March 23, 2013
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NEW YORK — Former University of Iowa All-American Diane Nukuri-Johnson set the Burundi national record following a second-place finish at the New York City Half Marathon last week.
“This is certainly the best performance of Diane’s career,” said Iowa track and field coach Layne Anderson, “both collegiately and as a professional. This breakout performance validates her ability to compete with many of the best distance runners in the world and is a great sign of her preparation for the Boston Marathon next month.”
Nukuri-Johnson crossed the finish line in 1:09:12, three seconds behind champion Caroline Rotich.
“I started out a little slower compared to her,” said Nukuri-Johnson. “We just kind of got closer and closer and we started running together for a couple miles.”
The national record is the second of Nukuri-Johnson’s career. She placed 31st at the 2012 London Olympics while representing her native country Burundi. She clocked a personal best time of 2 hours, 30 minutes and 13 seconds, setting a Burundi national record.
Nukuri-Johnson transferred to Iowa prior to the 2006 cross country season and went on to earn three All-America honors while competing for the Hawkeyes. She was the 2007 Big Ten Cross Country Champion and won the outdoor 5,000 meter conference title in 2008. She graduated from Iowa in 2010 as the owner of eight school records.