Men's Olympic Marathon Trials

(Photo above: Keith Dowling (34) of Reston, Virginia and a pack of runners just after mile 20. Dowling is 5th from left, in white singlet and dark hat. He would finish first among Washington, DC area runners, 11th overall, in 2:16:50.

Photo left: Seen here approximately 20.5 miles into the race, Michael Wardian (29) of Arlington, Virginia, ran alone for most of the race, choosing to run his own pace rather than tuck into a pack to avoid the fierce winds that whipped through the streets of Birmingham that morning. Wardian would finish in 2:22:40, good for 33rd place. Photos by Kathy Freedman.)

The three pre-race favorites had no problems handling the pressure as Alan Culpepper, Meb Keflezighi and Dan Browne finished 1-2-3 and qualified for the 2004 US Olympic Team. Culpepper was able to break away from Keflezighi in the final hundred meters to take home the $85,000 winner's check and qualify for his second Olympic team (10,000-meters, 2000).

The top three finishers may not be much of surprise, but there were several unknowns that came up with huge performances on a chilly, windy morning in Birmingham, Alabama. Trent Briney, 26, living and training with the Hanson's Running Team in Michigan, finished fourth and was undoubtedly the biggest surprise in the field. Briney, whose previous best effort was 2:21:10, knocked 8:36 off of his personal best to finish in 2:12:34, just missing the Olympic team.

Hanson's teammate Clint Verran finished fifth in 2:14:35 followed by Scott Larson of Boulder, Colorado, who closed strong in 2:15:02. Masters record holder Eddy Hellebuyck, one of the pre-race favorites, finished a respectable eighth in 2:15:35.

Briney and Verran, the fourth- and fifth-place finishers, still may have an outside chance of competing in Athens. Having both broken the Olympic "A" standard of 2:15 along with the top three, they could represent the US if any of the three decide to opt for the track over the marathon distance, something that is not out of the question.

Keith Dowling was the top local finisher. The Reston, Virginia, resident finished just out of the top ten, finishing 11th in 2:16:26. Alexandria's Christopher Banks also had a good showing. The 26-year-old ran 2:18:55 for 20th overall. Michael Wardian (33rd), Nick Gramsky (45th), Edmund Burke (50th) and Darrell General (67th) rounded out the local finishers. South Riding's Aaron Church was unable to finish the race.

Eighty-six runners started the race, with only 70 athletes making it to the finish line. The temperature was unseasonably cool with starting temps reported in the mid-30s with wind chills in the 20s. Large crowds lined the streets and greeted the finishers at the finish line, amazing support from the community considering the race had only 86 starters.

Top Local Finishers

11 	Keith Dowling 		Reston VA 		2:16:49
20 	Christopher Banks 	Alexandria VA 		2:18:55
33 	Michael Wardian 	Arlington VA 		2:22:39
45 	Nick Gramsky 		McLean VA 		2:25:09
50 	Edmund Burke 		Burtonsville MD 	2:26:13	
67 	Darrell General 	Hyattsville MD 		2:33:19
74 	Aaron Church 		South Riding VA 	DNF

(Photo above: Edmund Burke of Burtonsville, Maryland about 20.5 miles into the race. Burke is in the middle of the photo, in black singlet.)

See the Photo Gallery.