Hall of Fame Inductee: Stephanie Herbst-Lucke

Editor's Note: Here's our penultimate installment in our profile series of the 2010 Minnesota Track and Field Hall of Fame inductees.

Stephanie Herbst-Lucke

Stephanie Herbst-Lucke's unique and impressive running career began in her native Chaska. In high school, Herbst-Lucke won an MSHSL State title in cross country, back-to-back 3200-meter State crowns, as well as a State 1600-meter title.

Herbst-Lucke (pictured) attended the University of Wisconsin and soon established herself as the nation's top collegiate long-distance runner. She won seven individual Big Ten titles and was named the Big Ten Athlete of the Year in 1985-86.

Herbst-Lucke was a six-time NCAA All-American and winner of three NCAA titles. In 1986 she set NCAA records in her victories at 3000m indoors, and at 5000 and 10,000m outdoors. She set the collegiate all-time record in the 10,000m that year as well.

Herbst-Lucke competed in the 1985 and 1986 Olympic Festivals and in 1988 qualified for the Olympic Track and Field Trials. In 2000, author Frank Murphy made Herbst-Lucke the central figure in his book about women's long distance running, The Silence of Long Distance.

After a 20-year break from competition, Herbst-Lucke returned to racing as a masters runner. Unbeaten as a master and still competitive against open runners, Herbst-Lucke has made two USA World Half Marathon teams and two USA Ekiden teams.

Herbst-Lucke owns the American masters record for 30K -- 1:49:31 -- which she set in 2008 and for 10 Miles, which she established last fall at age 44 at the Medtronic TC 10 Mile, running 55:36 and finishing in 8th-place overall.

A resident of Atlanta, Herbst-Lucke is the chief marketing officer for Foot Solutions and, with husband Jim, parents children aged 15, 13, and 9-years-old.

Photo by Charlie Mahler.