Citizenship: Romania
Residence: Longmont, CO
Age: 41

Personal Records

10K: 32:47 (San Jose, 10/8/2006)
Half Marathon: 1:09:00 (Drobeta Turnu Severin, 9/14/2002)
Marathon: 2:24:33 (Chicago, 10/10/2004)

2011 Races

12/04/11 California International Marathon 2:37:13
02/27/11 Tokyo 2:41:42
11/24/11 Ft. Collins 4-Mile 22:08
10/09/11 Denver Rock ‘N ‘Roll Half 1:15:16
09/04/11 Virginia Beach Rock ‘n’ Roll Half 1:14:05
08/27/11 Crim Festival 10-Miler 56:24
08/06/11 Beach-to-Beacon 10K 34:07
06/12/11 Garden of the Gods 10-miler 1:01:40

Olaru is the most experienced of any of her competitors at the 2011 Houston Marathon. She boasts multiple appearances at both the half-marathon and marathon distances at IAAF Championships dating back to 1996 and also competed at the 28th Olympic Games in Athens, Greece 2004. Olaru recently became a U.S. citizen and had hoped to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials here, but even though her native country approved of her switch, the paperwork has not been completed and she was ineligible to participate in that race. Olaru finished second in the 2009 Houston Marathon with a time of 2:27:30. She won the Garden of the Gods 10-miler this past summer.