Adriana Pirtea is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 long-distance runner who made her marathon

Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 debut in the Chicago Marathon

Chicago Marathon

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...

 held on October 7, 2007 with a second place finish. She led by a few dozen meters in the final 300 meter stretch run down Columbus Drive

Columbus Drive (Chicago)

Columbus Drive is a north-south street in Chicago, Illinois which bisects Grant Park. It is 254 E in Chicago's street numbering system. Its south end is an interchange with Lake Shore Drive at Soldier Field...

 on a day of record setting 88 °F (31.1 °C) temperatures, but she was caught just before the tape by defending Chicago Marathon women's champion, Berhane Adere

Berhane Adere

Berhane Adere is an athlete from Ethiopia.Adere held the African record for 10,000 metres in a time of 30:04.18, set at the 2003 World Championships, where she won gold...

. Pirtea had held a 30 second

Second

The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock....

 lead with 600 meters remaining but never looked back as Adere slipped down the right side of the final straightaway under the shield of male runners. Adere was so far to the right that as she crossed the finish line she did not take the tape which was being held at the left side of the finish line. The 2007 Chicago Marathon was the slowest women's Chicago finish since 1992 due to the heat. Pirtea had been a pacemaker at the January 28, 2007 running of the Osaka Ladies Marathon and an injury prevented her from making her marathon debut at the London Marathon

London Marathon

The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...

 on April 22, 2007.

She became the Romanian national champion in both the 5K (2006 & 2007) and 10K

10000 metres

The 10,000 metres or 10K is a common long distance running event. As "10,000 metres" it is a track event, and appears in athletics events such as the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics; as "10K" it is a roadrace or cross country running event...

 (2007). She graduated from University of Texas at El Paso

University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...

 in 2005. Pirtea has run the half marathon

Half marathon

A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...

 in 1:09:57 and placed 10th at the World Half Marathon Championships held on October 1, 2005 in Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. This tenth place finish contributed to the Romanian team gold medal at the World Half Marathon Championships in which 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon Women's Champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita placed first for the Romanians, Mihaela Botezan

Mihaela Botezan

Mihaela Maria Botezan is a Romanian long-distance runner who specializes mainly in the 10000 metres and the half marathon....

 placed 5th and Nuţa Olaru

Nuţa Olaru

Nuța Olaru is a retired female long-distance runner from Romania, who specialized in the marathon race during her career. She set her personal best in the women's marathon in Chicago, IL on October 10, 2004....

 placed 8th.

Pirtea had been the Silver Medalist in the 3,000-meter run at the NCAA Championships. At the NCAA Championships, she had been the #2 seed, but was run down in the final lap by #4 seed Renee Metivier. Like the 2007 Chicago Marathon, the 2005 NCAA 3000 was run at a relatively slow pace. Pirtea had finished 16th in the event as a junior in 2004.

On September 29, 2009 Jeremy and Adriana finished first and second, respectively, in the 13.1 Mini-Marathon in Calumet City, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

, with times of 1:12.28 and 1:12.29.

Pirtea now resides in Fort Collins, Colorado

Fort Collins, Colorado

Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...

. She got married on November 1, 2008 to Jeremy Nelson.