Alisa Harvey was one of the Washington, DC area's top runners while attending Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax, VA. She placed first in the 1982 Virginia High School State Championships indoor 1600m. In 1983 she placed first in the indoor and outdoor 1600m and the outdoor 800m. Her talent earned her a spot on the U.S. Team at the Junior National Championships where she placed second in the 1500m. She also trained with the Pinnacle Track Club which met at George Mason University's outdoor track. Sixteen years later, as a world class athlete, she trains on the same track with John Cook, formerly with George Mason as her coach.

Originally inspired by Wilma Rudolph winning Olympic Gold in the 100m, she attended the University of Tennessee on a track scholarship. Tennessee State was Rudolph's alma mater. Along with earning a B.A. in Speech Communications, Harvey was an eleven-time All-American in track and cross-country. She was also the NCAA Division I 1500m champion in 1986. In her junior year at Tennessee she was ranked fifth in the 1500m by USATF. Since 1986 she has been ranked nationally in the 800m or 1500m with the exception of 1994 and 1997. In 1994, Harvey gave birth to daughter Virginia with whom she currently lives in Manassas, VA.

In 1991 Harvey was the Gold Medalist for 1500m (4:13.12) and the Silver Medalist for 800m (1:59.99) at The Pan Am Games in Havana, Cuba. In 1993 she lived in Boulder, CO, for three months in housing provided by the Bank of Boulder and lived with other international runners as they trained for the Bolder Boulder 10K. That year Harvey was ranked number one in the 1500m by USATF.

During a seven-year marriage, Harvey lived in New York City, Boston, and California. In 1997, the marriage ended in divorce, taking an emotional toll on her training. After arriving back to the area and temporarily staying with her mother, Harvey trained at 5:30 am and held a series of jobs to support Virginia and herself. She has taught aerobics, been a personal trainer, daycare provider, worked at Fleet Feet, and held a position with JC Penney's through the Olympic Job Opportunities Program. She was able to balance jobs, family, and self-coached training through a difficult year. She credits her training as the factor that gave her strength through periods of mental and emotional stress. At one point she had to take advantage of welfare benefits to support her family.

Today she is a spokesperson for Avon (her sponsor) and the Health and Human Services Girl Power Program which targets nine- to fourteen-year-old females which are at an impressionable age. Peer pressure can make alcohol and drugs seem more acceptable than sports during adolescence. As a minority from a lower income background, Harvey speaks in cities around the country promoting self-esteem and what can be accomplished through developing one's talents despite your background.

In 1998 Harvey was ranked fourth in the 1500m by USATF. She was equally impressive at distances up to ten miles on the roads as she developed strength during the therapeutic runs in 1997. She was the first female at The Pennsylvania Avenue Mile (4:43.0), the Race for the Cure 5K (16:07), Jay's Run 10K (34:46--a course record), Avon Women's 10K (35:44), Clarendon Run for the Kids (17:10), and the Army Ten Miler (58:56). She placed second at the Shamrock 8K (26:45), and was the top local female at the Nortel Networks Cherry Blossom (55:35). Her remarkable range and times earned her Washington Running Report's 1998 top ranked female runner.

On a flight to New Orleans to the Outdoor National Championships in June 1998 where she placed third in the 1500m (4:08.33), Harvey met John Cook. In the fall of 1998 she joined Cook's multi-tier training program after many years of unstructured training. Based on high intensity and consistency, the program includes weight training, plyometrics, diet and supplement guidelines, and fast-twitch, anaerobic, anaerobic threshold, and aerobic training.

So far in 1999 Harvey placed second at The Pennsylvania Mile (4:39.4) and was the second local runner at The Sallie Mae 10K (35:15). She placed first at The Clarendon Race for the Kids 5K (17:27). On the track she was the Bronze Medalist at the National Indoor Championships for 1500m and represented the U.S. at The World Indoor Championships in Japan.

Harvey's impressive running resume includes these personal bests: 800m (1:59.72), 1500m (4:08.32), mile (4:29.65), 5K (16:04), 10K (33:33), and 10 miles (55:35). Under a newly acquired shoe sponsor, Fila, Harvey is training for the National Outdoor Championships and the 2000 Olympic Trials.


Update in 2007: View a George Banker photo gallery of Alisa Harvey in action over the years.