Doctor Chases Her Olympic Dream : Crew: Kris Karlson finished medical school and still kept up with her training as a rower.

Kris Karlson isn’t exactly the rower next door.

First, she lives in Hartford, Conn., where she trains alone because there is no one else and where she’s constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure she doesn’t run into the trees sticking out of the Farmington River.

Second, she was a finalist for the Sullivan Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best amateur athlete.

Third, she’s Dr. Karlson, as in Kristine Karlson, M.D., a resident in family medicine at St. Francis Hospital.

Today, Karlson rows in the FISA World Cup Series at the 18th annual San Diego Crew Classic, the first event and only non-European stop on the tour. The six-race series determines the best individual rower in the world.

Karlson finished eighth overall in last year’s series despite competing in only three of five races. The series counts the rower’s four best finishes.

She missed one of those races because she was graduating from the University of Connecticut’s medical school.

“I’m only going to graduate from med school once,” she said, “so I figured I could miss the race.”

She missed the other race because of the U.S. Rowing National Championships, where she finished third in lightweight singles for women under 130 pounds and first in lightweight doubles with teammate Alison Townley. She was also on the winning quadruple sculls team.

Although Karlson was a lightweight--she became the first woman to win gold medals in two World Championship events in 1989 and was nominated for the Sullivan Award--she is not a lightweight when it comes to rowing where, in international competition, there are no weight parameters.

In most cases, more mass means more muscle, but Karlson has been able to excel despite giving away about 20 pounds to most of her competitors. Though light by rowing standards at 140 pounds, she still managed that eighth in the World Cup as a single sculler and third in the World Championships with Townley in doubles. They also won a silver medal at the Goodwill Games in Seattle.

Karlson is ranked third in the U.S. behind Anne Marden, who is not competing in San Diego, and Townley, who also qualified for today’s final.

“Physiology has a lot to do with overcoming the size,” Karlson said. “For some reason, my heart and lungs make me more efficient. My strength is technique. There are some whose strength is strength.”

Karlson trains about three hours a day during the season. She arranges her schedule around her hours at St. Francis.

“They (the hospital) are allowing me to split my first year of residency over two years so I can train,” Karlson said. “A lot of (my success and training) is due to the understanding of my department and believing in me enough to let me do this over two years, saying., ‘We think this is a worthy cause.’ ”

Ultimately, Karlson’s goal is representing her country in the Olympics, but she knows it probably will be with Townley in doubles, not in singles.

“I want an Olympic medal,” Karlson said. “Of course, everyone wants a gold medal, but how we do this year will help determine what is a realistic goal. I don’t know if a gold medal is realistic, but if it is, then that’s what I want. But if it’s not a reasonable goal, why kid yourself?”

Townley recognized that no-nonsense attitude in her doubles teammate and singles opponent.

“She tends to be very intense,” Townley said. “She’s tough. Really tough. To do what she’s done, training all alone and going to medical school, it’s just sheer guts. When she sets her mind on something, you can be pretty sure she’s going to get it.”