2007 Nike Outdoor Nationals - Interviews & Field Events

Two-Time Olympian Matt Tegenkamp Retires

Two-Time Olympian Matt Tegenkamp Retires

Two-time Olympian and American record holder Matt Tegenkamp has retired from professional running, his agency KIMbia Athletics reports. Known for his incred

Feb 1, 2016 by Lincoln Shryack
Two-Time Olympian Matt Tegenkamp Retires
Two-time Olympian and American record holder Matt Tegenkamp has retired from professional running, his agency KIMbia Athletics reports

Known for his incredible range, “Teg” still owns the U.S. two-mile outdoor record of 8:07.07 from 2007. He is one of six Americans to break 13:00 in the 5,000, and his 27:28 10,000m best puts him tenth in U.S. history.

Teg said that being among the Americans who helped return U.S. men’s distance running to international relevance in the mid-2000s was the highlight of his career.

“With Ryan Hall, Alan Webb, Dathan Ritzenhein, we were breaking down barriers, and it was fun to be part of that over a period of 10 to 15 years.”

Tegenkamp after finishing second in the 10,000m at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials: 



His marathon career never fully lived up to the hype that his track success created, however, as injuries took their toll in the last few years. His debut 26.2 would end up being the fastest of his career, a 2:12:28 10th place finish in Chicago in 2013. Tegenkamp was 11th in 2:13:52 at last year’s Boston Marathon, his second and final marathon as a pro.   

When the 34-year-old started prep for this month’s U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials this past fall, the grind of training no longer interested him.

“When I started the real build-up last fall for the marathon trials, I realized I wasn’t willing to live like that anymore,” Teg told KIMbia.

Tegenkamp was one of the original members of the Nike-sponsored Bowerman Track Club, which was created by his coach at Wisconsin, Jerry Schumacher, back in 2008. The group is now one of the best professional running teams in the United States.

“The environment we created, that’s something I feel really good about,” he said.  

He will continue working with Nike in product creation, a role he has held since 2013.