{{Short description|American long-distance runner}} {{Infobox sportsperson | name = Carrie Ellwood | fullname = | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|3|8|df=y}} | birth_place = | birth_name = Carrie Verdon | death_date = | death_place = | residence = | nationality = | spouse = | sport = Athletics | event = Long distance running, Cross country running | club = | worlds = | nationals = | headercolor = | pb = | show-medals = yes | medaltemplates = }}
'''Carrie Ellwood''' (née '''Verdon''' born 8 March 1994) is an American long-distance and cross country runner. She won the USA Cross Country Championships in January 2025. That year, she set the American road national record over 25km.<ref>{{cite web|website=World Athletics|accessdate=6 December 2025|url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/carrie-ellwood-14485673|title=Carrie Ellwood}}</ref>
==Biography== Born Carrie Verdon, she was educated at Campolindo High School in Moraga, California, and competed for the University of Colorado between 2013 and 2017. She placed 20th and was the top American finisher at the 2013 World U20 Cross-Country Championships in Poland.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.mercurynews.com/2011/12/20/east-bay-girls-cross-country-runner-of-the-year-campolindos-carrie-verdon/ |website=Mercury News|accessdate=6 December 2025|title= East Bay Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year: Campolindo’s Carrie Verdon|date=20 December 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Pat|last=Rooney|website=Daily Camera|url= https://www.dailycamera.com/2025/05/22/bolder-boulder-on-heels-of-record-run-carrie-ellwood-ready-to-again-represent-cu-buffs/|accessdate=6 December 2025|title= Bolder Boulder: On heels of record run, Carrie Ellwood ready to again represent CU Buffs|date=22 May 2025 }}</ref><ref name="lewis">{{cite web|url= https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a43894910/university-of-colorado-cross-country-track-investigation/|website=Runners World|accessdate=6 December 2025|title= Athletes Await Results of Investigation Into University of Colorado Cross-Country Program|first=Cindy|last=Kuzma|date=17 May 2023}}</ref>
In March 2020, she was runner-up to Geneviève Lalonde at the 2020 Pan American Cross Country Cup in Victoria, British Columbia.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/news/report/pan-american-cross-country-cup-2020-oliveira |date=1 March 2020|website=World Athletics|accessdate=5 December 2025|title= De Oliveira and Lalonde crowned Pan American cross-country champions }}</ref> She placed seventh in the 2021 Chicago Marathon and second in the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in 1:10:47 in 2023.<ref name="lewis"/>
On 11 January 2025, Ellwood won the USA Cross Country Championships over 10km in Lubbock, Texas, running the course in 34:22 to secure the win by a margin of 23 seconds.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatf.org/news/2025/ellwood-and-keter-shine-at-2025-usatf-cross-countr |website=usatf|accessdate=6 December 2025|date= Jan 12, 2025|title=ELLWOOD AND KETER SHINE AT 2025 USATF CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7217944?eventId=10229544 |date=11 Jan 2025|website=World Athletics|accessdate=5 December 2025|title=USA Cross Country Championships}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.runnerspace.com/news.php?news_id=670734|website=Runnerspace|accessdate=6 Dec 2025|title= Benard Keter, Carrie Ellwood Win USATF Cross Titles|date=11 Jan 2025 }}</ref>
In March 2025, she had a top-ten finish at the USA half marathon championships in Atlanta, Georgia.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a63996175/usa-half-marathon-championships-results-2025/|website=Runners World|accessdate=6 December 2025|title= 2025 USATF Half Marathon Championships Results|date=2 March 2025 }}</ref> In May 2025, competing on the roads in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Ellwood won the USATF 25 km Championships title and set a new American record for the distance, winning in 1:22:27 to better the American record set by Betsy Saina on the same the previous year.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.usatf.org/news/2025/ellwood-and-clinger’s-swift-times-top-usatf-25-km-|website=usatf|accessdate=6 December 2025|date= May 11, 2025|title= ELLWOOD AND CLINGER’S SWIFT TIMES TOP USATF 25 KM CHAMPIONSHIPS }}</ref> In September 2025, she placed fifth at the USATF 20k Championships in New Haven, Connecticut to move to second behind Taylor Roe on the USATF Road Running Circuit standings.<ref> {{cite web|website=Runnerspace|accessdate=6 Dec 2025|url=https://www.runnerspace.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=44531&do=news&news_id=672778|title=Connor Mantz lowers US 20k record|date=1 Sep 2025}}</ref> In November 2025, Ellwood ran 68:34 to win the Monumental Half Marathon in Indianapolis.<ref> {{cite web|url= https://www.letsrun.com/news/2025/12/2025-usa-xc-preview-who-will-represent-team-usa-at-world-xc-in-tallahassee/|website=Lets Run|title= 2025 USA XC preview: Who will represent Team USA at World XC in Tallahassee? |date=4 December 2025|first=Jonathan |last=Gault|accessdate=5 December 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7230818?eventId=10229541 |website=World Athletics|accessdate=5 December 2025|title= CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon |date=8 Nov 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://markets.ft.com/data/announce/detail?dockey=600-202511081630PR_NEWS_USPRX____DE19624-1 |title=Monumental Milestones at the 2025 CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon|date=8 November 2025|website=Financial Times|accessdate=6 December 2025}}</ref>
On 1 March 2026, Ellwood placed second in 1:09:47 behind Molly Born at the USA Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, in a controversial race in which she was one of a number of athletes directed to the wrong section of the course as they followed the lead vehicle and a motorcycle with a television camera operator.<ref>{{cite web|website=Lets Run|accessdate=2 March 2025|title= RRW: Off-Course Incident Mars USATF Half-Marathon Championships|first=David|last=Monti|date=March 1, 2026|url= https://www.letsrun.com/news/2026/03/rrw-off-course-incident-mars-usatf-half-marathon-championships/}}</ref> She was subsequently included as part of the United States team for the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.<ref>{{cite web|date=26 May 2026|website=Runnerspace|url= https://world-athletics-road-running-championships.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=14704&do=news&news_id=674846|title= USATF Announces Roster for World Road Running Championships - Copenhagen 26 |accessdate=29 May 2026}}</ref>
==Personal life== After graduating from the University of Colorado, she stepped away from athletics for a time, and worked as a teacher, later joining the elite ranks with Team Boulder in Boulder, Colorado.<ref name="lewis"/>
== References == {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Elwood, Carrie}} Category:1994 births Category:American women cross country runners Category:American women long-distance runners Category:Track and field athletes from California Category:Living people Category:University of Colorado Boulder alumni Category:Colorado Buffaloes women's track and field athletes Category:21st-century American sportswomen