On one memorable night, Kim Mortensen Newman cemented her place in the history of high
school track and field. It would be the defining moment in a remarkable three-week stretch of
distance running for the Thousand Oaks High senior.
At the 1996 CIF-Southern Section Divisional Track and Field championships, Kim created a stir
with one of the best distance doubles in meet history, winning the 1,600 in 4 minutes, 46.28
seconds, a Division 1 record that would last for 10 years, and the 3,200 in 10:03.11, which was
fourth on the all-time national list.
The best however, was yet to come. The CIF-Southern Section Masters track and field meet,
essentially a qualifier for the state championships, was held the following week at Cerritos College. The Masters 3,200 final on May 24 saw Kim’s eight-lap race end with a national record
of 9:48.59. It would remain the national record until 2019—an amazing 23 years.
Mortensen was not through. Returning to Cerritos College the next week for the state
championship, Kim nearly matched her national record, winning the 3,200 in 9:52.80.
In three weeks, Kim had produced three of the fastest national girls high school 3,200 times ever.
For her accomplishments, she was named as Track and Field News magazine’s Girls Athlete of
the Year as well as Gatorade Runner of the Year.
The prelude to her record-setting track and field season came during the cross country season
the previous fall. She shattered four course records – winning those races by 53 seconds or better – and tied one other.
After placing second at the state championship, Kim won the 1995 Foot Locker National
Championship, becoming the only Ventura County runner to win the girls title. Under the
guidance of Hall of Fame coach Jack Farrell, she won six section titles and helped Thousand
Oaks win two cross country team championships.
Currently, Kim serves as a Learning Specialist at Oaks Christian Middle School. She and her
husband Justin Newman are the parents of three children: Graham, Abby and Sawyer.