| Elaine Van Blunk | |
| Sport: | Athletics |
| Birth Date: | 11 September 1964 |
| Birth Place: | United States |
| Birth Name: | Elaine McGillam |
Elaine Van Blunk (McGillam; born September 11, 1964[1]) is an American long-distance runner who finished third at the 1994 Chicago Marathon. She was the 1989 winner of the 3000 meters at the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships, and finished seventh in the 10,000 meters event at the 1991 Pan American Games.
Van Blunk attended Archbishop Prendergast High School,[2] and later Saint Joseph's University.[3] She graduated from Saint Joseph's in 1986.[4] She is married to Jim Van Blunk, who was an athlete and later admissions director at Saint Joseph's University.[3] Jim Van Blunk won the 1986 and 1987 Broad Street Run races.[5] Van Blunk has lived in West Deptford Township, New Jersey,[3] and Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.[6]
Whilst at Archbishop Prendergast High School, Van Blunk competed in Catholic League girl's athletics competitions. In 1981, she finished third in the cross country event,[7] and in 1982, she won the 3,200 meter race in a meeting record time of 11:09.4.[8] Whilst at Saint Joseph's University, Van Blunk qualified for the 1985 NCAA Championships,[2] and in 1986, she became an all-America athlete.[9] After graduating, Van Blunk worked as an accountant,[4] and later as an investigator in Atlantic City, New Jersey for the office of the New Jersey Attorney General.[3] She gave up the role to pursue athletics full time,[3] although she also worked part-time as a track assistant at Saint Joseph's.[4] Van Blunk was sponsored by Nike.[3]
She was the 1989 winner of the 3000 meters event at the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships.[10] In the same year, Van Blunk finished sixth in the Penn Relays mile run.[9] She also won a 3.5miles race in Park Avenue, New York City,[9] and a 3.1miles event at the Metropolitan Athletics Congress.[9] In 1990, Van Blunk won the 10,000 meters event at the Penn Relays. She finished second in the event in 1991, albeit in a faster time.[3] In 1990, Van Bluck won the 8 km road race at the United States Championships.[11] She competed at the 1991 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Seville, Spain,[3] and placed seventh in the 10,000 meters event at the 1991 Pan American Games.[12] In 1992, Van Blunk won a Dukes invitational 5,000 meters race in a time of 16:04.7.[13] In 1993, Van Blunk set a course record of 1:12:11 at the Fairfield Half-Marathon.[6] She also won the Broad Street Run,[5] in a course record time of 53:15,[14] and the half marathon event at the United States Championships.[11] She also finished 21st in the 10,000 meters event at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics.[15]
In 1994, Van Blunk finished third at the Chicago Marathon, 51 seconds behind winner Kristy Johnston. It was Van Blunk's second career marathon.[16] In 1995, she won the 25 km road race at the United States Championships,[11] and competed in the marathon event at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics, but did not finish the race.[17] In 1997, Van Blunk won the Broad Street Run for the second time.[5] [14]
| 1990 | World Cross Country Championships | Aix-les-Bains, France | 34th | Senior race | 20:07 | ||
| 5th | Senior team | 112 pts | |||||
| 1991 | World Cross Country Championships | Antwerp, Belgium | 28th | Senior race | 21:18 | ||
| 4th | Senior team | 77 pts | |||||
| World Indoor Championships | Seville, Spain | 8th | 3000 m | 8:58.23 | [18] | ||
| Pan American Games | Havana, Cuba | 7th | 10,000 m | 36:10.91 | [19] | ||
| 1993 | World Cross Country Championships | Amorebieta-Etxano, Spain | 89th | Senior race | 21:40 | ||
| 10th | Senior team | 167 pts | |||||
| World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 21st | 10,000 metres | 33:42.85 | |||
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | — | Marathon |
1995[20]
1994[20]
1993, 1997[20]
1989[20]