About Kim

No one expected me to make an Olympic team. When I graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2009, my 5000m PR was almost a minute slower than the Olympic standard, and I had never qualified for the NCAA Track and Field Championships. Three years later, I entered the 2012 Olympic Trials only five seconds away from the Olympic standard and prepared to contend for a top-three finish. In one of the most dramatic races of the meet, I launched a comeback effort over the final lap to go from 5th place to 3rd place. With a lean at the line, I earned the final spot on the United States 5000m team by .04 seconds and finished inside the qualifying standard by .21 seconds. In that fraction of a second, I took a defining leap in my career. I qualified for the London Olympic Games and subsequently signed an endorsement contract with New Balance.

In the past decade I have traveled all over the world competing internationally, won two national titles, returned to the Olympic stage in Rio, and earned the bronze medal at the 2019 Pan-American Games in the 5000m. In 2021 I began coaching runners of all abilities with McKirdy Trained and love working with athletes across the country. I serve on several USA Track and Field committees and sit on the board of directors for the USATF Pacific Foundation. I live with my husband and coach, Drew Wartenburg, in Flagstaff, Arizona. In my free time I love to read, write, mountain bike, and enjoy  hikes in Coconino National forest with our dog, Smokey.