two finishers were competing for a spot on the world championship team, which made the energy in the city so special.

The day before the race, I hosted a live podcast at the beautiful Bottleworks Hotel alongside my friend Ali Feller from Finish Lines and Milestones. These Indy weekends have become such a fun tradition for us, bringing the running community together in a meaningful way.

We were joined by an amazing panel: Emma Grace Hurley, Drew Hunter, and Courtney Frerichs. Emma Grace is in the middle of a breakout season, recently breaking an American record and continuing to stack impressive performances. Drew just won the USATF 5K Championship race that weekend and shared insights from his journey as both a professional athlete and a dad. Courtney, an Olympic and world silver medalist, opened up about her return to racing after navigating major injuries and surgeries over the past couple of years.

And in true live-event fashion, we had a surprise moment when Jenny Simpson jumped on the mic for a quick cameo, which made the night even more special.

This event came together with the help of some incredible local partners, and the atmosphere was just so much fun. We had great food, a shoe decorating station, and a packed room of people who love this sport.

Quick note on the audio: since this was recorded live with wireless mics, it may not be as crisp as a typical episode, but the conversation and energy more than make up for it.

If you enjoy this episode, I’d love for you to leave a rating and review, and if you’re ever in Indy for these race weekends in May or November, come join us live.

Show notes48m

Podcast

500 Festival Indy Mini Hype!

April 29, 2026

My friend and fellow podcast host Ally Brettnacher and I discuss the upcoming weekend in Indianapolis – the 500 Festival Indy Mini weekend!! This is the 50th running of the Indy Mini & home of the USATF 5K champs for the second year in a row!

We are hosting a live podcast event on Friday, May 1st at 3:30pm at Bottleworks Hotel with guest panelists Emma Grace Hurley and Courtney Frerichs! We’d love to have you join us if you are in town! We’ll have snacks, swag bags, great conversation and we’ll even have a shoe decorating station.

Grab your tickets!!

Show notes20m

Podcast

Val Constien Recaps And Reflects On Winning The U.S. Olympic Trials Steeplechase, Third-Fastest American Woman All-Time (9:03.22)

July 11, 2024

“For me, the most important thing is practicing winning and practicing trying to win. Because at the end of the day, PRs are awesome and running super fast is great, but people aren’t going to say, ‘Oh, well, 9:03 is the third fastest time.’ They’re going to say ‘Val won,’ right? And so for me, I just want to try to win. That’s all I care about. I don’t even care if we run slow because I just want to win.”

Valerie Constien was on the show about two months ago so if you haven’t heard that episode, I think it sets thighs up perfectly for more context on her comeback from a torn ACL last year. I enjoyed hearing from the listeners that they felt more invested in Val’s comeback and were overjoyed to see her running well at the Prefontaine Classic and at the Trials knowing more about her.

At the Trials, Val put together one of the best races of the entire 10 days. She won the women’s steeplechase in 9:03 – which moved her to No. 3 on the all-time list behind Courtney Frerichs and Emma Coburn. The whole race was epic and I’d encourage people to watch it on YouTube. Val qualified for her second U.S. Olympic team. She will be joined in Paris by Courtney Wayment and Marisa Howard.

In this episode, we unpack that U.S. Olympic Trials final and then look ahead toward Paris, where Val is thinking that she has a shot at a medal.

Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram

Guest: Val Constien | @valerieconstien on Instagram

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Show notes33m

Podcast

THE ACTION: Olympic Marathon Universality Controversy, Night of 10K PBs & LA Grand Prix highlights, Athletics Kenya Visa Drama and more

May 22, 2024

Thank you Ketone-IQ for offering 30% Off Ketone-IQ: https://ketone.com/SWEATELITE

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Topics:

00:00 Introduction and Weekly Highlights
02:13 Athletics Kenya Visa Drama
10:41 Olympic Marathon Universality Controversy
21:46 Courtney Frerichs' Injury Update
24:39 Ethiopia's Olympic Marathon Team Announcement
32:37 Doping Suspension: Rogers Quemoy
37:52 Kenya's Doping Scandal: A Deep Dive
39:42 Comparing Doping Cultures: Japan vs. Kenya
41:54 Night of 10K PBs: Event Highlights
49:40 LA Grand Prix: Men's 5K Recap
53:27 LA Grand Prix: Women's 5K and 1500m Insights
01:02:20 Pre Classic Preview: Anticipated Showdowns
01:07:37 Women's 10K World Record Attempt
01:10:43 Closing Thoughts and Upcoming Events

Show notes1h 11m

Podcast

Summer Running Tan Lines ☀️; What Track and Field Can Learn From WNBA's Fashion Walks 💃; More Steeplechase Heartbreak ❤️‍🩹; Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone The 🐐

May 21, 2024

Karen, Rachel and Megan catch up on some of the biggest things taking place in the track and field world.

