Many athletes dream of competing in the Olympic Games, but only a small percentage of athletes ever have the opportunity to make that Olympic dream reality. Five area athletes will have the chance to compete for a few of these coveted spots when they toe the line for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February of 2004.

Aaron Church
South Riding, Virginia

When you browse the list of US Olympic Marathon Trials qualifiers, you'll recognize many of the names. Olympians, US record holders, NCAA champions, and dozens of elite athletes that have dominated the road running scene. However, one name that may not be familiar to even the biggest fans of the sport is South Riding, Virginia resident Aaron Church.

An accomplished high school runner, Church actually traded in his running shoes for a tennis racquet when he enrolled in college.

"I played Division I college tennis," says Church. "I gave up running completely for five years, and didn't get started again until 1998."

In 1999 Church made his marathon debut at the Disney Marathon with less than spectacular results. His 3 hour and 43 minute finishing time gave no indication that qualifying for the Olympic Trials would be in his future.

"I ran 2:34 at last year's Washington DC Marathon," says Church, who is a network engineer at Nextel in Reston. "I knew after that performance that I had a shot at qualifying."

A 2:30 marathon with severe blisters at the Disney Marathon this past January gave him the confidence to sign up for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota in June. His fourth marathon turned out to be the breakthrough he was hoping for when he popped 2:21:47-- earning a spot at the starting line for the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials.

"It was a very emotional moment," says the 28-year-old Church. "I broke down in tears as soon as I crossed the line and saw that I was under 2:22."

Keith Dowling
Reston, Virginia

A familiar face on the US marathoning scene, Reston's Keith Dowling will see whether the third time is the charm when he toes the line for the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials. With a sixth place finish in the 1996 trials, the 34-year-old knows that this may be his last chance to make an Olympic team.

"I am going into the race with the goal of setting a personal best," says Dowling, who has a personal best of 2:13:28. "I am optimistic going in. Hopefully, I will make the team."

Dowling plans on putting all of his focus and energy toward the February trials race. He will compete in the US 10K Championships in November and possibly a tune-up half-marathon in January, but doesn't plan on doing anything to jeopardize his chances. Being cautious is something that has not been part of Keith's vocabulary during his twelve-year professional career.

"I am a little reckless sometimes," says Dowling, who competes full-time for Adidas. "I can usually get away with it because I know my body so well. Now that I am getting older, I have to be a little more cautious."

After the Olympic Trials, it is likely that you may see less and less of this longtime fixture on the US road running scene. With the recent birth of his daughter, Dowling realizes that his career may be winding down.

"I have always made running my focus," says Dowling. "With a baby in the picture, I will probably look at phasing into something else."

Darrell General
Mitchellville, Maryland

Sure Darrell General will have jitters moments before the gun is fired to start the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials, but with four previous trials races under his belt, he may not be as nervous as some of his fellow competitors. The veteran marathoner is hoping that his experience pays off on February 7th in Birmingham.

"I still feel like I can run a personal best," says General, who is has run 2:14:42. "My highest trials finish is twelfth. I would like to improve on that."

A recent knee injury has put a damper on some of his fall racing plans. While training for the last year's DC Marathon, his knee flared up just days before the race. After taking seven weeks off, General recently resumed training with the focus on being fit in February.

"I won't be racing much. I am right now only running fifteen to twenty miles per week and am going to gradually increase my mileage," says General who normally logs close to 100 miles per week. "My goal is to get myself back into form as soon as possible."

When he is not pounding the pavement, you'll find Darrell spending his time helping others. He is a part-time track coach at Marshall High School and has a flexible job at Metro Run & Walk in Falls Church.

"The manager has worked with me to give me a flexible schedule," says General. "They have been so supportive of my training."

Peter Sherry
Great Falls, Virginia

Peter Sherry has been a fixture on the local running scene since his days as an undergrad at Georgetown. The former 5,000-meter specialist recently made the transition to the marathon by qualifying for the Olympic Trials in his marathon debut. The 2:20:38 effort came in the 2001 New York City Marathon and bodes well for a future at the longer distances.

"I felt very comfortable with the distance," says Sherry, who has competed in the Olympic Track and Field Trials. "The race actually felt pretty easy. When I was finished I was excited about doing another one."

Sherry will get the chance to test the distance one more time before February when he competes in the upcoming Marine Corps Marathon in October. His goal is to run a comfortable 2:18 to 2:19 and most importantly win the race. Despite his limited experience at the distance, Sherry isn't running the trials for the experience.

"I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't think I had a shot at making the team," says the 35-year-old. "You never know what can happen on a good day."

When Sherry is not tearing up the racing scene, you'll find him tearing around his newly opened running store. He recently teamed up with 10K specialist Andre Williams to open Arlington's Gotta Run Running Shop.

Chris Banks
Springfield, Virginia

At 25, Chris Banks will be one of the youngest competitors to compete in the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials. An accomplished runner on the college scene for Princeton, Banks had solid times over 5,000-meters (14:10) and 10,000-meters (29:16), but felt that he was more suited to the marathon distance.

"I knew I wouldn't be as competitive nationally at those distances," says Banks who works part-time at Gotta Run in Arlington. "I felt like I would have a better chance of being competitive in the marathon."

Banks proved quickly that the marathon is his calling. He crept under the "B" qualifier with a debut 2:21:57 at the 2002 Twin Cities Marathon. The effort was encouraging and led him to enter the 2003 US Championships in Birmingham, Alabama--the same course that will host to Olympic Marathon Trials.

"I ran 2:18:51 and felt good doing it," says Banks. "It was good improvement. I was happy to get under 2:20."

The newfound confidence at the distance has spurred Chris to log between 100 and 130 miles per week in preparation for the February event. He has high goals for the future, but his immediate plans center more around improvement than making the 2004 Olympic Team.

"It is unrealistic to think I have a shot to make the Olympics right now," says Banks. "The big thing is to improve by a few minutes and look to the future."

Editor's Note: After this article was written, Michael Wardian of Arlington, Virginia qualified for the men's Olympic Marathon Trials at the Detroit Free Press International Marathon on Sunday, October 5, with his breakthrough 2:21:48 for fourth place, taking more than eight minutes off his previous marathon best, set in Chicago last October. See the profile of Michael in this issue.

On October 12, Nick Gramsky (25) of McLean, VA and Edmund Burke (34) of Burtonsville, MD qualified at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, earning the $2500 bonus offered to any American who met the qualifying time! Gramsky was 33rd overall in 2:20:46, and Burke was 40th in 2:21:53.

Congratulations to all qualifiers! We are proud of you!