Just when she thought her season was finished, Allie Ostrander was called up for Team USA.

The former Kenai Central star who resides in Colorado accepted a spot to represent The Stars and Stripes in the 5K at the World Road Running Championships in Denmark, marking her fourth trip to a world championship.

Ostrander, who initially finished fifth at the U.S. 5K Championships in May, moved into the first alternate position as runner-up Emma Grace Hurley and third-place finisher Gracie Hyde had already qualified for Worlds in the half marathon and mile, respectively.

That left the professional runner for Oiselle one spot shy of qualifying, as winner Karissa Schweizer and fourth-place finisher Courtney Frerichs were selected to represent Team USA. But when Schweizer announced she had undergone surgery for a knee injury, Ostrander got the call-up.

“Being called in from the alternate list is never how you dream of making a US team, but I’m thrilled to have the chance to compete against the best in the world and rep Team USA,” shared Ostrander on Instagram.

After a fruitful season, finishing her season on the world stage is the cherry on top for the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame inductee, especially after coming close on many occasions.

In December, Ostrander placed eighth at the U.S. Cross Country Championships, two spots shy of Team USA. Then she was five spots away at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships in March and four spots shy at the U.S. Mile Championships in April.

“US teams are something I’ve been chasing for years, and I often find myself finishing in the ‘close but not quite’ realm,” said Ostrander. “It’s hard falling short of a team again and again, but (coach) David Roche has helped me frame each race as an opportunity.

“I step to the line, fight for every spot, and walk away knowing I did everything I could. My failures have made me a better runner, a runner that feels prepared to take on the world’s best.”

The 29-year-old has been on fire on the roads all year long, recording some of the fastest times of her career.

She reset her own Alaska records in the half marathon (1:10:08) and mile (4:30) and set a pair of course records at the Statesman Cap10K (32:45) and Deseret News 10K (30:50), the latter run on a net downhill course.

Ostrander also placed runner-up at the U.S. 8K Championships — her best finish at a U.S. Championship — and currently sits second in the USATF Running Circuit.

But first, Ostrander will wed her fiancé Spencer Brown, also known as The Athlete Special, while gearing up to represent Team USA in five weeks.

This marks the fourth different type of world championship for Ostrander. She won the junior women’s title at the 2015 World Mountain Running Championships in Wales, competed in the steeplechase at the 2019 World Championships in track and field in Qatar and finished top-30 at the 2024 World Championships in cross country in Serbia.

The World Athletics Road Running Championships will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from September 19-20.