In this episode:

• 0:00| Megan ran a downhill mile but does that count for a personal best?

• 10:20 | We need a conversion for real life and work when it comes to running.

• 13:00 | Courtney Frerichs tore her ACL and will miss the 2024 outdoor season so what's it mean for the U.S. Olympic Trials and the contenders to make the team?

• 19:00 | Everything is happening in track and field right now.

• 20:30 | Our thoughts on what track and field can learn from the WNBA's walkout

• 26:03 | Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is on another level right now + more favorite performances from the LA Grand Prix

• 32:53 | Karen announces she will be heading to Eugene for the first time

• 37:25 | Summer running tan lines

• 38:39 | Wearing a watch tan line with pride?

YOUR HOSTS

• Karen Lesiewicz | @kare_les on Instagram

• Rachel DaDamio | Not on Instagram

• Megan Connelly | @meganmorantwwe on Instagram

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Show notes45m

Podcast

361: Courtney Frerichs – My Own Hand on the Steering Wheel

January 11, 2024

Carrie chats with Olympian Courtney Frerichs! They talk about her big injury after the Olympics, making life decisions, her new team (and how some of it is very familiar), building a new house, being excited about the future, and much more!

Show notes45m

Podcast

Courtney Frerichs Leaves Bowerman, Beatrice Chebet Breaks The Road 5K WR, More Ideas To Fix Professional Track | The Lap Count

January 3, 2024

This is The Lap Count newsletter by Kyle Merber, as read by Chris Chavez.

Join more than 15,500 people who stay up-to-date with all the thrilling action and biggest stories in the world of track & field – delivered right to your inbox every Wednesday morning. Subscribe at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://thelapcount.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In this week's newsletter:

– Beatrice Chebet’s year goes out with a BANG 💥

– Copying tennis’s homework 📝👀

– Graham Blanks Signs with NB ✍️

– Personal Reflections on 2023 🥳

+ more rapid-fire highlights from the past week

You can read this week's newsletter here ➡️ https://www.thelapcount.com/p/solving-track

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Show notes18m

Podcast

375. NCAA XC Champs Real-Time Reactions w/ Courtney Frerichs & Justyn Knight | The FloTrack Podcast

November 20, 2021

Gordon and Kevin are joined by Olympians Courtney Frerichs and Justyn Knight to watch the 2021 DI NCAA XC Championships together and react in real-time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Show notes2h 7m

Podcast

Courtney Frerichs On Her Bold Olympics Silver Medal Run in Tokyo, Breaking 9 Minutes At Pre Classic & Her Mindset Work To 'Belong' Among The Best

September 14, 2021

"That's honestly been the biggest change I made this year: Just mentally being so much more prepared, so much happier and just felt ready with myself. I wasn't really focused on what anyone else was doing. I knew I was ready. I think there were a few big things we worked on. I have such a perfectionist nature. It was super innate probably and then I grew up in a sport that just sort of cultivated that in gymnastics. The whole premise of the sport is perfection. We really tackled that. We realized it wasn't just in terms of running that trait was coming out. It's probably been my whole life. Whenever I get into a scenario, especially in training, where someone is pushing the pace or it's playing out differently than I think it should be, what tools do I have or what can I do to handle that vs. going into a panic mode – which is what was starting to happen pretty frequently."

Olympic and world championship steeplechase silver medalist Courtney Frerichs re-joins the show. The last time she was on was in 2018 after she broke the American record in 9:00.85 at the Monaco Diamond League. This was recorded in August just after she became the first American woman to run under nine minutes in the steeplechase.

In 2019, she had what she believes to be a disappointing season that ended with a sixth-place finish at the World Championships just two years after taking silver behind Emma Coburn.

When the pandemic wiped away the 2020 outdoor season, she didn’t do a steeplechase workout at all. She took a break from training for the event and then had an injury in December. You’ll learn more about that and also how the two steeplechase races before the Olympic Trials set the blueprint for one of the best performances by an American at the Tokyo Olympics.

In Japan, she took the lead after a kilometer into the race and tried holding on but was passed in the final lap by Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai. Frerichs ended up with silver, which is the best performance by a female steeplechase at the Games since the event was added in 2008. You’ll be put in her shoes for that race and hear about Shalane Flanagan’s text message to her before the race + much more.

At the Pre Classic just a few weeks later, she lowered her American record to 8:57.77 and then took third at the Diamond League final in Zurich after we recorded.

👟 Mark your calendars for September 28th when you can snag a pair of the limited-edition Endorphin Pro+ on Saucony.com. It’s super limited. You’ll also get to see the shoes in action in a special test event taking place in Germany on Sept. 22, which you’ll be able to watch LIVE on the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel and will feature commentary by me and Kyle Merber. We’re getting your favorite announcing duo back together. And until then, check out Saucony’s current lineup, including the Endorphin Pro 2 and the Endorphin Speed 2, another plated fan-favorite for speed work and tempo runs. Read more about the shoe here.

