The 2008 SunTrust National Marathon will play host to an elite field of Olympic hopefuls on March 29, 2008. With the 2008 Women's Olympic Marathon Trials taking place in Boston, MA on April 20, 2008, the half marathon course provides an occasion for the perfect tune-up race to prepare these elite women athletes for their Olympic Trials run.

Six female Olympic hopefuls will be competing in the half marathon: Samia Akbar, Abby Dean, Susan Graham-Gray, Phebe Ko, Emily LeVan, and Briana Whaley. Of the six, none have yet been members of the U.S. Women's Marathon Olympic Team; all are hoping to make the cut for the games in 2008.

Each of the six athletes has incorporated the SunTrust National Half Marathon as a part of their training program to gear up for the Olympic Trials. The 13.1 mile course will provide runners with some challenging inclines along with beautiful scenery and lots of community encouragement. The event also gives each a sneak peak of some of their competition for the trials in Boston.

Elite Athlete Half Marathon Personal Records

Samia Akbar, 1:13:12			Abby Dean, 1:18	
Susan Graham-Gray, 1:21                 Emily LeVan, 1:20
Phebe Ko, 1:20:49			Briana Whaley, 1:19:04

Photo by Drew below: Samia Akbar (center) at the 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Indianapolis, IN. This year, Samia placed fifth (52:35) in the women's 15K Championship race held in windy conditions on Saturday, March 8 in Jacksonville, FL.

For more information on the race, see SunTrust National Marathon.