Bend, Oregon

@aoibhe_richardson

Hometown: Kilkenny, Ireland

College: University of Portland and University of San Fransisco (M.S)

Bio:

I grew up in Kilkenny, Ireland and started running around the age of 10 with my local club, Kilkenny City Harriers. I have three younger sisters (who also run!) and my parents both competed for Ireland back in the day so it really is a family affair! I moved to the US in 2016 to compete in the NCAA and did 3 years at the University of Portland before transferring to the University of San Francisco to get my Masters in Public Health and use the remainder of my eligibility. Some highlights of my college career include placing 19th at the NCAA XC Championships in 2019, and qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the indoor and outdoor 5k my senior year. In college I competed in everything from the 1500 to the 10k, but my favorite event has always been cross country because of the team component. I have competed for the Irish team at the European Cross Country Championships 5 times and have two team medals (silver in 2019 and bronze in 2022) which have been some of the highlights of my running career so far. 

After graduating from college in 2021 I spent two years living in New York City and competing for an all-female team out there called Atalanta NYC. I recently moved to Bend, Oregon and have been loving being back in the PNW and exploring all the great trails here! I have aspirations to run a half-marathon in 2024 and gain more experience on the roads so stay tuned for that!