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Show notes1h 14m

Podcast

238: Courtney Frerichs - I Executed

August 19, 2021

Carrie chats with Olympian Courtney Frerichs fresh off her silver medal performance at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo! They chat about her mental health struggles in 2018, overcoming anxiety and injuries, becoming more confident in her abilities, what it took for her to win a silver medal, and much more!

Show notes43m

Podcast

TORCH TALK DAY 7: RYAN CROUSER BRINGS THE BIG THROWS FOR ANOTHER GOLD; ANDRE DE GRASSE GETS HIS, TEAM USA RELAY WOES CONTINUE, COURTNEY FRERICHS HAS GUTS

August 5, 2021

BIG THROWS ENERGY FOR THE BIG THROWS GUYS. Chris, Kyle and Dana unpack the biggest action from the Tokyo Olympics highlighted by Ryan Crouser's mega day where he unleashed six throws that either tied or broke the shot put Olympic record and repeated as Olympic champion. Andre De Grasse finally gets the gold medal that Puma shelled out millions for. The United States' men's 4x100-meter relay team faltered again. Courtney Frerichs went for it and put together the Gutsiest Performance of the Day for a silver in the women's steeplechase.

Also discussed in this episode:

– The semifinals of the women's 1,500 meters were drama-filled and fast

– The men's 800 meter final kind of felt ehhh

– Hansle Parchment's longevity is super impressive in the men's 110m hurdles

– The men's hammer throw isn't as fun when Rudy Winkler isn't winning

– How Chris feels as a member of Team Throwvacs after adding another silver in the men's shot put to Joe Kovacs' career resume

+ Much More

TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TORCH TALK WITH CHRIS, KYLE AND DANA. Our daily podcast covering the Olympics is presented by Hayward Magic.

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Show notes59m

Podcast

Episode 324: Courtney Frerichs – American Record Holder & World Silver Medalist Makes her Second Olympic Team

July 9, 2021

Courtney Frerichs just made her second Olympic Team as a steeplechaser for Team USA! Courtney trains with the Bowerman Track Club and is a 2017 World Championships Silver Medalist, 2016 Olympian, and the American Record holder in the steeplechase! In this episode, we talk about her experience at the Olympic Trials and making her second ... more »

Show notes

Podcast

THE STEEPLECHASE BRINGS TEARS OF JOY AND HEARTBREAK | TRIALS TALK WITH CHRIS & KYLE (DAY 5)

June 25, 2021

Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs went 1-2 in the women's 3,000m steeplechase as many expected but it was the battle for the third spot that came down to a dramatic finish between Val Constien and Leah Falland.

Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber and Mac Fleet discuss all of the action from Day 5 at the U.S. Olympic Trials live from Eugene, Ore.

In this episode, we discuss the men's 1,500m semifinal that didn't take anything out of the favorites, surprising cuts in the women's 800m, another big night for Team Throwvacs and much more...

TUNE IN AND LISTEN TO TRIALS TALK WITH CHRIS AND KYLE. Our daily podcast from the Olympic Trials is presented by Tracksmith.

We’re excited to partner with Tracksmith, an independent running brand fueled by a deep love of the sport. They celebrate the amateur spirit and seek to inspire the personal pursuit of excellence. Tracksmith is pleased to be supporting 30 Olympic Trials qualifiers in Eugene, including athletes across 14 disciplines, as part of their Amateur Support Program.

Check out Tracksmith's essentials for racing and training - including the Strata kits their Trials athletes are racing in this week - at Tracksmith.com/CITIUS and use code CITIUS to receive 10% off any order until the last day of the trials, June 27th.

Show notes53m

Podcast

251. Real-time NCAA XC Reactions With Courtney Frerichs & Morgan McDonald | The FloTrack Podcast

March 16, 2021

Gordon and Kevin are joined by Courtney Frerichs and Morgan McDonald to give real-time reactions from the 2020-21 DI NCAA XC Championships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Show notes2h 47m

Podcast

Charge Running - Ep. 3 (Interview with Courtney Frerichs)

May 8, 2020

In todays episode, Coach Larry and Coach Michelle interview 2016 Olympian and American Record holder in the women's Steeplechase, Courtney Frerichs. We talk about her running journey, Olympic experience, the steeplechase, how her training has changed due to COVOID-19 and the Olympics being postponed to 2021, her diet, her teammates and so much more including her preferred training shoe and her go-to pre-race breakfast!

Visit Chargerunning.com for more information! #CHARGEON

Show notes53m

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In 2019, she had what she believes to be a disappointing season that ended with a sixth-place finish at the World Championships just two years after taking silver behind Emma Coburn.

At the Pre Classic just a few weeks later, she lowered her American record to 8:57.77 and then took third at the Diamond League final in Zurich after we recorded.