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Birthday: March 19th, 1964 Hometown: Manchester, NH Current Residence: Manchester, NH College: University of New Hampshire PRs
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By the end of 1999, Dow had raced many a good race. Too many, in fact. She had competed in five 20Ks in a span of six months. By the end, she was tired and her technique reflected it. At the World Championships the unimaginable happened: she DQ'd 6K into the race. Upset, she nonetheless learned a valuable lesson: racing a lot does not work! She came to understand the importance of recovering physically, psychologically, and emotionally.
While Dow regrouped for 2000 with the goal of making the Olympic team, an early season knee surgery unfortunately derailed her plans. Recovering from the surgery, she gave it her all but fell just short, finishing 4th. The finish qualified her for further international competition, but she opted out to rest and fully recover from her surgery.
After going through the motions in 2001, Dow came on strong in 2002, winning the U.S. 20K Nationals and competing on the World Cup Team. Unfortunately, difficulties in meeting with her coach forced her to look for a new one. She turned to her alma mater, the University of New Hampshire. She found a new coach and new outlook, just what she needed. At the time this book is going to press, she is the only American woman with the A standard required to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games.
Dow says, “Race walking is just a piece of my life.” Her priority is “being a wife and mom.” Married to Tim Dow, she has two children: Hannah, born 1989, and Timmy, born 1992.
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 Dow and Rohl continue to battle at the 2003 National 20K |
