Julia Paternain
Uruguayan long-distance runner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Julia Paternain (born 29 September 1999) is a long-distance runner who represents Uruguay. She was a bronze medalist in the marathon at the 2025 World Athletics Championships and holds the Uruguayan national record in the distance.[3]
Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Uruguay, United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 29 September 1999 | ||||||||||||||
| Education | University of Arkansas BA Psychology & MBA Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge, United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Arkansas, United States[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Parent |
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| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
Event | Long distance running | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | Marathon 2:27:09 (2025) NR | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
Paternain was born in Mexico to Uruguayan academics Gabriel Paternain and Graciela Muniz. At two years old she moved to England and then to the United States.[4] She competed as a member of Cambridge & Coleridge Athletic Club in England.[5] She won the English Schools title over 3,000 metres in Gateshead in 2017, taking nine seconds off her personal best to win in 9:30.74, and retained the title again in 2018.[6][7] She represented Great Britain at the 2019 European Athletics U23 Championships, placing sixth in the 10,000 metres race.[8]
NCAA
Paternain moved to the United States in 2018 to attend Penn State University for two years before transferring to University of Arkansas for three years.[9]
Julia Paternain earned 2019 NCAA Division I Mid-Atlantic Region Cross Country honors after placing 9th. Paternain earned 2023 All-SEC Outdoor Track and Field honors after placing 2nd in the 10,000 meters.
| representing Arkansas Razorbacks | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | 5000 m | 16:15.08 | 46th | |
| Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships | 10,000 m | 35:07.76 |  2nd | ||
| 5000 m | 16:25.80 | 8th | |||
| 2022 | Southeastern Conference Cross Country Championships | 6 km | 21:16.5 | 57th | |
| 2021 | 2021 NCAA Division I cross country championships | 6 km | 20:56.2 | 171st | |
| Southeastern Conference cross country championships | 21:17.5 | 28th | |||
| 2020 | Redshirt | ||||
| representing Penn State Nittany Lions track and field | |||||
| 2019 | 2019 NCAA Division I cross country championships | 6 km | 21:38.5 | 151st | |
| Big Ten Conference cross country championships | 21:19.2 | 44th | |||
| 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships | 5000 m | 17:13.82 | 22nd | ||
| 10,000 m | 33:55.53 | 25th | |||
| Big Ten Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships | 10,000 m | 33:22.91 | 6th | ||
| 2018 | 2018 NCAA Division I cross country championships | 6 km | 21:17.4 | 125th | |
| Big Ten Conference cross country championships | 20:22.9 | 10th | |||
Professional
Paternain switched her international athletics eligibility from Great Britain to Uruguay in January 2025.[11][12]
She lived in San Francisco, California. After the year when Paternain worked at the West Coast Conference, she healed from her college injuries and wanted a change, so Paternain moved to Flagstaff, Arizona. After a year at the WCC, she was a project manager at Ohio University, working remotely.[13] There Paternain met her training partner, Danielle Shanahan Polerecky, and eventually her Coach, Jack Polerecky.[14]
She turned her attention to road races and began training with the McKirdy Training Group. At the Twin Cities 10 Mile from Minneapolis to St. Paul, running conditions were good and Paternain hung with a chase pack while Natosha Rogers won in 52:29. Paternain would finish fifth, crossing the line with a smile on her face, clocking 53:26.[15][16]
In November 2024, she edged Sarah Hall by ten seconds to take second at the Indianapolis Half Marathon, running 1:10:15 on a day when Emma Grace Hurley won and set a course record.[17] In March 2025, she ran a Uruguayan national record in the marathon on her marathon debut, running 2:27:09 in the United States in Rockland Lake State Park, New York.[4][18]
In 2025, Paternain signed a multi-year endorsement contract with Saucony.[19][20]
2025 World Athletics Championship
She was a bronze medalist representing Uruguay in the marathon at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan in 2:27:23. It was the first medal won by Uruguay at the Championships.[21][22][23]
Paternain entered the race ranked 288th in the world and was not expected to place for a medal. This led to surprise, even from herself, from many observers.[24]
representing Saucony &  Uruguay | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | McKirdy Micro - The Road to Tokyo | Congers, New York Rockland Lake State Park |
Marathon | 2:27:09 |  1st |
| World Athletics Championships | Tokyo | Marathon | 2:27:23 |  3rd | |