Coburn has also won an Olympic bronze medal, and World Championships gold. Her husband, Joe Bosshard, is now her coach, and also coach to a small but select elite group training in Boulder under the name Team Boss.
Unfortunately, Coburn sustained a serious injury in an early-2024 competition, and required ankle surgery. That means she’ll miss this year’s Olympic Track Trials and the Olympic Games in Paris.
Bad luck for sure. But also a good position from which to discuss the inevitable high and lows of global racing, which Emma does in this podcast. She also talks about:
# Her dog Arthur, and how he got that name in honor of the great New Zealand coach, Arthur Lydiard.
# How she was born and raised in a small, high-altitude Colorado town, and spent her youth pursuing various outdoor activities. (Sorta like a young Kenyan.)
# How she ran her first steeplechase only because her father insisted she enter a couple of events to justify their lengthy car drive to the meet
# What she learned from her college coaches at the University of Colorado
# Why she decided to be coached by her husband, the person “who knows the most about me”
# How she’s dealing emotionally (and financially) from the missed Olympic opportunity this year
# Why she plans to be a steeplechase runner forever, rather than switching to another event
You can learn more about Emma Coburn by following her on Instagram.