My name is Kate Clarke. I stand 5 feet 8 inches tall and weigh 165 lbs. I was born on the west coast of Africa, specifically, Monrovia, Liberia, approximately five miles away from the heart of the city. My parents are Mr. Daniel Clarke and Mrs. Albertha Clarke. My mother comes from an Americo-Liberian origin and my father is a native of Bong County; one of the thirteen counties of Liberia. I have one sister, Kemah and three brothers, Daniel Jr., Rupert and Kim, of which I am the youngest. Daniel Jr. is currently the Director for Red Cross in Liberia, Rupert is a Chemist, Kemah is an Accountant with the United Nations stationed in Liberia and Kim is an Accountant with my father’s NGO (Non-Government Organization) called FACE (Farmers Association to Conserve the Environment).
I first started running at age 10 at St. Teresa’s Convent High School in Monrovia. My enthusiasm for the sport grew while watching the 1988 Olympics on television. I remembered trying to mimic the techniques and stature of the athletes the following day at practice. Unfortunately, my school did not offer Track and Field to lower classmen, so I was denied the opportunity of competing until I turned thirteen.
Nevertheless, at age 14, the Liberian National Track and Field Federation broadcasted on television and radio about an open tryout. The federation was searching for new talents and I registered to compete. That year (1994) I ran against some of Liberia’s top athletes and placed third overall in the 100m (12.01 secs.) and fourth in the 200m (24.48 secs.) races, and was selected a few weeks later for the National Team. The following year, I was chosen to represent Liberia at the 1995 Track and Field World Championships in Gutenberg, Sweden, where I ran the 100m race. This was one of the most pivotal moments of my life, when I was given the opportunity to showcase the ambition of young talented women of Liberia.
In 1996, I was also chosen to represent Liberia at the Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia in the 4 x 100m relay. Later, I moved to Texas to begin high school as a sophomore. When I arrived in Texas, I was immediately enrolled at Macarthur High School in Irving, Texas. I joined the varsity track team and became one of my coach’s favorite. While there, we broke all the schools’ records in the 100, 200, 400, 2 x 800, 4 x 400, long jump, triple and so forth. At most meets, I competed in about five to six events at a time and was pretty drained by the end of the day. I went on to achieve over forty medals and numerous awards, both in academics and sports. After graduation, I was offered a full track and field scholarship first at Life Chiropractic University in Marietta, Georgia and a year later at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida, where I attained a bachelor’s degree in Computer Graphics.
At Jacksonville University I competed primarily in the 200m, 400m and 4 x 400m races all through the year and at the end of my senior year, I finished second in the 400 meters behind Georgia Tech. Since the Olympics, I’ve been selected for two national women’s sprint relay teams, first, the IAAF championships in Edmonton, Canada (2001) and then the All African Games in Tunis, Tunisha (2002), but both times, unforeseen calamities prevented me from realizing and pursuing my goals.
I’ve had numerous aspirations, but running is my passion. I’m occasionally asked, “What keeps you motivated?” My answer is always the same. I’m motivated by people who are motivated, all of the time. Which brings me to one of my favorite quotes, "it is inherent in personality to be able to know other personalities, but full knowledge of one personality by another cannot happen in one encounter." –Tozer
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