Matt Scherer (November 21, 1983 – December 7, 2021) was an American track and field athlete and a top professional pacemaker.
Scherer competed for Red Hill High School in Bridgeport, Illinois, from 1999 through 2002. His senior year he scored 28 individual points at the Illinois High School Association State Championship meet, which placed his school 3rd in the team standings.[1]
Scherer attended the University of Oregon from 2003 to 2006 where he studied Business and was a 9-time All-American. In 2005 he ran the anchor leg of the 3rd place 4x400m relay team at the NCAA Championship meet, finishing in a time of 3:00.81 which was ranked #7 all-time in NCAA Championship Meet History. He won the Pac-10 championship in the 400m in 2006 in 45.19.[2]
Ran the 400 meter leg of the American Record setting indoor distance medley relay on February 12, 2010.[3]
Ran 1:14.41 in the 600m on June 15, 2008, the 8th fastest time ever run [4]
It was announced on December 8, 2021, that Scherer died that week, at the age of 38, as per a statement by RunnerSpace where he worked as the Chief Operating Officer.[5]
Began pacing full-time in 2011 and paced for many of the top 800m and 1500m runners in the world.
This table lists the records he paced:
| Date | Name | Nationality | Event | Time | Record | Competition | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 July 2010 | 1000m | 2:13.62 | Sudanese National Record USA Area Record | |||||
| 19 February 2011 | 1000m | 2:21.71 | Qatari National Indoor Record | |||||
| 18 February 2012 | 800m | 1:45.40 | Ethiopian National Indoor Record | |||||
| 29 April 2012 | 1500m | 3:36.39 | Norwegian National Record | |||||
| 16 May 2012 | 800m | 1:43.51 | Korean Area Record | |||||
| 9 June 2012 | 800m | 1:41.74 | USA Area Record | |||||
| 14 July 2012 | 800m | 1:43.15 | Kenyan National Junior Record | |||||
| 20 July 2012 | 800m | 1:43.15 | Kenyan National Junior Record | |||||
| 20 July 2012 | 800m | 1:43.74 | Spanish National Record | |||||
| 20 August 2012 | 1000m | 2:16.52 | Canadian National Record | |||||
| 20 August 2012 | 1000m | 2:17.32 | Qatari National Record | |||||
| 21 February 2013 | 800m | 1:45.05 | Ethiopian National Indoor Record |